After studying the designs of boathouses throughout New England and the Finger Lakes, architect Daniel R. Long of Geneva, N.Y., opted for a structure that fits in with the historic nature of the campus. The Bozzuto Boathouse will be clad in natural cedar with dark grey shingles. Solar panels installed on the south side of the building will provide power.

Spring 2003

A Lead Gift From Trustee Thomas S. Bozzuto ’68 Transforms Waterfront

by Catherine Williams

There are lots of ways to cook lake trout. You can grill it with vegetables, drench it with lemon juice, or coat it with Cajun spices…but probably the most common way is to simply pan-fry it in butter. Thomas S. Bozzuto ’68 remembers climbing through the brush down to the banks of Seneca Lake to catch trout, pike, pickerel and muskie, which he would then cook with his Theta Delta Chi brothers. “The fraternity stopped the fishing practice in my junior year,” Bozzuto explains chuckling, “when someone unplugged a refrigerator full of fish and left it there all summer, or at least until the football players returned in August.” But this didn’t stop Bozzuto from fishing. He continued to visit the lake and is today an avid fly fisherman.

Thirty-five years later, and now a trustee of the Colleges serving on the Buildings and Grounds Committee, Bozzuto was excited to learn of the Colleges’ intention to rehabilitate the waterfront area. “I think the aesthetic of our campus—its proximity to the lake and the view—is extraordinary,” Bozzuto explains. “But because of the topography and lack of access, the lake has always seemed farther away from campus than it really is.” When it came time to raise funds for the project, Buzzuto, the president and chief executive officer of The Bozzuto Group, a residential development, construction and management company, made the lead gift. “I wanted to make it possible for all students to reach and use the lake without having to climb over trees like I did.”

Bozzuto’s gift leads an effort that will result in a brand new waterfront facility, complete with an upgraded path to the lake, new landscaping, a dock dedicated to recreational use, and a new boathouse for the sailing team. Planning is well underway with an estimated construction completion date of September, 2003.

Sailing Coach Scott Iklé believes that the project will give more people better access to the lake. “Now the whole campus community will benefit from our waterfront location,” he says. “We will be offering more basic sailing, rowing and paddling courses, and our hope is that people, after passing certification classes, will be able to check out kayaks, sailboats and canoes. This will be a beautiful recreational destination for students, faculty and staff.”

The new boathouse will also have a tremendous impact on the sailing team. Iklé notes that the Hobart and William Smith sailing team is the only Top 20-ranked program in the country without an indoor facility. With a season that stretches an unbelievable 10 months – from February 15 to November 15 – the team is often on the water in frigid temperatures. “So when it’s raining or snowing,” Iklé explains, “we’re changing clothes and having strategy meetings on the dock.” The new boathouse will include student lockers and a space with a whiteboard. “This facility will take us into the 21st century.”

This is good news to Bozzuto. “The sailing team is a great representative of the Colleges and deserves a fantastic facility,” he says. “Beyond that, what’s appealing to me about this project is making the waterfront accessible to everyone. I want prospective students to stop on South Main Street, look at the lake and realize that they can enjoy it, that it can be a part of their Hobart and William Smith experience.”