Folded into the rural foothills of The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests is a small town called Orkney Springs. A winding country road dead ends into this small area. Also known as Shrine Mont, all the structures in this half-a-lane town are part of a retreat owned by the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. (www.shrinemont.com)

Originally completed in 1873 as a mountain hotel that offered the medicinal lure of local hot springs, it stands four stories high and boasts 96,000 square feet that seem little altered by time. Although it is open from early spring until the autumn, the architecture shows that it was a place built for summertime. Here are some architectural details that were beautifully designed and are still highly functional

The rooms are large with especially high ceilings which create their own air flow. As the hot air rises, you get not only a slight breeze, but it pulls the hot air up and off of you. Sash windows, (some reaching more than 8 to 12 feet high) open either up from the floor, or down let the heat out at the end of the day. They also have functional shutters, which people have forgotten block out the sun, or provide privacy and air flow at the same time.

Each of the rooms also boasts high doors with transom windows. These windows above the door allowed you to close the door, but still provide air circulation in an era when residential air cooling/conditioning systems were still 50 years from invention.

But sometimes, no matter the tricks for staying cool indoors, it is better to get outside and catch a breeze. Wide, shaded porches, with rockers painted in cool colors surround the building. This is not just an aesthetic. White paint reflects the sunshine, rather than storing the heat like a dark finish would.

This second story porch juts out from the front to provide a view and open air and benches and chairs of all sizes provide outdoor seating for any weather. It was a building designed to work with its environment, rather than to serve as a fortress against it.

In today’s urban areas, high ceilings and shade trees are hard to come by. Busy roads with smelly and loud automobiles make front porches decorative but stressful. Hopefully you can get out of the city and enjoy some cool country breezes this summer.