White Lake, New York, has long been a summertime destination in the Catskills. The late 1800s saw resort hotels built on the shores of the lakeside hamlet, with summer camps, cottages, and motels popping up throughout the next century.

Between 1960 and 1968, a unique development of about 150 homes was constructed. Per an advertisement, these were two- to three-bedroom residences “for fun loving people with discriminating tastes” that promised “an exciting array of easy to care for floor plans and styles”—all for “less than vacation rates.”

Glenn Lazzaro has been vacationing on White Lake since 1963, when his extended family made annual use of a summer home there. Memories of his childhood have since become synonymous with that lakeside setting.

“I feel very comfortable in White Lake because I did most of my growing up there,” says Glenn. “We raced motorboats, went skiing in the winter, and had our first kisses with girls and held hands for the first time. It was all of the things that you do as a kid.”

After several years of absence as an adult, Glenn introduced his wife, Azin Valy, to his beloved getaway. Azin is the cofounder of New York City–based practice I-Beam Design, and it was only natural that she started checking real estate listings on her visit. “I was curious because this part of the Catskills is going through a rejuvenation,” says Azin. “There were still a lot of depressed properties around, however, and being an architect, I love to work on fixer-uppers.”

She came across a number of rundown midcentury chalets, and their untouched state was a plus in her book: “Once they’re renovated, they can lose their identity if the owners are not conscientious about that.”

Before: Exterior

After: Exterior

The couple soon purchased a two-story model—the “Monterey”—and Azin got to work on a makeover, swapping out tired kitchen cabinets, Formica counters, and old asbestos flooring for a refreshed palette that embraces the home’s midcentury charms. “I wanted to maintain the spirit of that style of architecture and to make it functional,” says Azin.

To that end, she vastly improved on the shell of the home, adding insulation and new windows, yet making sure to keep the original wood structure exposed. She specified a new kitchen, complete with updated mosaic tile backsplash and an island on hairpin legs, and enclosed the screened porch to add a bit more living space.

Before: Living Room

After: Living Room

Before: Dining Room

After: Dining Room

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

Before: Screened Porch

After: Lounge

Before: Bathroom

After: Bathroom

Before: Bedroom

After: Bedroom

After: Ground Level

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Now, the home is a comfortable retreat from the city no matter the time of year they visit, whether the couple is lounging on the deck taking in views of the lake in the summer, or curling up by the vintage Malm stove in winter. For Glenn, having a lake home of his own is a bit like coming full circle from those idyllic childhood summers.

“Only with a much better house,” he adds. “And I don’t have to sleep in a bunk bed.”

More Before & After:

An Abandoned Austin Bungalow Springs Back to Life With Five Lush Yards

A Thoughtful Renovation Revives a 1957 Alan McCullough Home in Richmond

Project Credits:

Architecture: I-Beam Design / Suzan Wines (@ibeamdesign)

Builder: D&D Construction

Interior Design: I-Beam Design / Azin Valy

Cabinetry Design: D & D Construction

Also Appears In

Before & After: An Architect Peps Up Her Midcentury Chalet in the Catskills