The Elephant Hotel will be a main attraction in Somers for the next two months with a series of events that will celebrate the building's status as a National Historic Landmark. A year ago this month, the National Register of Historic Places proclaimed the three-story, Federal-style brick building Westchester County's 17th national landmark. Town Historian Florence "Mickey" Oliver, curator Terry Ariano, other members of the Somers Historical Society and consultant Neil Larson had spent years researching the building's history before submitting an application to the registry, which labels fewer than 2,500 properties historic landmarks. The John Jay Homestead in Katonah, the White House and the Empire State Building share National Historic Landmark designation. The status change brings prestige, and an opportunity to preserve and enhance the building that doubles as the Town House. The town now qualifies for grants that could amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars, which would be dedicated to renovating the structure. "For the town of Somers as a whole, it's absolutely wonderful to have a nationally registered building," town Supervisor Mary Beth Murphy said this week. Before Hachaliah Bailey built the Elephant Hotel in the early 1820s, he owned an African elephant called Old Bet and toured the East Coast with her and other animals. When the so-called "Father of the American Circus" built the structure on the intersection of routes 202 and 100, the words "Elephant Hotel" were painted on the front of the building to commemorate Old Bet. In anticipation of historic and art exhibitions, a dedication ceremony, a silent auction and a historical discussion, volunteers have been sprucing up the building. Murphy said workers have repainted the walls and ceiling of the meeting room, bought new curtains, and assembled a new display for the art exhibition. Parade and dedication Grace Zimmermann said the Historical Society, of which she is president, has been working not only with the town to enliven the May 13 dedication, but also with corporate sponsors. For the dedication � in the town that dubs itself "The Cradle of the American Circus" � Ringling Bros. will provide clown noses and educational video games, Kraft will distribute Animal Crackers and the Somers-based Pepsi Bottling Group will supply beverages, she said. The May 13 festivities will begin at 1:30 p.m., with a parade, weather-permitting, that will start at the Firemen's Field on Route 202 and end at the Elephant Hotel. The procession is expected to include horse-drawn carriages, the West Point Honor Guard, elected officials, a Bee-Line bus dedicated to Old Bet, and a vintage pickup truck or tractor from Muscoot Farm. The formal dedication ceremony is slated to begin at 2 p.m. on the front lawn of the new national landmark. Throughout May, the Historical Society will also be celebrating National Preservation Month, designed to encourage communities to celebrate historic heritage and emphasize preservation. Historic exhibition Ariano said that she has spent part of the last few weeks sifting through hundreds old photographs, documents and trinkets to assemble a collection of some 100 artifacts for an exhibition called "In Celebration of the Elephant Hotel." The exhibition will open May 13 and run through mid-September at the Museum of the Early American Circus on the third floor of the Elephant Hotel. "The exhibit will highlight aspects of the building that nobody really knows about," Ariano said. "In the meeting room, there are going to be panels that show all of the different uses the building has had over the last 181 years." In 1827, a wooden replica of the elephant was mounted on a granite shaft and put up in front of the building. Part of the original replica, which was replaced because it had decayed, remains on display in the museum. In 1835, the Zoological Institute was incorporated at the Elephant Hotel. Four years later, the Farmers and Drovers Bank of Somers worked out of an adjacent building, and the Elephant Hotel room that now serves as the town clerk's office. The bank ceased operations in 1905. D.W. Griffith filmed a portion of his movie "America" in Somers in 1923 and joined actor Lionel Barrymore in staying at the hotel. The town purchased the building from the Bailey family in 1927. Whimsical way to educate The Historical Society, marking its 50th anniversary, is organizing three additional projects to celebrate the dedication. From May 1-30, the Somers Library will host "The Elephant Hotel � As You See It," featuring residents' artistic submissions inspired by the Elephant Hotel. "We've had some people paint some pictures (and) write poems, and we had a kindergarten class do a huge mural," Zimmermann said. "So (we're) just trying to make it a community thing as best we can." From May 13-June 11, members of the Somers Chamber of Commerce will display birdhouses modeled after the Elephant Hotel in their businesses. Zimmermann said local woodworkers affiliated with the Heritage Hills Woodcraft Club constructed 15 birdhouses, which local artists later painted. Through June 11, the birdhouses will be up for bid through a silent auction whose proceeds benefit the Historical Society's 50th anniversary programs. "It's just a whimsical way to educate the people in town," Zimmermann said. Larson, who also works as an architectural historian, will give a tour and lecture at 1:30 p.m. June 11 discussing the historical significance of the Elephant Hotel. The results of the birdhouse auction will be announced at a reception following the tour. 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| Somers celebrates Elephant Hotel CHRIS SERICO [email protected] THE PATENT TRADER (Original publication: April 27, 2006) |