The SUMMER SERIES of
WALKS & TALKS 2015
Design by Joe Arcuri
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Programs are free and open to the public.
They begin at 6:00 p.m. sharp, unless otherwise
noted. Programs are rain or shine. Monetary
donations will be accepted and appreciated.
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22nd:
Monday June
St. Basil Greek Melkite Catholic Church
901 Sherman Drive, Utica
Presented by: Fr. Saba Shofany and Parishioners
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Park: On the street
Meet: In front of the Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired Rectory
This year, St. Basil’s celebrates its 100 th anniversary in the
Mohawk Valley. From their humble beginning on Third Avenue,
to their present location on Madison Avenue, they have been
part of the Central NY community through five generations that
originated from immigrant parents from Syria and Lebanon.
Similarities and differences between the Eastern and Western
Catholic Church will be explained. Melkite Catholics are known
as the bridge between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the
Roman Catholic Church and are hoping for an eventual
reunion between the two Churches. While they look Orthodox,
they are under the Roman Pope, and are but one of the 28
Rites of the Roman Catholic Church.
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Monday June 29th: Old Burying Ground
Kirkland Avenue at Norton Avenue, Clinton, NY
Presented by: Dick Williams
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Park: On the street
Meet: At the Burying Ground entrance
The Old Burying Ground contains the graves of Clinton’s
earliest settlers and also 47 graves of Revolutionary War
soldiers. This is one of the largest collections of Revolutionary
War graves in this area. About one-half of the burials do not
have markers, and many of the remaining markers date from
late 1790s and early 1800s. The tombstone art is interesting as
it has numerous willow trees and hands, which are typical of
that period. The last burial was in the 1890s when the Board of
Health forbid any more. Originally owned by the Society of
Clinton (Stone Presbyterian Church), today the cemetery is
officially an abandoned one with no trustees. However, the
Kirkland Town Highway Department takes great care of the
lawn and trees, and the Clinton Historical Society has a small
fund to repair monuments.
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Monday July 6th: Hotel Street and West
Corner of Hotel and Liberty Streets, Utica
Presented by: Michelle Truett and others
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Park: On the street
Meet: In front of Gerber’s 1933 Tavern.
Hotel Street is one of the most poised streets for a mixed-use
development in the Bagg’s Square neighborhood. With a
number of current projects underway, there are many other
exciting things to come. We will begin at Gerber’s 1933
Tavern and work our way down the street to hear about
several of these most recent developments. We will then walk
over to Freeman’s Barbershop, an anchor in this area for 35
years. Our last stop will be Tony’s AUDelicious in the former
Cosmopolitan Center. (A discount coupon on food and/or
beverages will be available.)
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info@uticalandmarks.org
315.732.7376
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Architect’s rendering of 123 Hotel Street (Syracuse Auto Supply)
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Monday July 13th: “Home Sweet Home” –
Utica’s Olmstead Neighborhoods
Parkway between Mohawk Street and the Gibson Road, Utica
Presented by: Landmarks Emeritus Trustee Virginia Kelly &
Michael Lehman
Time: 6:00 p.m. Park: On Harrison or Brookside
Meet: On the Parkway grassy median near Harrison Street
This tour will explore the residential architecture and the
Olmsted Brothers' landscape plans along both sides of the
Parkway between Mohawk Street and the Gibson Road area. It
will coordinate with the new exhibition that opened in June at
the Oneida County Historical Society. The title of the exhibition
is “Home Sweet Home” and will explore the residential
developments in Utica which were designed between 1912 and
1930 by the Olmsted Brothers including Talcott Road,
Ridgewood, Proctor Boulevard, Sherman Gardens, and
Brookside Park.
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Monday July 20th: Teugega Country Club
6801 Golf Course Rd, Rome, NY
Presented by: Don Alvarez
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Park: In the parking lot
Meet: In front of club house.
Teugega Country Club opened in 1900 at Mohawk Acres,
along the Mohawk River in Rome. It was the brainchild of
Ackley Tuller, a retired grocer who used to play golf in a
pasture on Turin Street (steering clear of the cattle) and of
Franklin Ethridge, a former varsity baseball player at Yale. On
March 20, 1900, land was leased for the course and land was
also donated for the construction of the clubhouse, a two-story
Colonial-style building with a large reception room, a huge
fireplace and lots of windows, and topped with a cupola. By
the end of May of that year, the club opened. The name
Teugega was chosen as it was the Native American name for
the nearby Mohawk River. Annual dues were $25 and
membership was limited to 80. Many improvements, additions
and renovations have occurred over the years, including a
new, much larger and more ornate clubhouse which opened on
July 3rd, 1926. Today there are around 350 members.
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Monday July 27th: Whitesboro Historic District
Presented by: Village Clerk and Landmarks Trustee Dana
Nimey - Olney and Village Historian Judy Mallozzi
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Park: At the Village Green next to St. Paul’s Church
Meet: At the Whitesboro Village Green
This tour will include several of Whitesboro’s architectural and
historical gems, including the Dunham Library, the Old Town
Hall, the current Village Hall (the former Firehouse), The
Whitesboro Presbyterian Church, and the Erie Canal Park.
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Monday August 3rd: Eastern Star Home & Campus
8290 NY Route 69, Oriskany, NY
Presented by: Jeff French, CEO/Administrator
Time: 6:00 p.m. Park: In the parking lot
Meet: In front of the main building
“The Waterbury Estate” was the largest and most elaborate
mansion in the Village of Oriskany built on this eight acre site
in 1880. The Order of The Eastern Star purchased the
Waterbury Estate in 1916 and there began the Eastern Star
Home. After several additions and modifications this became
the central location in the State of New York for Eastern Star
members to come for care in their later years. Nearly 100
years later children and seniors from the Mohawk Valley call
The Eastern Star Campus their home. With services including
Independent Living, Enriched Housing, Skilled Nursing, Short
Term Rehabilitation, Child Day Care and a Learning Center for
Children and Youth with Dyslexia, it is the focal point of the
Village for the 21st Century. Enjoy a tour of the facilities and
grounds along with period refreshments that will harken us
back to a summer evening in 1916.
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Monday August 10th: Tabernacle Baptist Church
13 Clark Place, Corner of Hopper and King Streets, Utica
Presented by: Rev. Dr. Mark Caruana, Pastor
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Park: On the street
Meet: In front of the church
The seeds of the congregation were planted on September 12,
1801 when twenty-two Welsh immigrants organized the First
(Welsh) Baptist Church of Utica. On October 7, 1819, the
Welsh-speaking Baptists dismissed fifteen English-speakers to
form The Second Baptist Church of the Village of Utica. For the
next four decades the congregation occupied a site on Broad
Street and became known as “The Broad Street Baptist
Church.” In 1864, the church relocated to its current location, a
lot near the then southern suburbs of the city. The new church
was constructed of red sandstone and provided seating for five
hundred. It featured a highly visible 133-foot spire. To
complement its new location, the congregation assumed a new
name: Tabernacle Baptist Church. In 1905, an educational
wing was constructed at the rear of the sanctuary structure; the
congregation continues to use these facilities to this day.
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Monday August 17th: Plymouth Bethesda United Church
500 Plant Street, Corner of State St., Utica
Presented by: Pastor Mike Ballman
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Park: On the street.
Meet: In front of the building
The first service of Plymouth Congregational Church members
of Welsh descent was on May 13th, 1883 at City Hall. The
chapel was completed on January 25 th, 1885 on the former
Cox property on the corner of Plant and State Streets. The
cornerstone for the sanctuary was laid on September 12, 1905,
with the dedication of the church on June 3rd through 8th of
1906. Additional construction followed through the twenties. In
September 1946, Utica College began classes at Plymouth
Church. In 1954, major renovations of the sanctuary occurred
with an enlarged choir loft and a new organ. Utica College
moved to its new campus and current location in 1960, and
Plymouth Church purchased several of their buildings.
Bethesda Church lost its building to urban renewal in 1963 and
merged with Plymouth. In 1971, South Church merged; and in
2007, Plymouth Bethesda welcomed Cornerstone Community
Church to hold their services there.
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Monday August 24th: Harts Hill Inn
135 Clinton Street, Whitesboro, NY
Presented by: Scott Lichorowic and family
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Park: In the parking lot
Meet: In front of the building
Hart’s Hill Inn began as the southern plantation manor style
home of a Utica businessman of Hart & Crouse Company, a
builder of boilers. Originally built around the end of the Civil
War, the home burned to the ground in 1904 and was
immediately rebuilt. It remained a home until 1946 when it
became “The Plantation” Restaurant. The restaurant was
famous for its American-German cuisine and entertainment.
You could dine on the back porch, and if you decided to stay
the night, guest rooms were available upstairs. In 1962, the
building was purchased by Matt Lichorowicz and renovated,
preserving the charm of the old American homestead. Today,
Harts Hill Inn hosts many functions, weddings, and parties,
now overseen by Scott and Barbara Lichorowicz. Join them as
we take a “behind the scenes” tour of this iconic establishment.
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Saturday, August 29th: Holy Trinity Monastery
1407 Robinson Road, Jordanville, NY
Presented by: Fr. Victor
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Park: In the parking lot
Meet: In front of the Monastery
The brothers built a large house with sufficient rooms for the
future monastery that was completed in 1935. On July 17,
1935, a celebration to commemorate its completion took place;
however, a fire broke out, and in the course of a couple hours,
the new house and its church totally burned to the ground. The
small brotherhood began to rebuild anew, and laid the
foundation for a large separate stone church, the first of the
many large buildings that now make up Holy Trinity Monastery
and Seminary as we know them today. *Note: Mandatory
dress code: no shorts, t-shirts or bare arms; men must
wear slacks with long-sleeved shirts; women must wear a
dress at least knee length, and have their head covered.
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Monday August 31th: Genesee Court
Genesee Street, Utica (across from the Olbiston Apts.)
Presented by: Beverly Quist
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Park: On the street
Meet: In front of the building
Genesee Court, which turned 100 last year, is a hidden gem
many drive past without even noticing. Located next to the
Planned Parenthood building, it’s believed to be one of the first
rental properties turned into condominiums — in which the
units are owned, not rented — in the state. It’s not a typical
condo complex, though. Behind its iron gate, 16 of the
building’s 20 connected units — four of which line Genesee
Street — feature green awning-covered front porches
separated by a tree- and shrubbery-lined courtyard. The units
are occupied by a nice, eclectic community of people with a
wide variety of interests represented: artists, social workers,
doctors, and retirees. Genesee Court was among the
Landmarks Society’s 2014 Centenary Award winners.
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