Roger Williams Inn
Restoring the lakeside experience
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 to have almost all of
its guest rooms face the lake, and it has a gorgeous
lobby. Chauffeur-driven cars would bring guests
around the circle to stroll into the lobby. The jewel
of their development, it served as both hotel and
clubhouse for the 18 hole Lawsonia Links Golf
Course.
When the Northern Baptists bought the Lawsonia
estate in 1943, they renamed the hotel Roger
Williams Inn after the English Protestant theologian.
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. It was the focal point of many
pictures and post cards, and the social center of the
Assembly.
Restoration Progress and Plans
Major structural repairs & upgrades
completed 2012-2016:
Replaced over 15,000 bricks, fully repairing the
exterior masonry
Replaced roofs on the Penthouse and towers
Replaced mansard roof and added flashing below
the mansard shingles
Installed new hot water system
Transformed fourth floor guest rooms
Today 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 in the 21st century. We are restoring its
exterior and renovating its interior so that this classic
hotel will continue to be a wonderful place to inspire
guests for decades to come!
Historic black and white pictures decorate the walls near
the elevators on each floor at Roger Williams Inn
Visit RogerWilliamsInn.com to watch the restoration
vision and progress update videos
Roger Williams Inn fourth floor guest room
2017 Focus:
Finish replacing all 1980s paneling with sheetrock
Repaint the exterior
Renovate the patio with repaired walls and a
re-poured patio with hand trowelled joints in the
original 1930s style
Add a handicapped access ramp and opening on
the west end of the patio
Install new windows in the back of the lobby
10 | Green Lake Conference Center
Roger Williams Inn lobby, 1960s, with floor-to-ceiling
windows
glcc.org | 11