Newsletter of the Preservation Association of the Southern Tier
www.pastny.org
PAST -- Saving for Our Future
Fall 2013
PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
By Dave Hawley:
In July, I faced the daunting task of
following Roger Luther as the President
of PAST. As anyone who has lived in
this area for any time knows, these were
huge shoes to fill. I have been thankful
for the help of many people in helping to
make the transition. First, I thank Roger
for his willingness to continue many tasks
and especially for his wise counsel. I‟m
also grateful for an outstanding Board of
Directors, who have stepped up to the
plate to keep the organization running.
And, of course, there is the large
contingent of committee chairs and
volunteers who make PAST the vital
entity it is. Since I first became involved
with PAST, I have been constantly
impressed with what can be done by a
relatively small group of committed
people pursuing a common goal. A
prime example is the Spirits of
Binghamton‟s Past Tour which was held
in October. Guests were amazed when I
explained that this first class event is put
on entirely by volunteers who put in
countless hours because of their love of
the history and architectural heritage of
the Southern Tier. I‟d like to thank all
our members and especially all our
volunteers for their continued
commitment. If you‟re reading this, and
you‟re not currently a member of PAST,
please consider joining us. And if you
are a member, think about expanding
your role. I think you‟ll find it very
rewarding.
MEMBERS ONLY
HOLIDAY PARTY!
Friday, December 13, 6:30-8:30 PM
24 Campbell Road, Binghamton
This year‟s members only Holiday Party
is being held in the converted barn of the
Chester B. Lord mansion
PAST IS ON FACEBOOK
„Like‟ PAST on Facebook and keep up to
date on the latest happenings and events!
Access PAST Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/PreservationAssociation-of-the-SouthernTier/126254337428900
GETTING TO KNOW OUR BOARD MEMBERS
FIRST FRIDAY AT THE PAST OFFICE WILL
CONTINUE IN 2014!
Board Member Profile: David Hawley
by Kay Buckley
PAST‟s participation in First Friday continues to
give us excellent visibility in the community. We
need your support and ideas for 2014! Please
contact a board member or the PAST office if you
have a suggestion or idea for a PAST First Friday
display or would like to host a display.
First Fridays run from 6PM to 9PM.
Dates for First Fridays in 2014 are:
Dave Hawley is a lifelong resident of the Broome
County area and has lived in Binghamton for the past
35 years. Dave retired after 32 years with the Social
Security Administration; he also retired from the U.
S. Army after 28 years combined active duty and
National Guard service.
Dave and his wife Carol became involved with PAST
in the early 1990s when they were renovating their
1890's home, researching historically correct paint
colors. In fact they received a Preservation award in
1994 for their efforts, and became active members of
PAST. Carol was a Board member and Board
President, and continues to serve as a docent for the
House and Garden tours. She is also a guide for the
Spirits of Binghamton‟s Past event as well as a First
Friday historic trolley guide. Dave is also a docent
for the House tour; he is also active on the Salvage
Committee, and, for many years, Dave has had a role
on the tour.
January 3, February 7, March 7
April 4, May 2, June 6
July 4, August 1, September 5
October 3, November 7, December 5
ARCHITECTURAL SALVAGE CENTER
PAST‟s salvage center at 21 North Depot St is open
the 1st & 3rd Saturdays of the month. Karen
Anderson and her dedicated group of volunteers
have been 'salvaging' several homes in Binghamton
and have some very special new items. See pictures
of new items at:
However, Dave keeps busy with other interests as
well. These include over 17 years on the Binghamton
City School District Board of Education, seven as
President. He is in his second year as a member of
the Broome-Tioga BOCES Board of Trustees, and he
is a member of the Board of Directors of New York
State Association of Small School Districts. From its
inception until its demise, Dave was actively
involved in First Night Binghamton, Southern Tier
Celebrates.
https://www.facebook.com/ArchitecturalSalvageCenter
HOUSE AND GARDEN TOURS
Watch the PAST web site and Facebook page for
dates of the 2014 tours!
Dave is a strong advocate for preserving the history
of our community. For over 30 years, Dave and
Carol have been restoring their own historical home
and according to Dave, it's a job he "knows will never
be completed."
For more information call the PAST office: 607-237-0887
or visit www.pastny.org
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SPIRITS OF BINGHAMTON’S PAST
by Kay Buckley
Spirits Tell The Tales!!
The Spirits of Binghamton‟s Past enjoyed a busy night Saturday, October 19, as over 300
participants met them, listened, and learned interesting, sometimes mysterious, tales about the
history of the Parlor City. Sponsored by PAST, the tour is in its sixth year, and every year has
grown to include more spirits as well as more guests. Tours began at the Landmark Church,
formerly Centenary Methodist, and left every 15 minutes beginning at 6 p.m. and ending at 9 p.m.
After hearing details about the 150 year old Italian Gothic church, docents led each group upstairs
to meet Isaac Perry, well known Binghamton architect, who designed the Landmark Church as well
as St. Patrick‟s, the Inebriate Asylum, and the Perry Building (formerly McLeans Department
Store) in addition to many other structures throughout the area. His last design was the Entrance
Gate to Springforest Cemetery, and, ironically, his was the first cortege to pass through the Gate.
Journeying around the corner to the Security Mutual Building, guests met the spirit of Truman I.
Lacey who designed the Security Mutual building. As guests listened to him, they noticed the
marble arches and double staircases as well as the unusual sculpture over the entrance. Next door
to the Security Mutual Building, docents pointed out another building designed by the Lacey firm:
the former Broome County Library, built in 1903 and a gift from Andrew Carnegie. The building,
empty for over 10 years, will soon become the home of SUNY Broome‟s (formerly BCC) new
Hospitality Program which is indeed a fine example of adaptive reuse.
Across the courthouse yard, docents invited guests to the front of the Courthouse where they met
the spirit of Edward Ruloff who was hanged on the Courthouse lawn. Ruloff was a bit of an unruly
spirit, and, during one tour, broke his chains, but the spirit of his guard captured him quickly. The
tourists then descended the courthouse steps and were invited to enter the lobby of the Grand
Royale Hotel where they met the spirit of Col David Ireland. Built in 1897-99 in the Beaux Arts
style, the Grand Royale was actually Binghamton‟s City Hall for 75 years. Its architect, Raymond
Almirall of New York City won the architectural competition for his design. Col. Ireland, a hero of
the Civil War, was married to the daughter of then Mayor Phelps. The Grand Royale Hotel is yet
another excellent example of adaptive reuse of older architectural structures.
Crossing Court Street, docents stopped and pointed out the Perry Building, one of the finest cast
iron buildings in New York State. Farther down Chenango Street, guests listened to the spirit of
Nellie Connor, forewoman at a clothing factory, who told of the disastrous fire that took the lives of
many women employees. These employees are remembered with a mass gravestone in Springforest
Cemetery.
In front of the old Weeks & Dickinson Building, docents introduced guests to the spirit of Willis
Sharpe Kilmer who made part of his fortune by concocting and selling Swamproot Medicine. Mr.
Kilmer delighted in retelling his story of competing with Security Mutual for the tallest building in
Binghamton as well as his tales of riding his horse with his cape flying. Of course, he reminded the
listeners that he was the owner of the 1918 Kentucky Derby winner, Exterminator. Before ending
his dialogue, Kilmer invited listeners to visit him at his mausoleum in Floral Park Cemetery which,
he boasted, is built on the highest hill in the cemetery so he can keep watch on the area.
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Farther down Chenango Street, tours entered the vestibule of the United Presbyterian Church where
they were greeted by the spirit of Harlow Bundy. Mr. Bundy‟s brother invented a time machine
which kept track of workers‟ hours. If this sounds a little familiar, it‟s because the Bundy Time
Machine eventually became IBM. Mr. Bundy attended this church every Sunday, and invited
guests to return another time to view the Tiffany mosaics as well as the wooden steeple, the only
steeple of its kind remaining on Binghamton churches.
Newly remodeled but maintaining its Art Deco Style, the Greyhound Bus Station was the next stop.
It housed the spirit of Rod Serling who grew up on Binghamton‟s West Side and set several
episodes of his famous Twilight Zone on the West Side, specifically in Recreation Park. As Mr.
Serling pointed out: “Everyone has a hometown; mine is Binghamton.”
As the tour began to wind down, docents led the groups to Christ Church and pointed out that this
church was one that traditionally buried its members on its grounds. However, in 1930, graves and
markers were removed to other area cemeteries. Inside the church, the spirit of Joshua Whitney
provided basic information about the founding and development of the city of Binghamton as well
as about his family‟s contribution to the city. Also, inside the church, guests met the last spirit of
Binghamton‟s Past: Esther Watrous Couper, Mrs. Couper founded the Family and Children‟s
Society, an important social services agency in our community.
Finally, through the voices of the docents, the spirits issued a combined invitation to join members
of PAST for cider and donuts in the church‟s hospitality room.
PAST thanks everyone for helping make this Spirits tour yet another successful endeavor in terms
of informing the public of the critical need to honor our history by saving and preserving our
architectural legacies.
Spirits/Actors (in order of appearance)
Jane Grey Hyde
Narani O‟Shaugnessy
Isaac Perry
David Wasser
Truman I. Lacey
Charles Berman
Edward Ruloff
Brandon Lown
Judge
Chris Johncox
Col. David Ireland
John Darrow
Nellie Connor
Roseann Norris
Willis Sharp Kilmer
Bill Gorman
Harlow Bundy
George Cummings
Rod Serling
David Rasey
Joshua Whitney
Rick Mertens
Esther Watrous Couper Janet Watrous
Special Thanks to our Sponsors:
Coughlin & Gerhart LLP
Price Chopper
Wegmans
The Landmark Church
Christ Episcopal Church
Committee: Ruth Levy, Crystal Lown, Joan
Sprague
Refreshments: Linda Gioia, Linda Jackson,
Ken Jackson
Registration: Crystal Lown
Docents/Tour Guides/Sweeps:
Danette Berry
Kay Buckley
Laura Crounse
Judy Giblin
Carol Hawley
David Hawley
Cerise Hayes
Keith Heron
Cecily O‟Neil
John Patterson
Janet Pergl
Mark Phelps
Susan Phelps
Maryse Quinn
Ghost Girls: Carolynn Shield, Courtney
Hine, Adriana Hine
Organist: Nancy Kennedy
Special Help: Lauren Bass
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Enjoy these picture highlights from the 2013 Spirits tour!
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NYS HISTORIC HOMEOWNER TAX CREDIT PROGRAM
by Ruth Levy
Sloane Bullough, NYS Historic Preservation Officer, outlined the provisions of the state‟s historic
homeownership rehabilitation tax credit program at PAST‟s tax credit workshop held in September.
This program was sponsored by PAST, the City of Binghamton and the Preservation League of NYS.
To be eligible for the 20% tax credit you must own a house that is either listed on the State or
National Register of Historic Places individually or is in a listed historic district and is located in an
eligible census tract.
If you want to apply:
 You must own and live in the house.
See costs
More Garden
Tour Photos
www.nysLandmarks.com/past/2013gardens
 The repair
must exceed
$5000atand
you must spend at least 5% on exterior work.
 All the work must be approved by the Division for Historic Preservation BEFORE you begin.
For tax credit program information/applications, visit www.nysparks.com/shpo/tax-credit-programs
For assistance contact Sloane Bullough at 518-237-8643, ext.3252 or sloane.bullough@parks.ny.gov
PAST Board of Directors 2013-2014
David Hawley, President
Marcia Ward, 1st Vice President
Karen Anderson, 2nd Vice President
Sian Allen, Treasurer
Kim Leonard, Secretary
Roger Luther, President ex-officio
Marilyn Gaddis-Rose
Ronald Hadsell
Ken Jackson
Patrick Lewis
Rita Petkash
David Rasey
Peg Shiel
THE GREEN MAN – 89 Produced So Far and Still Going Strong!
Two years ago PAST launched a project to produce a half-dozen fullsize concrete replicas of the 1889 terra-cotta Green Man salvaged from
the Ross Building in Binghamton. Since then 89 replicas have been
produced and the demand continues. It looks as if we may hit 100!
To learn more about this project, or to order one for your garden, visit
www.pastny.org.
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ADDISON HOUSE BED & BREAKFAST
AL FORTUNATO FURNITURE
BARNEY AND DICKENSON, INC.
BINGHAMTON LOCAL DEVELOPMENT CORP.
CHEMUNG CANAL TRUST CO.
CHIANIS & ANDERSON ARCHITECTS
EMMA HOLMES FINANCIAL SERVICES
GARLAND GALLERY
LEVENE, GOULDIN AND THOMPSON, LLP
LOUIS N. PICCIANO & SON, INC.
MARCHUSKA BROTHERS CONSTRUCTION
MARGARET JOHNSTON
MICHELANGELO’S PIZZA & RESTAURANT
NELSON DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
SAVITCH AGENCY
SECURITY MUTUAL LIFE
SENTRY ALARMS
SEPP MANAGEMENT
TARCO STEEL
THOMAS, COLLISON, MEAGHER & SELDEN
THOMAS DAVIS, CPA
UPSTATE OFFICE FURNITURE
VINES
WHITNEY RAILSIDE PROPERTIES
WILLIAM ORBAND INSURANCE
W.L. KLINE, INC.
26639 St. Rte. 267, Friendsville, PA
www.1811addison.com
75 Fairview Avenue
www.alfortunato.com
520 Prentice Rd. Vestal, NY 13850
www.barneyanddickenson.com
38 Hawley Street
www.cityofbinghamton.com/bldc.asp
P.O. Box 522, Elmira, NY 14902
www.chemungcanal.com
84 Court Street, 7th Floor, Binghamton, NY
www.chianisanderson.com
32 Riverside Drive, Binghamton, NY
www.holmestaxes.net
116 Washington Street, Binghamton, NY
www.garlandgallery.com
P.O. Box F-1706, Binghamton, NY 13902
www.binghamtonlaw.com
320 N. Jensen Road, Vestal, NY
www.lnpsi.com
436 Airport Road, Endicott, NY
www.marchuskabrothers.com
17 Schubert St, Binghamton, NY 13905
www.binghamtonbridge.org
465 Court Street
www.michelangelosristorante.com
1803 Castle Garden Road
84 Exchange Street, Binghamton, NY
www.savitch.com
100 Court Street, Binghamton, NY
www.smlny.com
40 Chenango Street, Binghamton, NY
www.safesecuresentry.com
53 Front Street, Binghamton, NY
www.seppinc.com
13 Spud Lane, Binghamton, NY
www.tarcosteel.com
1201 Monroe Street, Endicott, NY
www.tcmslaw.com
99 Hawley Street, Binghamton, NY
718 Azon Road, Johnson City, NY
www.upstateofficefurniture.com
P.O. Box 3104, Binghamton, NY
www.vinescommunitygardens.com
2338 Seneca Street
84 Court Street, Binghamton, NY
www.orbandins.com
329 Water Street, Binghamton, NY
601 Gates Road, Vestal
www.wskg.org
Please Consider Adding Your Organization to the list of Business Members.
Sign up on-line at www.pastny.org or use the form on the back page of this newsletter.
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THE PRESERVATION ASSOCIATION
OF THE SOUTHERN TIER
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