CUBA FRIENDS OF ARCHITECTURE
P. O. Box 274, Cuba, New York 14727
www.cubafriends.us
November-December 2013 Newsletter Published Six Times a Year Editor: Carol Donovan
Palmer House Update
Let’s see, what’s new? Visitors have been directed to the back stairs to get to the second floor because that stairway is complete with handrails on both sides. The temporary railing on the front stairway was getting a little shaky. BUT, HURRAH! The railing on the front stairs is being installed as I write.
The final payment of our NY Grant cannot be paid until the front stairs handrail is installed. We have almost $27,000 toward the $50,000+ elevator and the receipt of that final installment will be pretty exciting.
Mirrors and light fixtures are mounted in the bathrooms.
Did you see the beautiful ornamental grilles on the front of the building? Pieces of two of them were found buried in muck when we first began to clean out the basement. Rust had to be scoured from them with the worry that there would be nothing left when the rust was gone. The rest of the grates had to be created from the original design. Can you tell the difference?
Cement for the back walkway is in. The back door is our handicap entry and the walk makes the entrance more accessible.
Cuba Elementary school, through Monica Kwiatkowski, is going to donate the old Elementary school, green velvet stage curtain for our playhouse. Monica supervises the school drama club and she hopes they can donate some time to helping the CFA.
Adam Buzzard, Vince vanZwanenberg and Les Kamec have been welcomed as new board members.
The CFA will be including a Membership form in this Newsletter. We have asked for donations to help defer costs but a simple membership request each year will be easier for us and for you to keep track of. If you have donated recently, you will be on the membership list already.
Cuba Cheese Museum
The Cuba Cheese Museum, announcing its Grand Opening with it popular Beer and Cheese Fest on October 12th, has officially moved into the opera house. Members have uncovered many of the artifacts that had been in storage and have put them on display in the lobby area or west bay of the opera house. Over the next few months as exhibits are organized, more familiar and new items will be revealed.
In its new home, the Beer and Cheese Fest drew a record number of guests. The Museum donated over $3000 from the festival to the Palmer Opera House elevator fund.
A schedule to have the museum open on weekends has yet to be arranged but tours can be arranged with a call to Vince at: 585-968-2893 or Don at: 585-968-2812.
Goings On In Cuba
Story Block exterior is looking great. I watched as the old paint was meticulously removed leaving the iron pilasters as pristine as the day they were installed. They have been painted black, standing out with the white background. The acanthus leaves and other decorations have been painted gold. The beautiful black lattice stairway is installed.
Memorials
The CFA greatly accepts the following memorials.
In memory of Tim Rinker from: Nancy & Joy Kaplan, Beth & Craig Rinker and Jeane & Bob Rinker. In memory of Evelyn Seelbinder from Sandy Mountain and Barb & Rick Laverty.
Architecture in Cuba
Charles Ross Guilford was born in1863, married widow Florence Thomas around 1919 and the two of them founded Guilford Dairy in 1921. At the time Florence’s son, Maurice was 6 years old. Besides establishing the Dairy, Ross, as CR was known, was a member of the Village Board, and was active in the Cuba Grange, IOOF Lodge, and the Valley Point Chapter that organized the Cuba Fair.
The Guilford Dairy had its start at 41 Medbury. The Greek Revival House was built around 1840. Greek Revival, as you know by now, is identified by the broad cornice under the roof line. You will note that, only what I consider to be the original house on the left side of the building has the Greek Revival characteristics.
Other features of that style include the low pitched roof and the simple designed door with matching cornice and classical columns.
I believe the left hand apartment was added at a later date, probably in the late 1920s or early 1930s as the dairy business grew. The roof line fits into the Greek Revival roof but the wide cornice is missing. Much of the style suggests Colonial Revival with paired windows and slender porch columns. The centered gable (upside down V at the roof line) is also found in Colonial Revival. The two halves could almost stand alone as two separate houses.
I believe the large garage was built at the same time as the Colonial Styled half of the duplex.
In the meantime the dairy prospers with the addition of a newly invented pasteurizing machine in 1936 and they offer pasteurized milk, dairy butter and chocolate milk. The pasteurizing machine is the “first in the history of Cuba”. In 1938 Guilfords made Cuba Ice Cream and sold it at 50 cents a quart.
Maurice Thomas, Ross’s stepson, graduates from Cornell University around 1937 and he is found proprietor of the Guilford Dairy in 1939. He eventually owns the business.
By 1944 milk routes were run in Cuba, Belfast, Friendship, Scio, W Clarksville, Black Creek, Rushford, Obi, Oramel and Caneadea. In 1947 Guilford’s new plant, considered to be “one of the most modern dairy stores and processing plants in New York State” is opened on Water Street.
Maurice Thomas was an active member of the community. Besides being a member of the Board of Directors of First National Bank, he was a talented singer and was often called to perform at weddings and public events. Maurice was instrumental in bringing June Dairy Week to Cuba.
In 1968 Maurice sold his interest in Guilford Dairy to Meadowbrook, a Pennsylvania Corporation licensed to do business in New York under the name of Meadowbrook, but he remained as manager for several more years.
In 1972 the house was sold to Loren and Helen Chamberlain. Current owners are Daniel and Cheryl Crane.
Making It Happen
Two of Cuba’s talented musicians, Alex Leyva and Tom Stoleberg performed at the Beer and Cheese Fest. They gave thumbs up for the opera house as a venue for more entertaining. Alex and Tom are interested in finding other acts or theater presentations for the playhouse.
The High School Pop Group and Jazz Band are looking at December 5th for their second “Christmas at the Opera” show. Tickets will be $5.00 and refreshments will be available, donation only, at intermission. Tickets will be sold at the High School and by the performing students.
Christmas is coming. Remember to shop Cuba first. The CFA offers cast iron Block Barn banks at $40.00 (plus $10.00 postage) and Doors of Cuba posters at $8.00 (plus $5.00 postage).
Copies of past CFA newsletters from 2006 through 2012 can be purchased at $5.00 per year. There are six prints per year.
And More
SCHRUMB Club mystery solved.
How many times have I looked at the name of that club at the historical society???. Apparently not enough.
It is SCHRWMB; with a W, not a U. Thus the reason we don’t find an Utter in the club, as first thought, but a Whipple. The name comes from the first initial of the last names of the members: Allan Scott, Ben Smith, John Childs, William Higgs, Raymond Hartley, Roland Robinson, Arthur Robertson, John Robertson, Gardner Whipple, Eaton Merrit, Alvan Brown and Paul Boedecker.
I’m surprised I didn’t hear from family members. Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa.
I think I’ve mentioned the “Home for Childless Women” before. It was in the house once owned by the Fitzgeralds, at 83 West Main St. It has been torn down but I like to go by after a light snow because, for some reason, the front steps are still outlined in the snow.
It made sense to have such a facility at the turn of the 20th century. Women who had no family were unable to care for themselves when their husbands died. If they had no children to take care of them they were destitute. There were few jobs for women and no social security or welfare. I don’t know if other communities had such homes but Cuba’s attracted women from as far away as Cleveland, Ohio.
In 1925 when Emma Maybe was manager, there were 12 residents from the ages of 66 to 84. Besides from Cleveland, others came from Endicott, Hornell and Olean. Nellie Hand was cook.
The Cuba Tree Board has been busy cutting down hazardous trees in the village and one, at 25 South Street, that kept dropping dead branches was just removed. Kay Lee Bradley, who lives at this address donated the tree trunk to the Palmer Opera House. It is now being cut into boards for use in the historic building.
Kay Lee identifies the tree as a Pin Oak and it seems some of the “passed” locals will be happy to see it go. It was planted at the time when the South Street neighbors had yearly picnics and several home owners were not happy that the planter did not plant a traditional Maple Tree like the rest that had aligned South Street.
It was interesting to find out that in 1942, local dairies decreased days of delivery during WWII. This was a national effort by the milk industry to save on the wear of tires and truck parts. Guilford Dairy participated.
Cuba Friends of Architecture is truly thankful for all contributions and welcomes stories about the Palmer Building and downtown Cuba.