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HomeMy WebLinkAbout605 Jville Road Old ChurchBUILDING -STRUCTURE INVENTORY FORM `aai 1N rrrs,! NYS OFFICE OF PARKS, RECREATION & HISTORIC PRESERVATION DIVISION FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION NEw.aR,s,af (518) 474-0479 YOUR NAME: Jane Schwerdtfeger FOR OFFICE USE ONLY UNIQUE SITE NO. QUAD SERIES NEG. NO DATE: December 21, 1983 YOUR ADDRESS- 106 W. Sibley Hall TELEPHONE: (607) 256-2344 ORGANIZATION (if any): Preservation Planning Workshop, Cornell University * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * IDENTIFICATION 1. BUILDING NAME(S): Bait and Tackle Shop,, former Methodist Episcopal Church 2. COUNTY: Tompkins TOWN/CITY: Ulysses VILLAGE: 3. STREET LOCATION: 605 Jacksonville Road 4. OWNERSHIP: a. public ❑ b. private FA 5. PRESENT OWNER -Dennis O'Neil ADDRESS:605 Jacksonville Road 6. USE: Original: Methodist Episcopal Present: commercial store/residence 7. ACCESSIBILITY TO PUBLIC: Exterior visible from public road: Yes ® No ❑ Interior accessible: Explain Yes, commercial DESCRIPTION 8. BUILDING a. clapboard F] b. stone ® c. brick ❑ d. board and batten ❑ MATERIAL: e. cobblestone ❑ f. shingles ❑ g. stucco ❑ other: 9. STRUCTURAL. a. wood frame with interlocking joints KI SYSTEM: b. wood frame with light members ❑ (if knovn) c. masonry load bearing walls ❑ d. metal (explain) e. other 10. CONDITION- a. excellent ❑ b. good XX c, fair ❑ d. deteriorated ❑ 11. INTEGRITY: a. original site ❑ b. moved It if so,when? 1898 c. list major alterations and dates (if known): 1 1855: Addition of second floor to be used as an "audience room" where services were held. The original ground floor converted into lecture and classrooms. When the second floor was constructed, the (continued) 12. PHOTO: 13. MAP: HP -1 An Equal Opportunrlr Agency 14. THREATS TO BUILDING: a. none known10 b. zoning ❑ c. roads ❑ d. developers ❑ e. deterioration ❑ f. other: 15. RELATED OUTBUILDINGS AND PROPERTY: a. barn❑ b. carriage house ❑ c. garage ❑ d. privy ❑ e. shed ❑ f. greenhouse ❑ g. shop ❑ h. gardens ❑ i. landscape features: trees in area behind building_. j. other: recent (past 10 vears) natio added in rear 16. SURROUNDINGS OF THE BUILDING (check more than one if necessary): a. open land ❑ b. woodland ❑ c. scattered buildings ❑ d. densely built-up ❑ e. commercial lid f. industrial ❑ g. residential C� h. other: 17. INTERRELATIONSHIP OF BUILDING AND SURROUNDINGS: (Indicate if building or structure is in an historic district) see attached sheet 18. OTHER NOTABLE FEATURES OF BUILDING AND SITE (including interior features if known): See attached sheet SIGNIFICANCE 19. DATE OF INITIAL CONSTRUCTION: 1827 ARCHITECT: BUILDER: 20. HISTORICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL IMPORTANCE: See attached sheet 21. SOURCES: Agard, Jessie: Historical Highlights, written for the DeWitt Historical SSoc�iet-y, Ithaca. No date. Town of Ulysses Collection, Box 2-4-8—B, 2Tflj2. c1P: 4. Bait and Tackle Shop 605 Jacksonville Road Continuation Sheet 11: windows were cut in half, with the major portion of the window remaining on the second floor. Curved flanking sets of stairs to the second floor were installed. A belfray or a steeple was also added, but has been removed. 1879: Unspecified repairs were made. c. 1982-83: The present owners remodelled the second floor. 17. The former Methodist Episcopal Church is prominently located at the juncture of the two main roads through Jacksonville. Nearby is a cinder block antique shop and former gas station. For the most part, it is surrounded by residences. To the right is a Greek Revival style house to which additions have been made. on the left are two bungalow homes. Across the street is a barn and the rear of a late 19th century home which faces Route 96. The building is set fairly close to the road, as are most of the other buildings surrounding it. Although most of the buildings around it are constructed of wood, is much larger in scale and considerably more imposing than the others. It is the sole example of a monumental Greek Revival state church in the area and one of two church buildings in Jacksonville. 18. This is a 2 -story building of a rectangular plan with Greek Revival style ornamentation. It has a 3 -bay gable facade which faces Jacksonville Road. The roof is sheathed in metal and is of a medium pitch. A brick chimney is located on the east end and projects slightly into the interior and can only be seen from the exterior projecting from the roof. The frame is joined by mortise and tenon construction. Four load- bearing supports are exposed on the second floor, with nails and marks of hand -hewing visible. There are two windows flanking the entrance on the gable facade, and three windows each on the west and east elevations. The wooden window surrounds and the sills are both plain. Before the second story was added in 1855, the windows were quite large and extended almost the full length of the wall. Presently, the second story windows have 20 over 20 lights, and 15 lights on the first floor. The two are separated by flush board (vertically placed on the gable facade, horizontally placed on the east and west facades.) Although the windows are no longer continuous from top to bottom, they give a decided vertical emphasis to the building. On the southern gable there are two windows on the second story which are boarded up, and two directly bellow them with 12 over 12 lights. On the west side is a door which is not original. It is covered by a small overhang. The rear door in the south gable end may be original, and is surrounded by a plywood patio built by the O'Neil's. The corners of the building feature thin corner boards. The main entrance is the building's predominant decorative element. Its panelled double doors are centrally-placed, and are flanked by smooth pilasters. They are topped by a wide entabulature with dentil molding and a cornice. The main entabulature is continued around the sides, but does not continue to the back gable. 20. This building was the first Methodist Episcopal church in Jacksonville. Along with the earliest taverns and residences, it was constructed during the hamlet's first period of extensive development. Although not on its original site, is in the oldest area of the settlement, which is at the crossroads of Jacksonville Road and the old Ithaca -Geneva Turnpike, begun in 1811. In 1801, before the church was built, a circuit rider periodically ministered to the Jacksonville residents. Services were often held in the homes of Methodist families in the area, and summer camp meetings were held on a nearby The lot on which the church was originally located was bought in 1826, and the "Old Colonial Church" was built a year later.3 In 1851, the church members were interested in selling the church, but by 1855 they had decided to remodel the structure instead. Both the second floor and the steeple were added at that time. The interior walls on the second floor still show the marks of where the pews were installed. By 1897 subscriptions were being solicited to build a new church on the original site. In January, 1898, the church was moved on oak skids by teams of horses to its present location, and by November of that year the new Methodist Episcopal church was dedicated on the site.4 In its new location the church functioned as the "Public Hall Association"5 until 1959-60, when Wilbur Gregg bought it for $800. The present owners, the O'Neils, bought it in 1972 and changed its function once to that of a store and residence. While the Greek Revival style is prominent in and around Jacksonville, this structure is a unique example of the style in a public building. Except for the addition of the second floor, beaking the full length of the windows, the general original exterior architectural interity seems to be intact. These alterations may be viewed as significant in their own right. As one of the earliest structures and as the first major church in Jacksonville, this building has played a significant role in the history of the hamlet. Besides the Quaker contingent to the southwest, Methodism was the main denomination within the area. TIt remained a vital part of the community as a public hall as well. Both architecturally and within the historic context of Jacksonville, this building remains significant today. Footnotes: 1. Jessie Agard, Historical Hiahl'-arts 2. Ibid. 3. Nancy Dean, Ricentenni^1 Celebration in Ulysses and Trumansbus-gh 4. Jessie Agard, Historical Highlights 5. Referred to as such in 1915 in a deed for the bungalow to the left of the Bait and Tackle. (Deed Book 185, p. 282). Addendum: The remodelling of the Methodist Church in 1855 was headed by a builder named Daniel Elmore. In this diary for 1855, he mentions drawing up the plans for remodelling. In 1856, he and masons and laborers worked to finish the remodelling before 1857. The Church was dedicated, he states, on January 29, 1857, at 11:00 a.m. He also notes that the day before was devoted to "putting down the carpets and trimming." 21. Sources: Sponsored by the Town and Village boards, 1976 Interview with owner, Mrs. O'Neil, October 1983 The Free Press, Jan. 7, 1899. DeWitt Historical Society Town of Ulysses Collection. Box 2-4-8-B, folder 5. Conversation with Anne Cotton, who is researching the Elmore Diaries. December, 1983.