The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Hartwick Inn on Elm

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Institution Name: Hartwick College
Original/Historic Place Name: Irving H. Rowe House
Location on Campus: 27 Elm St. (off-campus)
Date(s) of Construction and Designer(s):

1874	original construction Unknown

Type of Place: Individual building
Style(s): (Glossary)
Materials:

Foundation: stone

Walls: wood shingle (exterior); plaster (interior)

Roof: shingle

Function:

1874-1996	private residence (single family residence)
1996-present (2007)	other (dignitary guest house)

Significance: history
Landmark designation:

National Register

Walnut Street Historic District (1980)

Narrative: see below
References: see below

Narrative:
The home's significance is rooted in local history. It is part of the Walnut Street Historic District, a group of homes that has been collectively placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1898 by Irving H. Rowe, the house replaced one built in 1874 by Irving's father Hervey N. Rowe, who was an original stockholder and director of Wilber National Bank (Wilber National Bank is a major local financial institution).

Irving Rowe was a salesman in the David Wilber and Son hop business, and later a partner in the Ford and Rowe wholesale feed and grain firm. He was elected a director of Wilber Bank in 1901, vice president in 1922, and president from 1924 until his death in 1927. He was also one of the first to pledge towards the "Campaign for a Greater Hartwick," the Oneonta-based fundraising effort that brought the current College to Oneonta.

His daughter Dorothy lived in the house until her death in 1976, at which time she bequeathed the home to Jeanette Waterman, who continued to maintain the home in its original state, upgrading the heating system and installing central air conditioning in 1996. In 1996, Ms. Waterman bequeathed the house to Hartwick College.

References:

I. Bibliographic sources:

Walnut Street Historic District [including Hartwick College]. National Register of Historic Places designation report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior/National Park Service, 1980.

II. Location of other data:

SHPO

Government Offices

Other: Institutional Advancement Office