Cobblestone Inn

Cobblestone Inn

A large building faced in small brownish stones with two wooden front decks and a common stair, seen from slightly below

East elevation and south profile, 2010
Location Oak-Orchard-on-the-Ridge, NY
Nearest city Lockport
Coordinates 43°16′28″N 78°19′59″W / 43.27444°N 78.33306°W / 43.27444; -78.33306Coordinates: 43°16′28″N 78°19′59″W / 43.27444°N 78.33306°W / 43.27444; -78.33306
Area 1.3 acres (5,300 m2)[1]
Architectural style Greek Revival[1]
MPS Cobblestone Architecture of New York State MPS
NRHP Reference # 07000755[2]
Added to NRHP July 24, 2007

The Cobblestone Inn is located along Ridge Road (state highway NY 104) in Oak-Orchard-on-the-Ridge, an unincorporated hamlet in the Town of Ridgeway, New York, United States. It is a cobblestone building dating to the 1830s.

At the time of its construction it was a stagecoach stop on the busy east-west route paralleling the Lake Ontario shoreline. It remained in use as an inn into the mid-20th century despite the loss of stagecoach traffic to the railroads in the decades after its construction. It is believed to be the largest cobblestone building in the state. In 2007 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[2]

Building

The inn is located on the northwest corner of the junction of Route 104 and Oak Orchard River Road (Orleans County Route 53). It is roughly 800 feet (240 m) west of where the highway crosses the Oak Orchard River, and thus the ground around it slopes gently eastward. The building itself is on a 1.3-acre (5,300 m2) graded lot, elevating it slightly above the intersection. There are houses to the west along either side of the road and woods to the east as it slopes to the river.[1]

The building itself is a two-story L-shaped structure seven bays on the long leg, paralleling Oak Orchard River Road, and four on the short. It is faced in cobblestones, five rows per Medina sandstone quoin, with a hipped roof pierced by a single central brick chimney with stepped parapet walls at the north and west ends. There is a wide plain frieze below the overhanging eaves. Besides the quoins, the sills, lintels, and water table are all sandstone as well. On the east side are two modern wooden porches at entrances along that wall. There is visible evidence of the roofs that once sheltered both.[1]

From the main entrance on the south wall a long central entrance hall runs north to a long four-bay room and then ends in a group of service-related rooms. The second floor has, in addition to its small guest rooms, a similar room in that space. The interior retains much of its original plaster and Greek Revival woodwork. The main staircase has its original stringers, newels and balustrade.[1]

History

There is little documentation of the building's history. The arrangement of the cobblestone facing is consistent with the middle period of the style, 1836–1845. The interior layout with the large public dining room on the first floor (probably expanded later on by removing a few rooms) suggests the inn did a lot of business on a competitive stage route. It is believed to be the largest cobblestone building of the hundreds documented in New York.[1]

Traffic on the stage routes declined first with the opening of the Erie Canal to the south, and then the rise of the railroads in the mid-19th century. The inn survived by becoming primarily a restaurant, and saw its business revive in the days of automobile tourism in the 1920s in that capacity. In the mid-20th century, that business declined when the New York State Thruway was built to the south in Genesee County. After being vacant for a while, the inn was converted into a residence. It has remained in that use, with no alterations, since then.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Robert T. Englert (December 2006). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Cobblestone Inn". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2009-06-14.See also: "Accompanying four photos".
  2. 1 2 National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.

External links

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