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HomeMy WebLinkAboutContinuation Sheet - 59 E. Main, Trumansburg.pdfN.Y. Historic Resource Inventory Form - Continuation Sheet Address: 59 East Main Street Village/Hamlet: Trumansburg Narrative Description of Property Located on the north side of Main Street to the immediate east of an Italianate commercial block, the Masonic Temple at 59 East Main Street is a prominent three-story brick building. It retains a high degree of architectural integrity. The building's U -shape is unique in downtown Trumansburg. This configuration allowed for increased ventilation and light into the upper -floor room, while still enabling the service portions of the building to be physically connected to the public areas populated by guests. The south fagade of the southern wing is the most visually prominent portion of the building and has the highest degree of aesthetic details. The horizontality of the low- pitched roof is accented by brick corbelling. The double -hung wood sash windows retain their historic 2/2 lights. The articulated segmental -headed arched windows have cast iron sills. A belt course at the second story connects the arches of the windows. The center two openings on all three floors are doorways, the upper floors opening on to dainty balconies (two on the third story, one on the second). The two wrought iron balconies on the third floor are supported by brackets, each accessible via a pair of narrow doors. The second story wrought iron balcony rests on top of a two -bay wide portico that features a combination of segmental and round arched openings with keystones. The portico is centered on the fagade and is supported by posts with capitals and squared bases. The east and west facades of the southern wing have double -hung window sash with 2/2 lights. The crowns are constructed of brick. A few windows have been filled in with brick. Compiled by Katelin Olson, August 15, 2014 N.Y. Historic Resource Inventory Form - Continuation Sheet Address: 59 East Main Street Village/Hamlet: Trumansburg Narrative Description of Property (continued) The western and northern wings are less decorative than the public southern wing. The facades of these winds feature segmental -headed arched windows, cast iron sills and a semi -enclosed courtyard. These facades have basement -level windows. The majority of the windows on these facades have 6/6 lights. The south fagade of the northern wing has a projecting, decorative pedimented crown over the wing's entrance, a remnant of the Colonial Revival style. The Masonic Temple is built into to the elevate slope of Main Street. It has a rusticated stone foundation and a water table transitioning between the brick and stone. The brick is arranged in Flemish Common bond. Narrative Description of Significance Trumansburg has an unfortunate history of massive fires, and buildings that stretched the length of the north side of Main Street from Union Street to the Presbyterian Church were consumed in a monstrous conflagration on February 22, 1864. In The History of Trumansburg (1890), local historians record the fire in the following way: There was no fire apparatus of any description in the town ... it became apparent that the town must go not with out standing the almost superhuman efforts of the people to check the conflagration. Lines of men, women, and even children were formed, buckets of water were passed, and the advancing flames persistently fought at every step until delicate women would fall to the ground from sheer exhaustion....Main Street from the bridge to the Presbyterian Church and Elm Street to the corner of Whig were filled with the house hold goods and merchandise of all descriptions ... Thee scene at daylight beggards description. One half the town in ruins, scores of homeless people searching the saved property for their belongings. (As quoted by L. Sears, 53). The Trumansburg New York Incorporation Centennial (1972) notes that many of the buildings devoured in the fire were of wood and the majority of owners chose not to rebuild, instead selling the lots. The new owners overwhelmingly constructed their new buildings out of brick, historically an urban guard against fire, and adopted more uniform designs and greater set -backs. The block at 59 East Main Street reflects this new building style. Seven years after the fire of 1864 demolished the north side of Main Street, the fire of May 22, 1871 destroyed the south side. One of the building casualties was the Washington House, located on a parcel currently occupied by the Village parking lot on Main Street. To fulfill the need for a hotel, Leroy Trembly broke ground for the "Trembly House" on June 5, 1871. He had purchased the lot after the 1864 fire, but left it vacant until 1871. According to A History of Trumansburg (1890), Trembly oversaw the complete construction of the building, and "every stone and brick was layered under the Compiled by Katelin Olson, August 15, 2014 2 N.Y. Historic Resource Inventory Form - Continuation Sheet Address: 59 East Main Street Village/Hamlet: Trumansburg Narrative Description of Significance (continued) personal supervision of the owner" (71). The entire project cost a reportedly $30,000, and was declared a great success by locals. "His building, when completed, was one of the finest for the purpose in the county" (A History, 71). The history of hotels in Trumansburg has been fraught with fiscal unsustainability, and the Trembly House proved no exception. In November 1881, Trembly sold the building to Charles Plyer, who leased it to James H. Borman. Borman was responsible for changing the hotel's name to the Cornell House. Plyer soon sold the business to a Mr. Kennedy of New York City, who appointed D.P. Peters of Trumansburg to manage it. Financial failure forced Kennedy to close the hotel and mortgage it for $5,000 to a group of Ithacans. Until 1896, the hotel stood vacant, except for a brief period under the tenacity of J.H. Covert. The structure eventually sold to "Mrs. M.J. Broman for less than a'/4 of its original price" (Landmarks of Tompkins County, 238). The first telephone booth within the village was located in the lobby. The hotel was closed for good in 1913 and the building was purchased by the local Masonic lodge in 1914. Masonic History The building has a rich Masonic historical connections (Goldstein and Webinzky, 1977). On June 9, 1818, eight men received a charter from the Grand Lodge of Free Masons in New York City. The organization, Fidelity Lodge #309, prospered and quickly claimed between 142 and 151 members by 1826. (Accounts differ on the exact number.) In 1826, several men of the Batavia Masonic Order were accused of killing William Morgan, who joined the organization to expose its ceremonial secrets. Anti -masons claimed that Morgan was killed by the Masons for publishing "The Mysteries of Free Masonry" (1852, later edition), although his body was never uncovered and rumors circulated that he actually fled back home to Canada. Nevertheless, this incident inciting an anti -Masonic fervor that swept the nation. Trumansburg's lodge was greatly impacted by the anti -Masonic movement. The Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York (1908) discusses the hostilities in detailing, particularly noting an event they call a "riot" on St. James Day in July 1827. The book states that the Masons were proceeding from the quarters (location not specified) towards the Presbyterian Church for a special service, as the Presbyterian pastor was a member. Along the way they were antagonized by an angry crowd and were only able to preform their service under the protection of more tolerant men. Due to the St. James incident and the general difficulties associated with Masonry in this period, including a raid of the headquarters in 1829, membership in Fidelity 309 plummeted to twelve highly respected civic and business leaders. These men were reportedly known as the "Twelve Apostles": Nichol Halsey, Elias and Nathaniel Ayres, Milo Van Dusen (or Duzen), David and James McLallen, Philomon Thompson, Uriel Compiled by Katelin Olson, August 15, 2014 3 N.Y. Historic Resource Inventory Form - Continuation Sheet Address: 59 East Main Street Village/Hamlet: Trumansburg Narrative Description of Significance (continued) Turner, John Creque, Lyman Strowbridge, Henry Taylor, and Isaac Watts Hart. For the next two decades (post -1829 raid), they convened in secret locations, including the upper floor of 64 E. Main Street, the house in Halsey House on Route 96 south of the Village, and a few other friendly locations both inside and outside Trumansburg. Many lodges forfeited their charters during this period, and Trumansburg appears to have been one of the few (Sears claims it was the only) to retain its charter and continue functioning, albeit in secret. (Proceedings; Sears; Martin, 95). Ultimately, the Fidelity Lodge #309 was given a new charter and its name changed to #51 on June 8, 1839. It subsequently moved to Ithaca. Just three years later, the Masons of Trumansburg again petitioned the Grand Lodge and they held their first meeting on January 31, 1850. A new charter was issued on June 6, 1850 for the present lodge, #157. Subsequent meetings were held at the aforementioned Washington House, presumably until it burned down in 1871 (Martin, 95-97). In February 1914, the Masons held a large fair in the Morse Chain building to raise funds for the purchase of a temple. Former Village Historian Lydia Sears described it as the biggest event of the year, citing newspaper accounts of the proceedings. "The Great Fair opened last Monday night. The long stretch of bare walls were concealed by booths, handsomely decorated, filled with all sorts of goods, wares and merchandise... The unsightly ceiling had become a canopy of contrasting colors cheerful and pleasing to the eye" (Sears, 113). Later that year the lodge purchased the Cornell House. Ownership of the new temple soon provided an economic opportunity for the Lodge. In 1919, the local Board of Education rented space in the northern wing for the new Agriculture and Homemaking departments (Sears, 117). In 1924, the school burned down and the Masons offered their building, serving the district until the building was completed in 1929 (Sears, 126-131). In the 1930s, men in the Lodge renovated the third floor, converting it into a dance hall that became a popular venue until it was deemed unsafe (Sears, 136). During World War II, the Masons opened their doors to the Red Cross, who used it as a headquarters for knitting and sewing (Sears, 143). Library History The first local library was founded in June 1811 in Michael Snell's tavern (site currently occupied by Napa Auto, 1 East Main Street) by Herman Camp. Camp served as the first librarian, and the collection was kept in his store until 1836 when the library disbanded. All of the books were sold in 1840. Nearly a century later, a second library, the Ulysses Philomathic Library, was organized in 1935, opening on October 12 in their first space in the north wing of the Masonic Temple (Sears, 138). The Masons deeded the space to the library in 1941. They occupied this space until 2002 when they moved into their new building at 74 East Main Street. The Ulysses Historical Society, founded in Compiled by Katelin Olson, August 15, 2014 4 N.Y. Historic Resource Inventory Form - Continuation Sheet Address: 59 East Main Street Village/Hamlet: Trumansburg Narrative Description of Significance (continued) 1975, moved into the basement of the Masonic Temple the following year, until it constructed its new facilities at 39 South Street in 1998. Presently, the Masonic continue to occupy the southern wing and the other wings are rented to businesses, including Fresh (an organic hair salon) and Trumansburg Yoga. Partial History of Ownership of Building Date Acquired Book Page Leroy Trembly c. 1864 Charles Plyer Novemeber 1881 Mr. Kennedy (NYC) c. 1885 Mrs. M.J. Broman c. 1900 Fidelity Lodge #157 (Masonic) 1914 Figure 1: Main (south) facade Compiled by Katelin Olson, August 15, 2014 5 N.Y. Historic Resource Inventory Form - Continuation Sheet Address: 59 East Main Street Village/Hamlet: Trumansburg Figure 2: Interior courtyard Irivr�G BAR UfP. ��.�y�, t Qric4 s f �` BAST f !3. j O EN17fANCQ f 3aN.rvs RifsI 11TI 3 RE'Aornr�` B �U o CORWE44 o. Figure 3: Detail of Sanborn Insurance Map, 1889. Compiled by Katelin Olson, August 15, 2014 6 N.Y. Historic Resource Inventory Form - Continuation Sheet Address: 59 East Main Street Village/Hamlet: Trumansburg Sources Celebration of the Bicentennial of the United States of America in the Town of Ulysses and the Village of Trumansburg. Publisher unknown: 1976. Digital Sanborn Maps 1867-1970. Ann Arbor, Mich.: ProQuest UMI, 2001. Goldstein, Carol and Tania Werbizky. "Trembley House/Cornell House, E. Main Street," NY Building Structure Inventory Form, Division for Historic Preservation. Albany, NY, Spring 1977. Martin, Carolyn A. Trumansburg, New York Incorporation Centennial." Trumansburg, NY: The Trumansburg Centennial Association Incorporated, 1972. Morgan, William, and George R. Crafts. The mysteries of free masonry: containing all the degrees of the order conferred in a master's lodge. New York: Wilson and Co, 1852. Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York. New York: Press of J.J. Little and Ives Co, 1908: 155-156. Sears, Lydia. A History of Trumansburg, New York, 1792-1967. Location unknown: I -T Publishing Corp, 1978. Tompkins County. "Property Description Report For: 59 E Main St, Municipality of V. Trumansburg." Image Mate Online. Accessed August 1, 2014. Compiled by Katelin Olson, August 15, 2014 7