Downtown Commercial Block

As many of New York’s villages and cities have grown over the course of the twentieth century, numerous main streets have lost their historic fabric. Such is not the case in Trumansburg. Numbers 1 through 23 West Main Street comprise a charming row of Italianate-style brick masonry buildings that appear much as they did during the late nineteenth century. As with the Trembley House, these structures were built to replace wood-framed buildings following the fire of 1871. These units have retained many of their distinctive Italianate features, including cast-iron storefronts and window hoods, decorative brick corbelling, and protruding cornices. The building at 13-17 West Main Street, the former location of the Biggs Department Store, was constructed in 1912 and is the latest of the group. Designed by Ithaca architect Clinton Vivian (1861-1930), the structure's large picture windows reflect advancements in construction technology during the first decades of the twentieth century. "Silver Dan," a papier mache horse mannequin modelled in France, was prominently displayed on the second floor of the building for many years.

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