HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT

(Note: historic information extracted from materials prepared by Marion Dumond, Diane DeChillo, and Dr. William Rhoads.)

The Hunt Memorial Building, located at 2 Liberty Street in the center of the Ellenville business district, also known as Liberty Square, was constructed in 1915-17 by the Womens Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) at the bequest of John R. Hunt.

John Hunt’s wife, Annie E. Frisbie Hunt, was an ardent temperance activist, treasurer of the county WCTU, and one time president of the Ellenville Union. The bequest included specific guidance: the gift must be used for the construction of the building, and that a portion of the building would be used for rental/business income to help financially sustain the structure. Mr. Hunt directed the executors of his estate to provide funds to the WCTU "to be used in the purchase of a lot and erection of a suitable building for the society to hold their meetings, with a room for lectures," etc.

The architect for the structure, and many other public buildings and schools in the area, was Frank E. Estabrook of Newburgh, NY. Campbell and Dempsey served as contractors. The original name of the building was the (George and John R. Hunt Memorial Building.

The building was constructed with a combined community/business use, an arrangement that has permitted the building to be occupied and partially self-sustaining. The original use included the public library, WCTU meeting rooms, and the rental use. It is this mix of occupancies that is envisioned for the rehabilitated building.

The property was originally the site of the home of Charles Hartshorn, an early leader of the Village. In 1823 Hartshorn opened the first store, and led the efforts to establish a post office in the same year. In 1856, Hartshorn was elected President of the newly incorporated Village. It is believed that prior to his election, the Hartshorn house was constructed on this property on acreage that eventually diminished in size as parcels were sold off.

Upon Mr. Hartshorn’s death, his daughter, Maria Hartshorn Tuthill inherited the property, who bequeathed it to her daughters who, in turn, bequeathed it to the Ulster County Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (County Union). The County Union then sold the property to the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) of Ellenville, NY, Inc.

The WCTU had their architect provide space for the Ellenville Public Library, which had formed in 1893 and was then located in a rented facility. This directive to the architect was apparently made without the agreement of the Library’s Board of l’rustees. Although the WCTU had expected the Library to be a permanent tenant in the Canal Street section marked "Public Library", when the building was near completion the Library refused this space, instead favoring the north section of the building, which would have provided expansion opportunities. Discussions between the WCTU and the Lihrar\ failed, and for 10 years the Canal Street section was leased to the Home National Bank. Discussions reopened when the bank vacated the building in c.1928, and the Library subsequently agreed to move to the Canal Street section provided they owned this section of the building. A deed reflecting this agreement was executed in 1928.

The Library remained in the building for more than 50 years, absorbing more space as community need dictated.

The library eventually moved to its own building in 1975, deeding their portion of the building back to WCTU. The local history museum continued to occupy the deeded library space for another 10 years, and as the headquarters of the Ellenville WCTU

Although the WCTE continued to rent out portions of the building, no single tenant occupied or maintained the HMB as the library had. The WC1L sold the building to Seymour Friend, who in turn sold to Howard Hellman, in 1982 and 1987 respectively. In 1999, the Village or Ellenvlle assumed ownership.

The cornerstone reputedly contains a box with various WCTU documents, newspapers, photographs of John R. Hunt and a copy of his will, and identification of building committee members, the architect and contractors.

Although all historic occupancies have not been determined, HMB served as the public library from 1928 through 1971, and as the headquarters of the WCTU from the date of the original construction through 1982. (The Home National Bank occupied the library’s space for the first ten years of the building’s existence.) HMB continues to serve as the community-gathering place for events such as Music in the Square, the Harvest Music Festival, Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day observances, and the Run Like the Wind 10K run. References also note previous use as a museum.

Separate addresses were historically given to the portions of the building facing south (124 and 126 Canal Street) and east (2 Liberty Square).

The WCTU occupied Rooms 106, 107, 108 and 109 at the north end of the building, and also used Room 105 for debutante balls and B-4 for state conventions. The functions of the WCTU also included parties, theatricals, lectures, meetings, civic events, and art exhibitions. These spaces served as the offices of Philip Slutsky’s legal firm from at least 1954 through the late 1980s: he may have moved to HMB as early as 1952, as the telephone directory erroneously gives his address as 126 Canal Street (the actual address of the Library). Following Mr. Slutsky’s departure from the building, an appliance store later occupied these areas, expanding its use to the exterior east portico. The space occupied by Mr. Slutsky was later leased by Community Action and other tenants with similar short-term occupancies.

The Library occupied the southern section of the building, rooms 100, 101, 102, 103, and 104 until 1975. Rooms 105 and 109 verify subsequently served as the office of The Ellenville News for a period of approximately 2-years, and the Senior Nutrition Program occupied Room 105 for approximately the same length of time.

The separate first floor rental space at 124 Canal Street, the southwest corner of the building (Rooms 120, 121, and 122) was occupied by an insurance agent, Allen Potter, from 1926 through 1958. Optometrist Dr. Martin Fields occupied this space from 1961 through 1981, when his practice merged with Dr. Arnold Wolff and the office relocated to a Market Street location. Mickey Squillante, the current occupant, opened his State Farm Insurance office in the building in the early 1990s.

Although the original tenant of the second floor rental area has not been conclusively determined, it is known that a local attorney, H. Westlake Coons, occupied this space from at least the 1930s. (Mr. Coons was the Village’s first attorney in 1915, serving at a salary of $50/year, and served as the president of the Village from 1924 through 1926.) Mr. Coon’s space was taken over by attorney Joseph Hill, and later Gaffney and Hill: this residency continued through 1970s when the secretary who had served all of these attorneys died. The office was then closed, although not immediately vacated.

In 2001, a preliminary concept design for converting the building into the Ellenville Medical Arts Center project was undertaken by Habig & Cirillo of Middletown, NY, although this project did not come to fruition.

Existing uses are limited to the insurance offices at the southwest corner and intermittent use of limited first floor areas for community purposes.

Marion Dumond, retired Librarian and member of the HMPC provided much of the following historic materials.

457:326- July31, 1916 (May27, 1916)

Anna H. Saxton and Rose H. Eaton to Ulster County Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, of Ellenville, Ulster County, New York: all the property formerly owned by Maria Tuthill (daughter of Charles Hartshom) to Anna & Rose in a will admitted to probate October 10, 1883.

462:511-November 12, 1917 (October 1,1917)

Ulster County Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (principal office in Kingston) to Women’s Christian Temperance Union of Ellenville, N.Y., Inc. NOTE THE DIFFERENT SPELLING BETWEEN THE COUNTY GROUP AND THE INCORPORATED ELLENVILLE GROUP).

This deed includes reference to the fountain park "adjoining said premises as specified in deed from Maria H. Tuthill to the Trustees of the Village of Ellenville (5/15/1875), 194:216. This deed gives the Village the land for the park and fountain so long as it is used for that purpose. This was an issue when the Village proposed eliminating the fountain so that Liberty Square could be more open... Historian Katharine T. Terwilliger reminded the Village that, should they eliminate the fountain, etc., the property would revert to the main property.

535:211 December 7, 1928 (October 31, 1928)

Women’s Christian Temperance Union of Ellenville to Ellenville Public Library

Articles of agreement spelling out various responsibilities and articulated how the costs of common operation were to be divided.

535:243 - December 7, 1928 (November 2, 1928)

Womens’ Christian Temperance Union of Ellenville, N.Y., Inc. to Ellenville Public Library for a portion of the building and rights in common. "If, an when the said premises shall cease to be used for such library purposes this conveyance shall be of no further effect, and the title to the said premises shall thereupon revert absolutely to the party of the first, or to is successors in interest."

1463:274 - April 27, 1982 (February 16, 1982)

Woman’s Christian Temperance Union of the State of New York to Seymour Friend.

No reference to transfer from Ellenville WCTU to the State Union.

1756:001- June 30, 1987 (June 30, 1987)

Seymour Friend to Howard Heilman

3008: 107 - January 25, 2000 (December 28, 1999)

Howard Heliman to Village of Ellenville

Minimal changes appear to have occurred since the original construction:

• Replacement of original entrance doors at # 3,5,and 40

• Installation of an exterior door #41 in place of original window at Room B-4

• Alteration of the east balcony to provide a separate exterior entrance to Room 106

• Installation of plywood covering over some first floor areas

• Interior modifications in Rooms 116 and 107.

• Possible modification to door #6 (conversion from double hung window to French doors: to be verified)

• Additional of partitions and bathrooms between Rooms 107 and 108

• Addition of interior door between Room 104 and 105 (Great Hall)

• Removal or infill at floor level of stair to basement at Room 121 (to be verified)

• Removal of roof balustrade presumed to have existed at all roof edges.

Overall, the building is remarkably intact, a testament to the quality of the original construction and the ironic benefits of an unimproved and largely vacant building.

HMB was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in February 2005.