One of the oldest institutions in the Cazenovia community is Cazenovia College. Originally established in 1824 as the Seminary of the Genesee Conference by the Methodist Church, Cazenovia College has been a national leader in coeducation since its inception. Notable alumni include Leland Stanford, founder of Stanford University and Phillip Armour, innovator in the early meat packing industry. The Seminary was originally housed in this location in what had first served as the first Madison County courthouse, and then the Cazenovia Methodist Church. The original building, built in 1811 by John Lincklaen, was destroyed in a fire in 1959 and the current structure bears a façade that replicates the early 19th century Federalist design. As the years passed and enrollment at the Seminary increased, structures were added on either side of the original courthouse building. The new buildings combined a popular Italianate style with the more traditional Federalist lines of the original structure. Throughout the first half of the 20th century, fires damaged or destroyed all of the Seminary structures except Williams Hall, which still bears the hallmarks of the Federal recessed bays and Italianate brackets. To this day, Cazenovia College continues to attract men and women from all over the country to our quiet community and remains an integral part of the village.
One of the earliest religious groups to make their home in Cazenovia were the Methodists. In 1816 the group formed a society in Cazenovia and soon purchased the Madison County courthouse for their sanctuary, located across the street at what is now Cazenovia College. They sold that building in 1824 when the Seminary of the Genesee Conference was established there. Not looking to move too far afield, the congregation chose the site directly across the street at the intersection of Lincklaen and Seminary Streets for their new sanctuary. The building, completed in 1830, was constructed of stone in a predominantly Federal style. In a nod to changing tastes, however, the windows were of a stylish Gothic Revival design, which was very new at the time. Topping the original structure was a handsome four-faced clock made by noted Cazenovia silversmith Joab Gillette. By the mid-19th century Cazenovia was a bustling mill town and to keep the industrious populous on schedule, one face of the clock was set for railroad time while the others told local time. During the 19th century, the Methodist Church served another, nobler purpose as well. Along with other churches in the area, the congregation became firm supporters of the growing abolition movement. Within the walls of the Methodist Church, abolition leaders, noted politicians of the day and even escaped slaves made the case for freedom before Cazenovia’s citizens. Generous donations collected at these events helped fund the fight against slavery including locals assisting on the Underground Railroad. In 1872 the imposing stone structure was razed, and the current sanctuary was built in its place, using bricks made at the Bingley brickworks here in Cazenovia. Gillette’s clock was salvaged before demolition and can be seen atop the church to this day. It is currently undergoing a renovation project to restore it to its former beauty and purpose and will hopefully return to keeping Cazenovia residents on schedule soon.
As Cazenovia’s population grew in the 19th century, the citizenry began to look for a place to host entertainments. Travelling troupes and lecturers made routine stops in the village, but an adequate hall was needed to accommodate them. During the 1860’s, the second floor of the Hough building on the north side of Albany Street, served the purpose, but a larger structure was clearly needed. Fatefully, in 1862, a building suited to the purpose became available. In 1836, a group of abolitionists had broken away from the Presbyterian Church and formed their own establishment, named the Free Congregational Church. They built their sanctuary next door to the Lincklaen House. In 1862 they rejoined the Presbyterian Church and sold their hall to Ledyard Lincklaen and his father Jonathan Ledyard, who renamed it Concert Hall. It would become Cazenovia’s first opera house, and from its inception, it was the center of village cultural life. In 1886 Wolters Ledyard embarked on an extensive renovation, remodeling the exterior, adding retail space and renting the basement to the fire department to house their equipment. It was renamed the “Casa Nova,” and with its opening Cazenovians finally had a hall that reflected the wealth and status of the village. Like many buildings in Cazenovia, it fell victim to fire and was destroyed in 1895. Two years later, in 1897, Henry Burden II rebuilt the opera house, this time named Cazenovia Hall. It would be used for entertainments and meetings as well as provide storage space for town and village records. It continued in this capacity until 1968 when Cazenovia College bought the building for the use of college productions and renamed it the Catherine Cummings Theatre. At various times it has served as a movie theatre as well as a public meeting house. Today, it is treasured by the village as a setting for events like Jazz in Caz, the Cazenovia Chorale Holiday Concert and the College's fall and spring productions.
For nearly 200 years the Lincklaen House has remained the center of activity for visitors and locals alike here in Cazenovia. Built by a group of local investors in 1835 to replace the Madison County hotel, which was located on the south side of the village green, the Lincklaen House was, and remains, an elegant example of the Greek Revival style. Construction on the hotel was begun in the spring of 1835 and completed in the fall of 1836, costing $23,000. It was built with stone from the Jackson Quarry on Stone Quarry Road and brick from a factory just south of the village. The same building materials can be seen in the two buildings adjoining the hotel to the right, which were built concurrently. Shortly after completion, the hotel was sold to John Williams for $9,000. In 1916 the hotel was damaged by fire, leading then-owner Henry Burden to embark on renovations that added to the building’s sophisticated charm. Much of the finely carved woodwork and molding added in 1916 is still in evidence today. The hotel has served as a graceful retreat to many illustrious visitors over its lifetime, including former President Grover Cleveland, John D. Rockefeller and numerous stars of the stage and screen. No visit to Cazenovia can be complete without a stay or just a meal at this historic landmark.
For over two centuries, visitors to Cazenovia have enjoyed strolling along the charming storefronts on Albany Street. The unique character of each building adds to a romantic sense of a time before big box stores, when local merchants served the needs of their community. The current buildings all date from the mid to late 1800’s, when they were rebuilt after a fire swept the area. Their styles run the gamut from a late Federal interpretation to a high Victorian, each one distinct in its design yet harmonious with the other buildings on the street. Traveling west from Lincklaen Street toward the lake on the north side of Albany Street, you first encounter what was known as the Hough block. Built in the 1830’s it originally served as a general store, and later as office space for William J. Hough. The third floor of the building was occupied by the studio of Cazenovia’s famed artist, William Boardman during the 1840’s and the village’s first entertainment hall, known as Hough’s Hall occupied the second floor during the middle of the 19th century. In 1871, a devastating fire ravaged the buildings to the west, leading the owners to add a then-popular mansard roof. Next door is a brick building, occupied by Cazenovia Abroad for over 50 years. It was rebuilt in 1872 by John Reymon with locally made bricks, the same as those used to build the Methodist Church on Lincklaen Street. Travelling west you arrive at Mulligan’s, which has occupied the wooden building since 1896. The building itself was rebuilt by Henry Groff in 1873 and was originally only two stories high. When Groff learned the building next door west would be four stories high, he had his structure cut horizontally and another floor added between, giving him three stories instead of two. The next two buildings were each rebuilt following the fire of 1871. The lot of the four-story Fairchild building, currently occupied by the Subway restaurant, was vacant for a number of years after the fire and was occasionally engaged by a peanut wagon until the current building was constructed. The largest structure on this side of Albany Street is the Dwyer building, which was built by Henry Ten Eyck in 1871 with bricks from the Bingley factory. It was within the original buildings on this site that the devastating fire of 1871 began. The handsome Federal style stone building just west of the Dwyer building was originally built as a banking house for the Madison County Bank in 1831. When the building was damaged in the fire of 1871, the stone façade was removed, and the structure rebuilt. Sometime later, the original façade was put back onto the building, though when or why it was replaced remains a mystery. The next two addresses, currently the home of Cazenovia Jewelry and Emma’s Café on Main, are part of the building built by Jacob Ten Eyck in 1832. The stone for the structure was quarried at Chittenango Falls and the carvers who worked on the building were said to be recently laid off by the completion of the nearby Erie Canal. Legend has it that an unknown man was buried at this site sometime before the construction of the storefronts. The final building on the north side of Albany Street is known as the Burr block, as it was built in 1871 by William M. Burr. It was built with bricks from the same Bingley factory as many other buildings throughout Cazenovia, including the Methodist Church. In 1894, the building was remodeled by Syracuse architect Archimedes Russell into the Cazenovia Arms hotel, and featured a veranda on the second and third floors. A wooden building behind the Burr block housed Cazenovia’s original newspaper, The Pilot, which eventually became the Cazenovia Republican of today.
Toward the southeast corner of the village square, tucked in amongst shady trees and romantic overgrowth, sits Century House. Built in the early 1840’s by Jacob Ten Eyck, it occupies the original lot of the Madison County Hotel. The aging hotel was dismantled with the opening of the Lincklaen House in 1836 and various pieces of its cornices and doors were incorporated into other Cazenovia buildings. Ten Eyck built Century House as a gift to his daughter Elizabeth when she married merchant Elisha C. Litchfield. Its construction marked a new period in Cazenovia life, when prosperous businessmen began to imitate the grand houses of the wealthy landowners. The origin of the Century House name may have been lost to history, but its architectural style has been well documented. The house is a typical example of the popular Gothic Revival style of the early 19th century. Its original design featured a low-hipped roof and Corinthian columnns, as well as a more symmetrical shape than that seen today. Litchfield made major renovations to the structure in 1863, adding turrets, a mansard roof, and a number of porches, hoods, and bays. The overall effect was one of sprawling whimsey, perfectly in keeping with the mid-nineteenth century fad for Italianate details. Changes were inevitably made through the next century; the turrets were removed and the original staircase from Lakeside House was added in 1952. Overall however, the imposing mansion looks much as it did after Litchfield’s expansions, 150 years ago. Century House remains a private residence today.
One of the oldest and most distinctive buildings in Cazenovia is the Presbyterian Church on Albany Street. Designed by architect John Hooker and built by master builder Nathan Smith of New Woodstock in 1805, the church served at Cazenovia’s first public meeting and events hall. Despite its status as an Albany Street landmark, the church was not originally located on this plot. At the time of its construction, the village fathers assumed the center of village life would be directed north toward the lake, and so planned for the church to be located just north of the village green, on present day Emory Street. It faced directly south to Hurd Street and was flanked by cemeteries on the east and west. In 1811 the eastern cemetery was abandoned and many of the early occupants were reinterred at Evergreen Cemetery, on Fenner Street when it was opened in 1814. A number of Cazenovia’s first settlers may yet rest at the site of the original graveyard on Emory Street however. Once it was realized that village and commercial life would center on Albany Street, the Presbyterian church was lifted and moved to its present location in 1826. In 1869 the church underwent a remodel, dramatically changing the cornices, windows and doors. A surrounding balcony was removed from within the church and the vaulted ceiling was altered to its present state. Within the attic of the church, however, evidence of the original design can still be seen. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the church, the towering steeple, is original to the building, and has stood as an unswerving example of faithfulness throughout the 200 plus years of the church’s existence.
This impressive colonnaded building, known as White Lilacs, was built in the 1830’s as a banking office. The site, originally owned by John Lincklaen, was sold for $600 to the Madison County Bank in 1833 and continued to house the bank’s cashier until 1840. It was bought at that time by Isaac Otis for $3,800. From that time on it was owned by a succession of prominent families such as the Krumbhaars and Remingtons until the 20th century when it was sold for use as a business office, as it remains today. The building is another example of the popular Greek Revival style with its cast iron lintels over the windows and doors. Interestingly, it also incorporates many Federal influences, such as the narrowing proportions of the Ionic columnns and the roof’s ornate balustrade. It is worth noting that the prominent hand-fluted columnns, the largest in Cazenovia, are made of solid logs and not pieced together as with most other examples of this ornamentation.
The Gothic Cottage, originally known as “Bob-O-Link,” was built in 1847 and designed by renowned American architect Alexander Jackson Davis. The house was probably built by either William M. Burr or Henry Ten Eyck as their principal residence. The cottage is one of Cazenovia’s strongest examples of the popular Gothic Revival style of the 1840’s. This style is typified by the use of vertical lines and medieval motifs, evident in the cottage’s peaked roof and confectionary verge boards. In 1853, the house was sold to Julia Burr, who lived there until her death in 1875. It was at this time that the rear of the house was enlarged in a similar Gothic Revival style to match the original structure. In 1964, the Gothic Cottage was threatened with destruction to make way for much needed parking space. It was ultimately saved however, when an enterprising resident purchased the building and donated it to the Town of Cazenovia for use as office space, as it remains today.
The Brae Loch Inn has been serving guests and visitors to Cazenovia since 1946, but the building itself, known as the Burr House, has a much longer history. Built around 1810 by an unknown owner, the house was sold to William Burr, a prosperous local merchant, in 1825. It remained in the Burr family keeping until the first half of the 20th century when it was converted to the inn and restaurant of today. Originally Federal in design the house featured tall thin pillars on the front of the building. Sometime around 1872, members of the Burr family renovated the structure in keeping with the popular Gothic Revival style of the time. Asymmetrically arranged gables and porches were added to achieve an effect reminiscent of the middle ages. The front and side porches have since been converted into dining and kitchen space for the restaurant, but the gables, chimneys and bay window of the Gothic design remain intact.
Where a sprawling lawn and elegant pier now greet visitors, Samuel Foreman’s graceful mansion Lakeland once stood. Built in 1813 in the Federal style, Lakeland was a triumph of 19th century architecture. It was designed by renowned builder John Hooker and closely resembled the Lorenzo estate in appearance. In fact, legend has it that Forman planned the house to be one foot larger in every dimension than Lincklaen’s own imposing mansion. Foreman sold the house to Jacob Ten Eyck soon after and the Ten Eyck family resided in the mansion for well over a century, adding to its appearance with the passing years. Their mark can still be seen in the graceful wrought iron fence that bears their name. Unfortunately, Cazenovia was not immune to the economic downturn of the 1930’s and the mansion was sold to a group of citizens who tried to maintain it as a tea room, among other ventures. When these attempts proved inadequate to fund the mansion’s upkeep, the village bought it for use as a park, and in 1937 the building was eventually razed. All that remains of the rambling estate is the Carpenter’s Barn, visible at the outlet of the lake on Forman Street. It was built in 1889 in the shingle style for use by J. Fairfield Carpenter as a carriage house and bowling alley for his children. It has since been refitted for use by the Cazenovia Village recreation association.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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This walking tour guides visitors along Cazenovia's Albany Street and includes several historic buildings and landmarks as it takes users to the campus of Cazenovia College, one of the oldest private institutions of higher learning in the United States. The tour is a work in progress by local residents with the support of the Cazenovia Public Library.
