The Fire and Ice Festival

In January, the annual Fire and Ice Festival comes back to Somerset. Grab your coat and gloves and head to uptown Somerset to check out the ice sculptures. While you're out, stop by the Glades Court Mall and visit our friendly retailers. Warm yourself up with a cup of hot chocolate or on o our delicious coffees.

The Story Behind The Glades Court Mall

As a sophisticated visitor to Somerset at the turn of the century, you would have taken a room at the elegant Hotel Vannear. This three story brick structure was erected in 1895 on the site of the early well-known hostelry "The Glade House". Historic photographs of the building show a stylish mansard-roofed structure with numerous projecting bays, dormers and an entrance tower with conical roof.

In 1931, the hotel was seriously damaged by fire, resulting in the removal of the mansard roof and dormers. The building is the last of Somerset's large, up-town motels, a reminder of the pre-automobile era when the Roof Garden was a favorite vacation spot for city dwellers.

This building, which has been lovingly renovated by it's private owners, houses retail spaces on the first floor, offices on the second and third floors and non-profit organizations in the basement level.