Question: Major construction is taking place in this photo. Do you know what was being constructed, the location and the year?
Last week’s answer: The photo from last week showed the aftermath of the March 1, 1914, fire that destroyed the Howard Opera House that was located on the northeast side of Oswego Street. It was a magnificent structure that had been built by Hiram Howard in 1881. It was built of brick and was 3 stories high. At the time it was built the village had no electric power nor was there gas or running water available. Electric streetlights were installed in 1888.
The devastating fire at the opera house was discovered in the early morning hours of March 1, 1914, by James Brown and Harley Loveless. They noticed smoke coming from the rear of the huge building and turned in the alarm. The flames were battled for three hours before the fire was brought under control. The firemen discontinued applying water at noon. Two firemen, Metzler and Perkins were injured during the blaze. The newly formed Morris Hose Company took part in quelling the blaze. At one time there was fear for the Connell store and the State Bank, both located just north of the opera house. Windows were broken in 3-year-old Odd Fellows Temple.
It was fortunate that the village pumps had been converted from steam to electric motor drive the previous year, and the water pressure never failed the firefighters. Seven hoses sere simultaneously played on the fire, thus confining the blaze to the Opera House.
According to an article in one of Anthony Christopher’s “Sketches of Yesterday,” the village chief of police, Henry Ball, rushed into an upstairs apartment at the rear of the burning building and carried an elderly lady to safety. She was taken to the Seneca Hotel across the street.
The village firemen were greatly assisted by the Hilltop Chemical Company, a community group from the Oswego-Oneida Street section. They used the water-acid-soda system. It is fortunate that they had been organized just three weeks before.
Total damage to the area due to the fire and water was estimated at $88,000, which was not all covered by insurance.
The opera house was never rebuilt. The current Grange Block, also an entertainment venue showing silent movies, replaced it in 1914. Today it is the site of Pizza Man Pub.
Note: If you look carefully at the curved window in the upper right in the photo, you should recognize that the building on the right still stands.
Email your guess to [email protected] or leave a message at 315-434-8889 ext. 332 with your guess by noon Friday. If you are the first person to correctly identify an element in the photo before the deadline, your name and guess will appear in next week’s newspaper, along with another History Mystery feature. History Mystery is a joint project of the Museum at the Shacksboro Schoolhouse and the Baldwinsville Public Library.
