43-49 Main Street

Glimpse above the third-story windows of the building at 43-49 Main Street and you’ll find a stone marking it as the J.J. Newberry Building. Indeed, Newberry’s occupied the structure for sixty-five years from 1927-1992. But, built in 1879, it was initially known as the Schermerhorn building, later called the A.M. Collins block.

Prior to the block’s construction, it appears that there were two separate frame structures on the lot, one serving as James A. Schermerhorn’s law office, and the other housing various businesses. These include the drug store of Aaron Sager from 1857-1861, and a shoe business owned by a revolving door of partnerships (Fitzgerald & Ferguson or Fitzgerald & Rice (1867-1868); Fitzgerald, Rice & Purdy circa 1868; C. Van Alstine & Henry Purdy between 1869-1873; Rice & Hale between 1874-1876; then Van Alstine alone during 1876-1879).

James Adams Schermerhorn was born at Schenectady in 1816. His parents were Abram M. Schermerhorn and Mary Kent Adams. His father established the "Bank of Rochester" and the "Bank of Monroe", was Mayor of Rochester, Member of the State Legislature and Representative in Congress. J.A. Schermerhorn came to Cortland in 1841, and in 1847 was admitted to the bar and opened an office on the site where the larger block bearing his name would be erected. He did not enter extensively into the practice of the law, however; and subsequently spent but a small portion of his time in Cortland. Being a gentleman of wealth, he lived in retirement, in his early years traveling extensively both in Europe and America, and latterly residing in his beautiful home at Glen Haven. He engaged in various enterprises over the years, including a partnership in a grocery, as well as in a harness-making businesses, and served as vice president upon the founding of the National Bank of Cortland. J.A. Schermerhorn died in 1879, the same year in which the new block was built.

The Cortland Standard reported that “there have been rumors for some time past that Mr. J.A. Schermerhorn intended to erect a new building on Main St. adjoining the brick block now owned by him (likely National Bank of Cortland building on the corner of Main and Court Streets), but it was not till last Friday that the matter was finally decided by his signing a contract with Mr. Luke Holton, who is to do the work. The plans for the new building were drawn by Mr. Horace N. White, of Syracuse. It was to be 66 feet front, the south two-thirds 66 feet deep, and the north third 72 feet deep. It will be three stories high, and the front will stand eight feet higher than the brick block adjoining. The front will be of Syracuse pressed brick, with cut stone trimmings and galvanized iron cornice, and the sides and rear of ordinary brick. The ground floor will be divided into three stores, and a hall and stairway leading to the second story. The second story will comprise five suites of offices, and a carpet room connecting with the north store. The third story it is now intended to finish off in one large room, though it may be subdivided if there is a call for it…next to the Garrison block and the County Clerk’s Office it will be the handsomest business structure in Cortland,”(April 10, 1879). At that time, Mr. C. Van Alstine moved his boot and shore store from the old store being about to be torn down to make way for the new Schermerhorn block. The new building gets described as a medieval-castle-like structure, with an architectural style stems from the eclecticism of the late Victorian period.

The north store was to be occupied by Fish & Walrad (dry goods) and the south store by Warren & Tanner (dress goods), with occupation of the center store not yet settled. The second floor was dedicated to office space, and the third floor was a hall. In 1882, the YMCA moved from Taylor Hall to Schermerhorn block, occupying the entire third floor with a parlor, gymnasium, reading room, and prayer room. Later, the I.O.O.F. used it as their John L. Lewis Lodge rooms until 1922.

Of course, a Main Street building could hardly ever seem to escape from the threat of fire. On one night in January of 1897 “Officer S.N. Gooding was passing through the alley at the rear of the Schermerhorn block, when he heard a crackling noise. He looked all around, but could not discover anything and went around on Main-St. when he saw smoke issuing from the clothing store of Bingham Brothers & Miller. He hastened to the night café of B.H. Bosworth and called for help to locate the fire. Mr. Bosworth went across the street and saw that the dry goods store of G.J. Miller was also filled with smoke. He returned to the engine house, where he pulled box 333 and then rung in a general alarm. The department was quickly on the scene and the Water Witch company secured first water.” They eventually figured the fire’s origin to be in the cellar and directed a stream into the cellar from the front and back. “The inestimable value of the ball nozzle, the special property of Orris Hose, was shown at this time for Messrs. Charles Morris and Charles Griffith…entered the cellar from the rear with a spray issuing from this nozzle and worked their way to the front of the cellar, putting out all the fire there, and practically saving the building from almost total destruction.” (Cortland Standard). This same article mentions fires in 1893 and 1894, along with a theory of a possible burglar being the cause of the 1897 fire.

In 1921, Harry Millman and his brother-in-law Zelig Solomon bought the block, then occupied by Model clothing store, Sanders’ cigar store, and The Vogue. Shortly after, A.M. Collins purchased it and conducted renovations that included a fireproof stair, elevator, and upper floor remodeling according to plans by local architect Carl W. Clark.

In 1925, the Harry B. Tanner began an insurance agency in 45 Main Street. The Tanner-Ibbotson corporation formed in 1938 and stayed in the same location until 1963 when they removed to 97-103 N Main Street. Faded remnants of painted advertising for Tanner-Ibbotson may still be visible on the top of the sides of the Newberry Building.

J.J. Newberry bought the block in 1927 and planned a 1-story rear addition along with a new storefront. “Newberry was, along with F.W. Woolworth, a pioneer in the modern merchandising techniques of the self-service, low-cost department store that replaced the old dry goods stress and specialty shops.”

At first, Newberry’s occupied two of the storefronts in the block until 1932 when it was enlarged by taking over the space formerly occupied by Newark Shoe Co. Newberry’s was Cortland’s last remaining “five and dime” store when it closed in 1992.

The building was purchased by the Saracene family. They had been operating Nordic Sports at 31 Main Street since 1978, the business having had its start the previous year at 132 Main Street. Nordic Sports closed in 2008.

Most recently, the far-left store at no.43 housed Jimmy’s Nails, and Wild Ginger opened in 2012, taking the spot of The Real Wood Furniture Store.