This house seems appropriate to post in the Fall. Weathered and a little spooky. It kind of reminds me of the Addams Family or Bates house. It is gutted and currently under contract. I'm posting it to track the home. There is word that the new owner will restore it. I wish there were more, and better, photos. This place must have been magnificent in it's day. There are a few photos I've included at the end of the post from it's past. The links section has many links to articles, photos and the history on this property and the charming town in which it's located.
UPDATE: Links have been added below to various pages to track the progress of this renovation.
LISTING DETAILS
Amazing opportunity to own a piece of Coudersport History. This once beautiful Italianate home and former Old Hickory Inn built in 1880, still has so much to offer. There are three floors with about 1,690 square feet each and three sets of curved wooden staircases. The fireplaces were restored along with the chimneys. So many possibilities for this one of a kind building. Call for more information or to take a walk through time and dream.
HISTORY
From a Comment in Vietmanvets68 Blog (link below):
Phillip Wiley August 17, 2016 at 7:30 AM
Old Hickory started as dream house
(Editor’s Note: The late Rev. Robert B. Merten researched the history of the Old Hickory for a Coudersport Rotary Club program in 1990. Here are some excerpts.)
Having seen a house in Pittsburgh that he admired very much, attorney and businessman Franklin W. Knox decided to build one exactly like it in Coudersport. Construction was completed just a few weeks before the great fire of May 18, 1880. The house was undamaged during that devastating blaze.
All of the wood used in construction grew in Potter County: maple, cherry, black birch, pine, hemlock, oak, chestnut, butternut, etc.
Knox, a Tioga County native, was a co-owner of the weekly newspaper, the Potter Enterprise, and was instrumental in bringing the railroad and public water system to Coudersport.
In 1903, Thomas J. Lawler bought the house from Knox. In January 1928, Lawler sold his home and properties to the partnership of H. H. Pett, Willard E. Schutt and Howard N. Schutt. They turned it into an inn and named their establishment “The Old Hickory,” in honor of Andrew Jackson.
The new owners used a unique emblem for signs and stationery, depicting Jackson riding a donkey. It was drawn by a guest who had no means of paying his bill and designed the logo in lieu of payment.
H. Hollingsworth and Kay Pett came from New York, joining the Schutts in Coudersport to decorate the Old Hickory with fine furniture and beautiful wallpaper.
Arrival of the Great Depression forced the owners to split. Willard Schutt and his wife, Agnes, stayed in Coudersport and installed the downstairs tavern.
A succession of owners would follow, including John Karr, from 1948 to 1967; Bud and Hilda Franklin, from 1967 to 1972; Richard and Anna Nicka, 1972-76; Frank and Billie Hendrix, 1976-78; Ted and Suzi Bear, Kathleen Wilson and David Marshall, 1978-1987; Olive Richard, for most of 1987, and Dorellenic Corporation starting in December 1987 until it was transferred to Adelphia in 1995.
Court records showed more than $537,000 in antiques were purchased by the Rigases from Morgart’s Trash & Treasures in Coudersport to be used as part of the Old Hickory renovation.
Then came the bankruptcy.
More Recent History From Solomon's World Blog (link below):
In 1987, Old Hickory was purchased by John Rigas, founder of Adelphia Communications
Corporation. Founded in 1952, Adelphia was one of the largest communications companies in the world, with headquarters across the street from Old Hickory on Main Street in Coudersport. Rigas transferred ownership of Old Hickory to Adelphia in 1995, intending to rehabilitate the building as a bed and breakfast for use by employees visiting the corporate headquarters. Although Rigas invested heavily in antiques to furnish Old Hickory, rehabilitation never commenced. Along with Enron, WorldCom and others, Adelphia was destroyed by an accounting scandal. In 2002, the company entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and in 2006, their assets were auctioned off. While the corporation’s assets were transferred to Time Warner Cable and Comcast, Old Hickory was sold to Mary Freysinger in 2004.
Because Old Hickory has been vacant for more than 25 years and is currently owned by an individual without the means to rehabilitate it, the building is at risk. Once an architectural gem and social hub, Old Hickory has been seen as an eyesore and a “monument to corporate indecision” for well over 10 years. Located on a large piece of land on Main Street, Old Hickory is not an asset to the community in its current condition
“Once an architectural gem and social hub, Old Hickory has been seen as an eyesore and a ‘monument to corporate indecision’ for well over 10 years.”
4 N Main Street, Coudersport, PA 16915
0 beds | 0 baths | 5070 sqft | .4 acres
UPDATED LINKS: Follow the Renovation as it Happens
F.W. Knox Villa Website, F.W. Knox Villa Instagram, F.W, Knox Villa FB Page,
LINKS:
Zillow, Realtor, Vietnamvets68 Blog, Coudersport Main Street Facebook Album, Solomon's World Blog, Larry on Flickr, Tioga Publishing Article with alleged Renovation plans by previous owners, City Data Forum, Find a Grave (Lithograph), Old House Dreams (read the comments section for more information)
Featured Photos
GOOGLE STREET VIEW
PHOTOS FROM THE PAST
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| Lithograph found on Find a Grave page |
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| From Couldersport Main Street Facebook Page |
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| From Couldersport Main Street Facebook Page |
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| From Couldersport Main Street Facebook Page |
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| From Couldersport Main Street Facebook Page |
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| From Vietnamvets68 Blog, Labeled as being from the 1970's when it was Hickory Inn |
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| Found on Tigoa Publishing page - Rendering of plans to renovate to Bed and Breakfast before trial. |
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| From Larry's Flicks, taken in 2006 |
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| From Vietmanvets68 Blog, taken in 2009 |