January is always a good month for planning building projects for when the weather turns nicer. There was plenty of that going on during January 1922. One project is still around, another was a short-lived dream and the last one stood until the late 1960s in Oneonta.
Thornwood
It was reported in The Oneonta Star on Monday, Jan. 9, that Edwin W. Elmore had acquired 20 acres of land extending between the eastern boundary of Wilber Park and the upper ends of Gardner Place. Elmore guided the long-successful Elmore Milling Co., once found near the corner of Main Street and Neahwa Place.
"It is Mr. Elmore's intention to erect upon his property at a future date a thoroughly modern home." We know it today as Thornwood. After Elmore's heirs passed away, the house became the residence of past and present Hartwick College presidents.
"The tract includes a section of woodland and pasture land and is so situated as to command an unexcelled view of practically every section of the city and surrounding country. Mr. Elmore is undecided as to just when he will build … but it is understood that he intends to erect a modern and capacious home, together with stables and other buildings necessary to a country establishment.
"The buildings will be located above the reservoir water line and hence it will be necessary for Mr. Elmore to have his own water supply. Entrance to the property will be made by way of Draper street and thence through the woods in a wide circle made necessary to avoid a steep grade."
Hotel Oneonta
"Roof Garden Possible" was a headline over an article seen on Friday, Jan. 13, 1922, referring to the idea of a dining hall and ballroom on the roof of the Hotel Oneonta, at today's 189 Main St.
"Glass enclosed sides will permit an unexcelled view of every portion of the city and surrounding territory," the article read.
The dining room was then on the top floor, but "Proprietor Stanford" was ready to spend $25,000 to $30,000 on such a project in hopes of making it a convention hall, and if enough patronage warranted it, a cabaret in conjunction with the dining service. The project never materialized.
Mitchell Street School
On Wednesday, Jan. 18, The Star reported another building project.
"Action looking toward the erection of a new graded school in the sixth ward, presumable in the vicinity of the corner of London avenue and Henry streets, was taken at a meeting of the Board of Education held yesterday afternoon." Many will recall this as the Mitchell Street School, which stood until the late 1960s, replaced by today's Nader Towers, which opened in 1973.
Conditions at the River Street and Academy Street schools were very crowded with students from a rapidly growing Sixth Ward, prompting the Common Council to authorize a public vote on spending $5,000 on land and $35,000 for the building. Students were only able to attend school part time, due to the crowding.
"Owing to the railroad and the noise and dust from it the board wisely decided to build south of River street. The site selected is upon high ground where it is thought the building will be free from the high water incident to spring freshets.
"These children deserve full time school work and it should require no argument with any taxpayer to secure hearty support of all needed school buildings," the article concluded.
Voters responded in kind and Mitchell Street School opened in 1923. It was designed for 150 students, but soon became crowded as the school averaged about 200 per year during the 1950s.
On Monday: More new shopping opportunities came to Oneonta in 1972.
City Historian Mark Simonson's column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area during the Depression and before. His Monday columns address local history after the Depression. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or email him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is www.oneontahistorian.com. His columns can be found at www.thedailystar.com/marksimonson.
Mark Simonson
Building projects planned during January 1922
- Mark Simonson
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A Main Street facelift for Oneonta in the 1920s
It has been just a little over 30 years, 1980 in fact, that Main Street in Oneonta went through a major transformation in appearance. Even now I'll hear mixed comments about the changes, which included antique style lamps, trees, planters and brick trim. Some liked the changes while others liked the wider street with the even-sized sidewalks.
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Perfect attendance by Saturday’s Bread for 20 years in Oneonta
Oneonta became a settlement and has been a place to do one's "trading," whether it was the 18th century, or 2012, because of the five valleys that converge here. Only the places of doing the "trading" have changed a bit over the last 100 years, and Oneonta remains a place that attracts visitors and has always been a decent place to live and work.
100 Years Ago -
Recalling the Hindenburg, John D. Rockefeller in May 1937
A young person of 75 years ago may still recall where they were or what they were doing in the month of May, as two big news events took place. They were the Hindenburg disaster and the passing of billionaire John D. Rockefeller. There were some local connections with both news items.
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Oneonta residents had diversions aplenty in the spring of 1952
It is always good to keep up with current events. However, it is starting to become an unwritten requirement to seek some diversions from staying up to date on news, as for some it can become overwhelming or depressing.
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Damaschke essential to ensuring Oneonta baseball in 1927
Oftentimes, in the distant past, the place you worked for became a social nucleus in the village or town. Employees at large companies such as Endicott-Johnson Shoe Co. or IBM in the Binghamton area took part in activities after work such as sports, music and theater, both in and out of town, to represent their company.
- Monday, May 7, 2012
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Area tunes to WONT in November 1972
As a youngster growing up in the area and having a fascination with radio broadcasting, I used to consider it a part-time hobby to put the earphone into my transistor radio and go exploring what was out there to listen to, up and down the dial. It was indeed a long-distance journey at night when listening to AM radio, as you could hear live and locally staffed stations from Chicago, Windsor/Detroit, Atlanta and New Orleans, to name a few cities. I never spent a lot of time listening to FM radio 40 years ago, simply because there wasn't the same "excitement" of the long-distance journey. Little did I realize, things were changing locally on that "other" band of radio frequencies that included decimal points.
- Saturday, May 5, 2012
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Congressman Fairchild added downtown growth in 1912
Another case of wandering imagination struck this historian recently, while learning about the building at 244-248 Main St. in Oneonta, storefronts for the Autumn Café and Razzle Dazzle. This structure is known as the Fairchild block, and it turns 100 this year.
- Monday, April 30, 2012
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From no TV to saving eagles, it was life in April 1982
No television. No place to pay the phone bill. No more Spaulding's baked goods. Possibly no more Center Street School. While these were some of the noes in the news of our area in April 1982, there were some yeses as well, including a new structure at Corning Inc. of Oneonta and help to save bald eagles.
- Saturday, April 28, 2012
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A daily newspaper for Oneonta was an achievement in 1887
Depending on the electronic device you have these days, accessing news can be made nearly as soon as something happens. Oneontans of 125 years ago got their news on a weekly basis, courtesy of The Oneonta Herald.
- Monday, April 23, 2012
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Area saw Hollywood stars up close in April 1952
It has been a mighty long time since Greer Garson, Victor Jory, Don Taylor and Audrey Totter drew big numbers of people at the box office of our local movie theaters. Make it 60 years, in fact. Now generations removed from popularity, some are still able to remember the names of these four movie stars who paid a visit to our area in late April 1952.
- Saturday, April 21, 2012
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Spring tree plantings were numerous in 1927
None of my calendars at home or at my other workplaces show that April 27 of this year is Arbor Day.
- Monday, April 16, 2012
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Nuclear weapon debates were plentiful in April 1982
Plan for a nuclear war -- or seek a nuclear weapons freeze. That was a frequent debate going on in our region during the month of April 1982.
- Saturday, April 14, 2012
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A Titanic survivor stopped in Oneonta days after disaster
Edward Bean was one amongst the lucky one-third of the passengers aboard the Titanic who lived to tell about the disaster of the ill-fated ship that sank after hitting an iceberg on April 15, 1912. Only about a week after the disaster, Bean was in Oneonta, on his way home to Cincinnati.
- Monday, April 9, 2012
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Simonson: April 1952 brought educational developments in Oneonta
There were some interesting new developments in education in Oneonta during the month of April 1952. These took place in the public and private schools, as well as on the Hartwick College campus.
- Saturday, April 7, 2012
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Oneonta's first automobile exhibition took place in April 1917
An automobile show as large as those in Albany or Utica. That was the heady claim of the organizers of Oneonta's first such show, set for early April 1917.
- Monday, April 2, 2012
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Thruway bridge collapsed 25 years ago into Schoharie Creek
I had just started my evening music shift at a Binghamton radio station on Sunday evening, April 5, 1987, with a network newscast at the top of the hour.
- Saturday, March 31, 2012
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Oneonta responded to declaration of World War I
"President Asks For War."
- Monday, March 26, 2012
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Devastating fire, loss in sports status, education made major area news in March 1982
A fire destroyed a foundry in Morris, Hartwick College basketball dropped a division level, two schools considered a merger, and a local Odyssey of the Mind was born. These news items and more made for a busy month in March 1982.
- Saturday, March 24, 2012
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Useful advice for farmers came to the area in 1912
It is practically a rite of autumn for high school students, or college students looking to transfer to a different college.
- Monday, March 19, 2012
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St. Mary's Church of Oneonta dedicated 55 years ago
"With solemn, historic pageantry, the Most Rev. William A. Scully, bishop of Albany, yesterday dedicated the new St. Mary's Church."
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A Main Street facelift for Oneonta in the 1920s
