Phoenix Building

The Phoenix Building, also known as the Phoenix Hotel or Pittsford Inn, is a historic inn and tavern located in Pittsford, Monroe County, New York. It is a Federal-style structure built around 1820 to serve stagecoach passengers and later travelers along the Erie Canal. The building operated as a hotel until the 1950s and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Today it serves as a private office building. According to early twentieth-century newspaper references, a hotel or inn was first built on the site in 1807 by Glover Perrin. That original structure reportedly hosted DeWitt Clinton when the New York governor was scouting western New York for a route for the Erie Canal. The original building burned down and was replaced by the current structure, built by John Acer in 1820–1821. During the 19th century the building was known as the Phoenix Hotel and served as a stagecoach stop for lines passing through Pittsford from Canandaigua and Palmyra, New York. The hotel had a rich history, hosting notable figures such as the Marquis de Lafayette in 1824 and members of the Vanderbilt family in 1837. In 1826, anti-Masonic activist William Morgan was taken from his jail in Canandaigua and stopped at the hotel for a meal before being spirited away to Canada. During the 1860 election, Frederick Douglass was scheduled to speak to Republicans in Pittsford; racist opponents rented the hall of the Phoenix Hotel and locked it all day, forcing Douglass to speak in a nearby warehouse. The hotel is also said to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad, though this claim requires further verification. The famous racewalker Edward Payson Weston passed through Pittsford in 1867 and was reportedly denied dinner at the Phoenix, but he returned in 1922 at age 84 and was greeted by public officials and the Pittsford Town Band. The hotel had multiple owners—as many as 29 between 1807 and 1929. After being owned and run as the Phoenix by Frank Zornow, it was renamed Tyler's Inn in 1921 when purchased by George L. and Harold L. Tyler for $21,000. It was later sold to Cowen and Knight, then to Morris Kaplan for $65,000 in 1925, and then to E. A. Comstock. In 1929 it was renamed the Pittsford Inn. The restaurant took on a Bavarian theme in 1933 with Otto Thurn's Bavarians orchestra, and from 1934 to 1950 advertising styled the business as "Old Heidelberg at the Pittsford Inn." John F. Wegman, co-founder of Wegmans markets, leased the property by 1932 and lived there as his home by 1935. After his death in 1950, his estate sold the building to James Randall of Randall Development for $56,000 in 1951. Two fires damaged the building by 1957, and it was abandoned and empty. Andrew Wolfe of Wolfe Publications purchased the building in the 1960s, making it the home of the Brighton Pittsford Post. It is currently a private office building.

The Phoenix Building, also known as the Phoenix Hotel or Pittsford Inn, is a historic inn and tavern located at Pittsford in Monroe County, New York. It is a Federal style structure built around 1820 to serve stage passengers. It later served passengers along the Erie Canal. The building operated as a hotel until the 1950s. Early twentieth-century newspaper references state that a hotel or inn was built on the site in 1807 by Glover Perrin, that this business played host to DeWitt Clinton when the New York Governor and others were scouting Western New York for a route for the Erie Canal, and that the original structure burned down and was replaced by the current structure, built by John Acer in 1820-1821. The building was known as the Phoenix Hotel in the 19th century. In the 1820s the hotel was a stage coach stop for lines passing through Pittsford from Canandaigua, N.Y. and Palmyra, N.Y. In 1826, the anti-Mason activist William Morgan was taken from his jail in Canandaigua and stopped at the hotel for a meal, before being spirited away to Canada. The Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette stayed at the hotel in 1824, and members of the Vanderbilt family passed by (by stage coach) in 1837. William E. Edmonds of Rochester, N.Y. wrote that during the election of 1860, Frederick Douglass was scheduled to speak to Republicans in Pittsford, N.Y. The meeting was to be open air, but due to rain it had to be moved indoors. According to Edmonds, racist opponents of Douglass rented the hall of the Phoenix Hotel and locked it all day, depriving him of the only assembly hall in the town, but Douglass made his speech in a nearby warehouse. Two newspaper references state that the "it is said" the hotel was a stop in the Underground Railroad, but this claim may need further verification. The famous racewalker Edward Payson Weston passed through Pittsford in his 1867 walk from Boston to Chicago, but was said to have been denied dinner at the Phoenix, the proprietor taking him for a tramp. He passed through again in 1922, in a walk from Buffalo, New York to New York City, at age 84, and was greeted by public officials and the Pittsford Town Band. The hotel had multiple owners, as many as 29 between 1807 and 1929. Owners have included, besides Perrin and Acer (who sold out around 1839), William Hicks, Henry M. Eckler (1879), and Daniel and Adam Finucane (1883). After being owned and run as the Phoenix by Frank Zornow, the hotel was renamed Tyler's Inn in 1921, when it was purchased by George L. and Harold L. Tyler for $21,000, who then sold it to Cowen and Knight, then sold for $65,000 to Morris Kaplan in 1925, then sold to E. A. Comstock. The hotel was renamed the Pittsford Inn in 1929. The restaurant took on a Bavarian theme in 1933 with Otto Thurn's Bavarians orchestra. While some newspaper references state the hotel was renamed "Old Heidelberg", that was actually the name of the restaurant, and advertising styled the business as "Old Heidelberg at the Pittsford Inn" from 1934 to 1950. John F. Wegman, co-founder of the Wegmans markets, leased the property by 1932 and lived there as his home by 1935. After Wegman's death in 1950, his estate sold the building to James Randall of the Randall Development for $56,000 in 1951. Two fires damaged the building by 1957, and it was abandoned and empty. Andrew Wolfe, of the Wolfe Publications, purchased the building in the 1960s, making it the home of the Brighton Pittsford Post. It is currently a private office building. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

• 1974

  Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

• 1960

  Andrew Wolfe of Wolfe Publications purchased the building; home of the Brighton Pittsford Post.

• 1957

  Two fires damaged the building; it was abandoned and empty.

• 1951

  Sold to James Randall of Randall Development for $56,000.

• 1934

  Advertising styled the business as "Old Heidelberg at the Pittsford Inn" (until 1950).

• 1933

  Restaurant adopted a Bavarian theme with Otto Thurn's Bavarians orchestra.

• 1929

  Renamed the Pittsford Inn.

• 1925

  Sold to Morris Kaplan for $65,000.

• 1921

  Renamed Tyler's Inn after purchase by George L. and Harold L. Tyler for $21,000.

• 1867

  Edward Payson Weston passed through Pittsford and was denied dinner at the Phoenix.

• 1860

  Frederick Douglass denied use of the hotel hall; spoke in a nearby warehouse.

• 1837

  Members of the Vanderbilt family passed by stage coach.

• 1826

  William Morgan stopped at the hotel for a meal before being taken to Canada.

• 1824

  Marquis de Lafayette stayed at the hotel.

• 1820

  Current Federal-style structure built by John Acer (1820–1821).

• 1807

  A hotel or inn built on the site by Glover Perrin.

Historic inn and tavern turned private office building; listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Product categories. Inn and tavern services · Restaurant · Hotel accommodation

1. 1Phoenix Building (Pittsford, New York) - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Phoenix Building - Wikidatawikidata.org