Camp Rockmont
Black Mountain, North Carolina
Background
The Black Mountain College Historic District, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, contains buildings and landscapes representing multiple periods of development. Built in the 1920s by Asheville developer E.W. Grove as a retreat at Lake Eden, the property became home in 1940 to Black Mountain College, an experimental community advancing innovative ideas in the arts and architecture, led by nationally recognized architects, performers, and painters. After the College closed in 1956, the site became Camp Rockmont, a Christian summer camp for boys, which continues today. Eden Hall, the 1923 dining hall on Lake Eden, serves as the camp’s dining room, its original function, and is a key contributing building in the district.
Project Summary
JKOA is providing professional services in a multi-year project to restore and rehabilitate Eden Hall. Research into documents, early photographs, and plans were coordinated with physical investigations to determine changes and repairs to the building since its 1923 construction. The first phase, a complete renovation of the kitchen wing, was completed in 2023, followed by structural stabilization and exterior envelope repairs in 2024. The final phase, delayed by repairs to the camp’s grounds required after Hurricane Helene in 2024, is scheduled for completion in 2026 and includes restoration of the large dining room, restrooms, and lakefront screened porch, as well as replacement and expansion of exterior decks over the lake.