In the 1940’s and 1950’s the historic Black Mountain College (BMC) operated on the grounds and built many of the more modern buildings on the site, including Sequoia Cottage and the Barns.  Many of the century’s most celebrated artists and thinkers attended the college as teachers or students: Albert Einstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Annie Albers, Merce Cunningham, Rothko and Buckminster Fuller (who designed the first geodesic dome here).  In the last few years of the college’s life, all BMC operations existed here. Lake Eden Retreat is part of the Black Mountain College Historic District and many of our buildings are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.