Friends of Athens New York

Author: Friends ofAthens

  • 2 N Water St

    2 N Water St

    THE STEWART HOUSE (Est. 1883)

    Hotel / Restaurant (Dinner, Lunch Seasonally) Check Hours

    In 1877, Athens was at the height of prosperity, when William and Ida Stewart purchased a plot on Water Street and began work on their new boarding house, which first welcomed guests in 1883. Simultaneously, the Stewarts started a family, having three children, tragically losing two of them at young ages. Their daughter, Harriet, or “Hattie”, was raised alongside the growing business. She become a keen business woman, taking over operations as an adult.

    Hattie left behind many original documents including payroll sheets, the tab log, and hotel reservation lists. The occasional diary entry, post card, or love letter reveal that Hattie was likely more interested in the success of her business than fulfilling a traditional domestic role. Some records suggest she eventually married an Abram Post, though no evidence of a marriage license has been found. She is revered as the earliest suffragette in Athens.

    As Hattie’s successful run came to an end, another young Athens couple was ready to take over. Bill & Marion Garbasz ushered in a new era for the property in 1949 when they re-established it as The Athens Hotel. Marion’s cooking put it on the map as an outstanding dining destination, and it was a haven for club meetings, milestone events and celebrations. Locals hold fond memories of the Garbasz days, which came to an end in 1986. 

    After more than 100 years in business, the property closed to the public but remained in the spotlight. Movie buffs will recognize the building from the 1988 film Ironweed, based on William Kennedy’s novel, starring Jack Nicolson and Meryl Streep. It can also be spotted in several scenes of Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds in 2005.

    The new millennium brought several rounds of ownership changes and re-openings before The Stewart House landed in the hands of Lon and Lois Ballinger in late 2017. Entrepreneurs by nature, the Ballingers were at the helm of iconic Webster Hall in New York’s East Village for over thirty years. Lois recalls a love at first sight feeling on their first tour of the Athens property. She knew, along with the help of designer Tim Albright, they could restore it to its full, gorgeous and lively potential. In May of 2018, The Stewart House reopened once again – this time with a focus on elevated authentic style, subtle yet attentive hospitality, locally sourced food and quality live music.

  • 22 S Washington St

    22 S Washington St

    MORTON/REINSDORF HOUSE (1860)

    Built circa 1860 using the Second Empire style, this house was first occupied by William H. Morton (1805-1888) and family. William married Maria Wait (1808-1892), a native of Massachusetts, and they had thirteen children. Their growing family, which included six by 1850, and Wiliam’s success in the shipbuilding business most likely led them to their new home.

    William’s parents emigrated from Nantucket to Hudson, where William was born. The following year they moved to Athens, where William prospered as a businessman. William served as a land agent for his uncle Isaac Northrup, who is considered the founder of the Village of Athens.

    In 1828, at age 23, William began his life’s career as a successful businessman in the shipbuilding trade. Four years later, along with two other investors, he purchased property on the Athens riverfront, which included an active four-year-old dry dock and marine railway. During the next few years there were a number of changes in ownership and partners. By 1854 things stabilized, with William as one of the two principal owners. The firm of Morton & Edmonds prospered, and in 1872 was sold to Mathias Van Loon and Peter Magee.

    On April 25, 1877, the New York-Catskill-Athens Steamboat Company Limited was organized by William and four other men. The company ran a number of boats, including the City of Catskill, which was launched May 29, 1880, and was recorded as one of the biggest and finest boats built on the upper Hudson.

    During the Civil War, William served as postmaster at Athens. He also served twice as Athens Village clerk, and in 1846 served as town supervisor. His service to the community gained him the distinction of having the William H. Morton Steamer Company, a fire company in Athens, named after him. William and wife Maria were laid to rest in Athens Rural Cemetery, fittingly so, since during his lifetime the cemetery received much of its neatness and beauty from his care and skill.

    As William was a prominent figure, it seems plausible that his important relative, Levi P. Morton, visited him in this house. Levi was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1879-1881), vice president of the United States (1889-1893), and the 31st governor of New York State (1895-96).

    Ownership of the house passed from William and Maria to their son-in-law, Henry Van Loan. It remained in the hands of Morton descendants until 1961, when it was purchased by Walter and Lucille Reinsdorf. Beginning in 1969, restoration of the house by the Reinsdorf family was ongoing for a number of years.

  • 64 Second St

    64 Second St

    DIMMICK HOUSE (1810)

    This workingman’s or artisan’s house, circa 1810, is a good example of the type of vernacular, timber-framed Federal architecture that would have been popular in Athens, but is one of the few that remains largely intact today. The small portico with Doric columns that was added to this simple story-and-a-half house reflects the popularity of the Greek Revival style in Athens in the period between 1830 and 1845.

    The structure started out as a center hall with a room on either side. The original beehive oven with cooking hearth remains, but was “Rumfordised” – made shallower and more efficient – sometime in the early 1800s. There are a total of five fireplaces in the house. A shed was added to the rear of the house soon after building, creating a saltbox configuration.

    In the early to mid-1900s – perhaps even as early as the late 1800s – a fish market operated out of the lower back of the house, with an entrance on Warren Street. The basement entrance seems to have been added for this purpose. At some point the entire original first floor was restructured as an open room with horizontal wide-board wainscoting. This was how it was used when it was occupied by the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church as a parish house in the mid-1960s. However, the floor plan has now reverted to the center hall layout.

    In 1989 this property was purchased by Randall Evans and Carrie Feder of the Athens Architectural Workshop, building restorers and preservationists who were crucial to restoring this property as well as the neglected Albertus Van Loon House at 85 North Washington St.

    If you are walking through Athens today, the Titus/Conine/Palmateer House is diagonally across the street at 35 Second St.