ROGER WILLIAMS INN
EST. 1930
EST. 1930
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Lawsonia Country Club Jewel
Roger Williams Inn was originally named Lawsonia Country Club Hotel. It was constructed by the H.O. Stone Development Company of Chicago in 1930. The five story hotel was built with lake views on three sides and the exterior was faced with brick painted white with green trim. Almost all of its 81 guest rooms faced the lake, and it had a gorgeous lobby. The jewel of their development, it served as both hotel and clubhouse for the 18 hole Lawsonia Links Golf Course. Chauffeur-driven cars would bring guests around the circle to stroll into the lobby. On Saturday evenings, an ensemble conducted by C. Oscar Adler (who had played at the Waldorf Astoria) led dancing in the lobby. One can imagine the dinner conversation on September 2, 1939 (see menu at right), the day between Germany invading Poland and Great Britain declaring war on Germany to begin World War II. 
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American Baptist Favorite
When the Northern Baptists bought the Lawsonia estate in 1943, they renamed the hotel Roger Williams Inn after the English Protestant theologian (c. 1603-1683), an early proponent of religious freedom and the separation of church and state. Williams started the first Baptist church in America--First Baptist Church of Providence, RI. 
Roger Williams Inn continued to be a favorite place to stay for decades. Memories abound of hymn sings in the lobby, swimming in the pool and off the island, boat rides on the Captain Bickel, and family-style dinners in the Crystal Dining Room. Baptist leaders such as J.L. Kraft (founder of Kraft Foods, pictured below) gathered at the Inn. It was the focal point of many pictures and post cards, and the social center of the Assembly.
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Green Lake Conference Center Classic
Today, Roger Williams Inn sits brimming with potential on the shores of Green Lake. Decades of changes have tended to cut off light (smaller windows) and restrict flow, and the removal of the pool in the early 1970s and the Snackery in the 1990s de-energized these spaces.
Roger Williams Inn is clamoring for a new lease on life in which the original design elements that worked so well are reintroduced in a manner that works well in the 21st century.
We are going to restore its exterior and renovate its interior so that this classic hotel will continue to be a wonderful place to renew guests for decades to come!
Today, Roger Williams Inn sits brimming with potential on the shores of Green Lake. Decades of changes have tended to cut off light (smaller windows) and restrict flow, and the removal of the pool in the early 1970s and the Snackery in the 1990s de-energized these spaces.
Roger Williams Inn is clamoring for a new lease on life in which the original design elements that worked so well are reintroduced in a manner that works well in the 21st century.
We are going to restore its exterior and renovate its interior so that this classic hotel will continue to be a wonderful place to renew guests for decades to come!
