Just as it is true that lightning can strike the same place twice, for Oneonta, fire can strike twice. It was 55 years ago this week that Oneonta experienced its worst fire in nearly 25 years when the Butts building at the western corner of Main and South Main streets was destroyed.
Fire struck the same place on May 22, 1906, and destroyed what was then the Wilber National Bank block. So, early Saturday morning, June 5, 1954, fire destroyed what had replaced the Wilber building.
The 1954 fire broke out shortly before 2:35 a.m. and was initially discovered by Sgt. James Fawcett of the Oneonta Police Department, who was driving up South Main Street in a patrol car.
It was a big news event for the city. It was grounds for an "Extra" edition printed that morning by The Oneonta Star, complete with many details and pictures of fire gutting the building.
"Screams of a woman in one of the upper story flats shattered the morning stillness. Sergeant Fawcett radioed the alarm and then raced to rescue occupants of the apartments," it was reported.
Also assisting Fawcett was Trooper Stanley Rudnicki of the Oneonta state police substation, who was driving on Main Street when the alarm was sounded.
Some eight or nine people were saved, and only two needed to be taken to A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital, sustaining burns and minor injuries. There were no fire escapes on the building. Temporary housing for the victims was arranged by the Southern Otsego County Chapter of the American Red Cross.
Assisting Oneonta firefighters were forces from the Otego, Schenevus and Milford fire departments. Recently retired Fire Chief Michael Stapleton, who'd served in the department for 50 years, described the fire as "one of the worst in the city's history." Mayor Roger Hughes, one of the first at the scene, said it was "the worst fire I have seen."
By daylight, the fire had been cut down to a smoldering mass of gray smoke with only periodic flashes of flames. Only the front and side walls remained standing, the rear wall having collapsed in their fire-weakened condition. At that time, Bern Furniture was on the ground floor, and lost everything in the blaze. It later relocated to Broad Street.
By Monday, the estimated damage was $400,000, and the remaining walls were ordered by city building inspectors to be torn down.
The fire-ruined property remained an eyesore for several weeks. It had been owned by the estate of the late Arthur Butts, who constructed the building after the Wilber National Bank relocated across the street. The property was sold on July 23 at a public auction. Alec Rosefsky of Binghamton, an extensive investor and developer in that area, was the successful bidder at $22,500.
Cleanup of the remaining rubble began Aug. 2. Some of those bricks may still be around, as they were made available for sale during the cleanup. If you came and got them yourself, it was $15 per 1,000 bricks, $20 if they were delivered. Kennedy estimated there were 1,500,000 bricks available.
It was announced that Fred Kennedy, operator of Kennedy's Wrecking and Building Supplies, would hire only Oneonta workmen. Kennedy said he'd need 10-20 men for upward of 30 days and paid $1.92 an hour.
Alec Rosefsky built the present building for about $100,000. Rosefsky was a newcomer to Oneonta's investment scene. He also purchased the former Windsor Hotel on Chestnut Street in 1959 and demolished it to make way for new buildings. It is currently where NBT Bank is found, at the corner of Wall and Chestnut streets.
This weekend: An aviation pioneer called Fly Creek home for several years.
___
City Historian Mark Simonson's column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area during the Depression and before. His Monday columns address local history after the Depression. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or e-mail him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is www.oneontahistorian.com.
Print this story
E-mail this story
