Green Lake Conference Center 2014 Special Edition Volume 46 | Page 9

Visit RogerWilliamsInn.com
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 (16031683), 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) gathered at the Inn. It
was the focal point of many pictures and post cards,
and the social center of the Assembly.

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 restoring its exterior and renovating its interior
so that this classic hotel will continue to be a wonderful
place to renew guests for decades to come!

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