A Visitors' Guide to Waterville, New York -
Historic "Hop Capital of the World."
Settled in 1792

      
The “Historic Triangle District” and two other properties named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

      
Buildings of special interest.

1.  St. Bernard’s Catholic Church  - This is the second church building on this site. The first, a frame structure, was dedicated in 1854.  The first Mass celebrated in this building was on July 14, 1912. The stained glass windows, depicting scenes of Christ’s life, were imported from Italy.

 2.  Of Federal Georgian architecture, this brick home was built for Dr. W. P. Cleveland in 1829. Some of the windows still hold panes of Sangerfield glass and the hinges and door locks are handmade.

 3.  George Putnam’s “Castle” was built around 1880.  The bricks were said to have been imported from France; the house had all the most up-to-date conveniences, a dumb-waiter, imported woodwork, etched glass and a ballroom on the third floor as well as a cistern on the roof.

 4.  Grace Episcopal Church was constructed in 1854 when the congregation outgrew its first church building – now the White Street home of the Waterville Historical Society. This Gothic revival building has many beautiful stained glass windows two of which are by Tiffany The Chapel was added in 1942.

 5.  The first Baptist Church was raised on this site in 1801 – the first church in “the Huddle.” The present building was built in 1832 and is the oldest church building in Waterville.

 6.   The Woodman-Getman building was built in 1869 for the Waterville National Bank and the vault is still in the building. The Corinthian ornamentation is cast iron.  From its establishment in 1838 until 1869, the bank was located at 126 E. Main Street – a building currently being renovated.

 7.   This is the third structure to serve the Presbyterian congregation. The first was opposite the park; the second was erected on the present site in 1843.  In 1872, when that, too, proved too small, the present building was constructed. In March of 1917, lightning struck the taller spire.

 8.  The Buell Block was built in 1873 to house the warehouse, offices and showrooms of the Buell Shoe Manufactory.  The New York State Hop Extract Works also had offices there and the third floor held the Masonic Hall.  A microburst in 1997 damaged the roof to the extent that the Masonic Hall’s ceiling is no longer there, but all of the exterior wooden trim on the building is exactly as it was one hundred years ago.

 9.   According to earlier historians, The Waterville Hotel was built in the early 1800’s and is probably one of the oldest buildings on Main Street. It has always been a “tavern.” It is currently closed while a new owner makes renovations and restorations.

 10.   According to a Tower descendant, the small brick “schoolhouse” may have been here even before Rueben Tower purchased the lot for his home, before 1829. It later served as the law office of Charlemagne Tower, Sr.  It has recently been restored by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Harding who also own the Tower Homestead. The eastern, Federal period wing of the main house was built around 1800; the central, Greek Revival period section was added by Rueben Tower I in 1830, and the west wing added c. 1910 by Charlemagne Tower, II.  The wallpaper that had been hung in the “library” when the house was built – colored scenes of Italian seaports -  is now in the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt Museum of Design in New York City.

11. The granite base of the Civil War Monument was erected in 1899 on a plot of land cleared, graded and given to the Soldiers & Sailors Monument Association by Charlemagne Tower, II, and at the behest – so the story goes – of several ladies in the community.  The bronze statue was added in 1904.  Two Columbiad cannon and eighty ten-inch cannonballs, acquired in 1926 for the Monument Park display, were given to the scrap metal drive of WWII.

.   

12. The Brunswick House, an elegant hotel, opened in 1875.  “The building comprises thirty separate apartments in all, not including several spacious halls, with bath rooms and water privileges both hot and cold, extending throughout the entire house. ... In the basement we find a splendid cellar kitchen.  The building is arranged for gas fixtures throughout.” Around the turn of the century, the Brunswick Electro-Magnetic Sanitarium offered “gold and silver cures” and the electrician was Mrs. Dr. Palmer. A new owner plans to at least partially restore the building.

 13. The Masonic Temple was built in 1896 by Rueben Tower – younger brother of Charlemagne Tower, Sr. – as his residence and office. The 103’ tall tower holds a “chime” of nine bells, cast by the Meneeley Co. of Troy, and still in (fairly) fine operating order. The cupola was damaged during a storm, two years ago, and was removed to the back lawn of the Temple where it is currently undergoing repairs. (Rueben Tower was as unique as this building and stories about him are legend!)

 14. Italianate “Villa” with “icicle” cornice built c. 1850 by Julius Candee.

 15. United Methodist Church built in 1860, renovated in 1902 and again in the 1950’s and in use until the new church on Tower Street was built in 1967. Since then, this building has been an auction house as well as store and residence.

 16. New Library. Although Waterville has had a collection of books called a “library” ever since 1847, it has never had a real library building. This new structure – opening in the Spring - will replace the current Waterville Public Library which has been located in a former residence at 220 E. Main Street ever since 1908.

 17. The Waterville Historical Society building was built by the Protestant Episcopal Religious Society in 1842. In 1854, when the larger  church building (Grace Episcopal Church) was built on E. Main Street, this became the Welsh Church and then, in the 1930’s, the Waterville Village Hall. The Historical Society has made many improvements to the building, which is leased from the Village, and is raising funds to buy the property and turn the barn behind the hall into a Hop Museum.

 18. New Municipal Hall, constructed in 2003.