Cortland County Historical Society 1 day ago Main Street Monday!#3-5 Dexter HouseThe beginning of the history of #3-5 Main Street overlaps with that of #1 covered several weeks ago (https://tinyurl.com/zd4y4h). Joshua Ballard is quoted in H.P. Smith’s “History of Cortland County” as saying: “The corner lot where stands the noble brick edifice of Major Aaron Sager and the Dexter House, was once occupied by a tavern building of ordinary size, owned by Grove Gillett, with whom Samuel Nelson, afterwards one of the judges of the Supreme Court of the United States, took board for a time.” This seems to be a reference to an earlier building, perhaps latter replaced by the Barnard block seen in the earliest available photo of the spot in our collections. Later, Smith writes that “L. Dexter had a billiard saloon in an old two story wood building adjoining the Barnard block, in the second story of which was Henry Woodruff’s tailor shop.” It is possible that this building was in fact the same as Grove Gillet’s tavern. An advertisement for Lucian Dexter’s saloon indicates that they had a “fresh supply of oysters and clams…received daily by express. Also sardines, lobsters, pickled clams, tongues and feet.” It appears he took pride in the unique selection of delicacies made available at his establishment, which in its early days bore the name First National Restaurant and Saloon and is later referred to as the National Hotel.In 1872, Aaron Sager and Lucian Dexter rebuilt the entire corner making it a uniform three-story building. A Cortland Standard article from that time reported that the new building would be “an ornament to the street, and Mr. Dexter deserves credit for his enterprise. When reopened it will be second to no hotel in this section of the State,” (C.S. August 6, 1872). Credit of the building of the new structure was given to William Alvord who was present at the grand opening of the Dexter House in December of that year. “The tables were loaded with the choicest of viands, and the table linen and cutlery spotless in purity and burnish, and the guests did ample justice to the generous repast. After eating was no longer attractive, there was an active demand for speeches, but the responses seemed to be lacking,” the excuse for which was presented by Dr. Jewett “that it was well established by medical science that after such an indulgence of the stomach, it and the brain did not work in harmony,” (C.S. December 24, 1872).By 1880, the hotel underwent changes to open the ground floor for stores, which early on included the business of C. Van Alstine, a shoemaker. When Lucian moved away from the area, the Dexter House had several different proprietors over the years that included C.H. Warren, C.A. O’Brien and J.J. Comerford, as well as F.E. Mabie and son. It continued to be viewed as a first-class establishment. The Dexter House disappears from city directories by 1926 and was at the time replaced by The Market Basket and Sugar Bowl confectionary. Surprisingly, the Dexter House reappears in 1930 and then was gone for good by 1934.In 1936, the building was remodeled with a new four-story façade, and remodeled again by A. Louis in 1949. Rear additions were added in the 1960s. By the 1950s much of the building was rented out as apartments and many students resided there. Other businesses that appear in the block over the years included Diamond Taxi, Charles Hairdresser, and various dentists, physicians, and chiropractors. A fire in 1978 removed the third and fourth floors that contained mainly apartments and destroyed the interiors of A. Louis Men’s Store and George Bowker’s shoe store. By this point in time the building was referred to as the R.H.B. and A.T.&T. building. The fate of the structure seemed doomed for demolition, but as of today if you look down the alleyway to the right of the building you can still view some of the original brickwork of the old Dexter House building.~Sophie, Collections and Research Assistant#historicalphotographs#MainStreetMonday #experiencecortland #crowncityrising #cortlandny #mainstreet #mainstreetusa #cortlandcountyhistory #cortlandcountyhistoricalsociety #history #historicalphotos #historicalphotographs ... See MoreSee Less Photo View on Facebook · Share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email Cortland County Historical Society 2 days ago ESMRP Adventures: Everson Museum of ArtCortland County Historical Society recently joined the Empire State Museums Reciprocal Program to extend a great new benefit to CCHS members. When you join CCHS, your membership benefits extend to ALL the museums that belong to the ESMRP, and all you have to do is remember to bring your membership card! By becoming a member of CCHS, you help provide vital support to keep our doors open for generations to come and you get this terrific new benefit as well as free research, a discount in our gift shop, and a quarterly newsletter.Because we are so excited about this new membership perk, our social media team will be visiting several of the museums in the ESMRP this summer and sharing a sneak peek with you so you can see for yourself what a great value your membership at CCHS is. This week our featured museum is the Everson Museum of Art.Located at 401 Harrison Street in Syracuse, the Everson is a piece of art in and of itself architecturally! With three stories of constantly changing exhibits, there will always be something new to see- all the more reason to take advantage of the free admission you receive through a CCHS membership. My favorite space featured Sekou Cooke’s “15-81”. Through photographs, newspaper clippings, and architectural design plans, Cooke peels back the layers of history and “focuses on the legacy of placement and displacement of Black residents in Syracuse and considers various events in the city’s history—the razing of the historic 15th Ward, the building of multiple public housing projects, and the construction of Interstate-81,” (Sekou Cooke: 15-81 - Everson Museum of Art). I personally love the synthesis of history, art, and architecture to inform visitors of the impact from the past as a predictor of the present and beyond, especially in light of a post I-81 future. There are so many different styles of art to enjoy, so there’s something of interest for everyone! Check out their website for current and upcoming exhibits and events: https://everson.org/~Sophie#cortlandcountyhistoricalsociety #empirestatemuseumsreciprocalprogram #esmrp #daytrip #reciprocalmuseumprogram #museums #nysmuseums #syracuseny #Everson #becomeacchsmember #membershipmatters #experiencecortland ... See MoreSee Less Photo View on Facebook · Share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email Cortland County Historical Society 3 days ago Here’s a sampling of some of the great items available at the Cortland County Historical Society Book Sale RIGHT NOW! Come on down for the best selection of local and regional history books, including rare Cortland County histories, city directories, and yearbooks 😊 ... See MoreSee Less Photo View on Facebook · Share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email Cortland County Historical Society 4 days ago Don't miss tomorrow's book sale! Find history books, yearbooks, programs, and more.All proceeds will go back into care of the collections. ... See MoreSee Less Photo View on Facebook · Share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email Cortland County Historical Society 5 days ago Photo of the week!Sykes Market located at 109 Homer Avenue in Cortland, c.1980. This spot is now the location of the Frosty Caboose.#cortlandcountyhistory #cortlandny #centralnyhistory #experiencecortland #cortlandcountyhistoricalsociety #history #historicalphotographs #historicalphotos #photography ... See MoreSee Less Photo View on Facebook · Share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email 2021-04-14
