Old Views

[jon hynes]

Jan 24, 2010 16:54:58 GMT -5 @dgriffin said:

You're asking the wrong person, Clip, what with my fuddled mind and memory! Well, I can say I don't remember an arcade in my time, but one of our colleagues here on the forum mentioned their memory of it, although I can't remember who. In the post card photo, that certainly looks like a hotel building on the north side of Bleecker just past Daws. Was that the Halmilton in our time, previously the Martin? Where was the Pershing, formerly the Hamilton/Martin? I don't remember how far down the block the Hamilton sat.

I don't remember an arcade at all in my time.

Daws Drug Store on the North-East Corner of Genesee and Bleecker Street. Going North on Genesee is the bank building and then the next door North was the employees entrance to the Boston Store, no breaks in the walls.

Going East on Bleecker was the South entrance to the Boston Store. Down a few stairs to the Main Floor.

Next was Charlotte Street and the rear of the Boston Store Freight Elevator on the West side and the Annex on the East. Old Mr. Peoples and his wooden cart picking up cardboard to sell. He quite often could be seen pulling his cart piled high with the cardboard over the bridge to Empire Waste several times a day.

Next was the Annex to the Boston Store where furniture, appliances and TVs were sold. This I was told had been a Theater at one time previously. It was several stories high and went North to Oriskany Blvd. That end was the enclosed loading docks. George and Lenny Benedetto owned the delivery service for the store.

Across the Blvd was National Auto (Hello Kit) and a Warehouse for the Boston Store East of that. Then the OD.

Next on Bleecker was the Hotel Hamilton previously named Hotel Martin. It also had an entrance on Oriskany Blvd. We played there many times as the Bel Aires. Remember Dave?

[dgriffin]

Thanks, Jon, that pulls it into perspective. I don't think I played at the Hamilton, though, so it was probably after I left that you played there. I do remember the piano bar in the Hamilton, I think, wasn't there? Not that the bar was the piano, but that the piano was slapped right in there.

Now, the Hotel Pershing. Was that the same building, but prior to the Martin, which was prior to the Hamilton? Or was it somewhere else? I'm sure it pre-dated both of us, even as kids.

I did find a reference to it here in this document from 1938. Here's the link to a web page that summarizes a list of advertisers for the 1938 ILION POLICE BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION's Policemen's Ball. It's quite a long list of businesses at that time from Utica to Mohawk, down the valley. See how many you recognize from when you were a kid, because quite a few of them survived into later years.

herkimer.nygenweb.net/ilion/policeballads.html

[jon hynes]

For nearly 60 years, the Hotel Hamilton in downtown Utica was the site of hundreds of holiday parties, wedding receptions, dances, political gatherings and club meetings. The Bleecker Street entrance shown here was about two blocks east of Genesee Street. There also was an entrance on Oriskany Street. Its ballroom was the largest in the area and there were many smaller banquet and dining rooms, a coffee shop and cocktail lounge. In 1901, William MartIn bought the 16-room American Hotel on the site and eventually enlarged it to 450 rooms and renamed it "Hotel Martin." In 1944, John Cabot bought the hotel and renamed it "Hotel Hamilton" in honor of nearly Hamilton College. The hotel closed in 1963 and was razed in 1966 to make room for an urban renewal parking garage which still stands.

[jon hynes]

Jan 24, 2010 19:30:55 GMT -5 @dgriffin said:

Thanks, Jon, that pulls it into perspective. I don't think I played at the Hamilton, though, so it was probably after I left that you played there.

You did play there and I have proof. A tape of us made at a dance. You sang "All Right O.K. You Win".

That's where we first played "Tumbling Tumble Weeds."

[jon hynes]

West of Hotel Utica on the same side of Lafayette.

[jon hynes]

Dave you might be thinking of the Piano Lounge at the Hotel Utica.

[dgriffin]

Jan 24, 2010 19:59:47 GMT -5 jon hynes said:

Jan 24, 2010 19:30:55 GMT -5 @dgriffin said:

Thanks, Jon, that pulls it into perspective. I don't think I played at the Hamilton, though, so it was probably after I left that you played there.

You did play there and I have proof. A tape of us made at a dance. You sang "All Right O.K. You Win".

That's where we first played "Tumbling Tumble Weeds."

Yup, that was one of my favorites from Peggy Lee. Geez, I'm getting old! Hahahaha!

[dgriffin]

Jan 24, 2010 20:15:06 GMT -5 jon hynes said:

Dave you might be thinking of the Piano Lounge at the Hotel Utica.

True. Of course, at this point I could be thinking of the bar scene from the first Star Wars film.

[dgriffin]

Jan 24, 2010 19:47:59 GMT -5 jon hynes said:

For nearly 60 years, the Hotel Hamilton in downtown Utica was the site of hundreds of holiday parties, wedding receptions, dances, political gatherings and club meetings. The Bleecker Street entrance shown here was about two blocks east of Genesee Street. There also was an entrance on Oriskany Street. Its ballroom was the largest in the area and there were many smaller banquet and dining rooms, a coffee shop and cocktail lounge. In 1901, William MartIn bought the 16-room American Hotel on the site and eventually enlarged it to 450 rooms and renamed it "Hotel Martin." In 1944, John Cabot bought the hotel and renamed it "Hotel Hamilton" in honor of nearly Hamilton College. The hotel closed in 1963 and was razed in 1966 to make room for an urban renewal parking garage which still stands.

Ah, OK! I wondered where the American had been.

[dgriffin]

Jan 24, 2010 20:10:33 GMT -5 jon hynes said:

West of Hotel Utica on the same side of Lafayette.

Do you remember the date for that ad?

I notice the "pre-RA" phone number. Lemme see, RE was Redwood, SW was Swift, and was RA Randoph? I think the prefixes (and seven digit phone numbers) started about 1957.)

[jon hynes]

Jan 24, 2010 23:58:52 GMT -5 @dgriffin said:

Jan 24, 2010 20:10:33 GMT -5 jon hynes said:

West of Hotel Utica on the same side of Lafayette.

Do you remember the date for that ad?

I notice the "pre-RA" phone number. Lemme see, RE was Redwood, SW was Swift, and was RA Randoph? I think the prefixes (and seven digit phone numbers) started about 1957.)

Not this particular ad.

I found several ads without the prefixes in 1957 and none in 1958 so I'd say you are at least close.

[jon hynes]

The following posts should clear up the mystery of
the clock in the church steeple on Bleecker Street.

As usual Fire is involved in making it a mystery.

[jon hynes]

NIGHT PICTURE OF Y.M.C.A. FIRE

View Taken at 3:30 O'Clock This Morning, After Part of the Thin Brick Walls of the
Y.M.C.A, Building Had Fallen - The Wreck of the Handsome Structure, Leaving
Standing a Portion of the East Tower

[jon hynes]

Y.M.C.A.

BUILDING

IN RUINS
_________________

Power Service for Elevators

The Greatest loss from th destruction of the service furnished by these wires was when early this morning the 600 volt supply wire of the Utica Gas and Electric Company were wrecked in several places. All power for for the elevators in every large building in the business district was supplied by the circuit of cables and the use of elevators had to be abandoned for the day. The officials of the company said the loss of this service was the greatest damaged sustained by them and that it would be well along towards evening before it could be restored. This company also had several wires in that section which supplied electric lights both for public services and private use, but the management said that this service would probably be restored by night. Every lineman of the company was placed at work. The property loss because of damaged wires is inconsiderate to officials in such cases, as the breaks in wires can be repaired and new poles erected. The break in the service it was said would mean a loss of several thousand dollars.

[jon hynes]

Trolley Company's Cables Broken

Running along among the net work of cables through Bleecker street on the south side were two feeders of the Utica & Mohawk Valley Railway Co. These were snapped in many places while the cross wires, which keep the trolley wires in the air in the center of the street were pulled down with the crash that brought down the rest. However, it did not take but a half hour for linemen to get the trolley wires strung up for service. The regular feed wires were so badly damaged that had the railroad been dependent upon them for power the company would not have been able to resume service at all in Bleecker street as far as the car barns. These feed wired supply power for that section alone. However, on the same side of the street the railway company had two more feeding cables for use in case of emergency, and Engineer Harvie said that early this morning the power to the emergency wires which escaped any serious damage, was shifted, and that the service could have been resumed by the burned block, but a short time after the usual hours had the Fire Department been out of the way.

As it was the greater share of the railway company's interurban cars were all east of Genesee street and it was impossible to inaugurate any kind of a service to and from Rome. At 8 o'clock several of the big cars were switched in East Utica to the West Shore tracks and drawn by a locomotive were hauled to Genesee street where they were transferred to Genesee street and thence to Lafayette street. Thus a service between Little Falls and Rome was maintained, the passengers being transferred after walking through the fire district. In order to give an early morning service to Whitesboro and New York Mills some of the big cars used on Genesee street were run through West Utica.

Engineer Harvie said that no insurance is allowed on electric cables or poles but that the loss is not considered anything compared to that caused by the interruption of service. Service direct through Bleecker street was resumed when the Fire Department left the scene. During the progress of the other fire yesterday afternoon. Superintendent Gerdon personally saw that good service was maintained back and forth through Bleecker street to John street and that additional service was resumed in the rest of the city. The morning he repeated three efforts as much as possible. The difficult job of keeping the water which poured from the fire yesterday afternoon and from the Y. M. C. A. Building this morning from freezing in the tracks was well cared for by a gang of men students of electrical railroading who have been employed on the West Shore work. Several tons of salt were distributed along the tracks.