Wayne County Life Q & A
Subject: Pollock Building in Newark, NY
Date: 13 December 2009
Participants: John M. Zornow (Newark-Arcadia Historical Society), Seth C. Burgess (Wayne County Life)
Seth C. Burgess:
John M. Zornow:
Subject: Pollock Building in Newark, NY
Date: 13 December 2009
Participants: John M. Zornow (Newark-Arcadia Historical Society), Seth C. Burgess (Wayne County Life)
Seth C. Burgess:
An automobile passenger of mine recently presented an interesting observation while passing through downtown Newark on Main Street. My observer noticed that the current En Vogue Salon storefront occupies the self-identified "Pollock Building" and consequently posed the following question out-loud: "I wonder what this used to be?". What is the history of the Pollock Building?
John M. Zornow:
In the early 1920's a man named Pollock (pronounced Pollick) built the building on the corner and opened up a jewelry store. The first floor was retail and second floor was offices.
The enterprise didn't work out and a couple of years later he left town, owing many people. He was later found running a store in West Palm Beach, Fla.
I don't know who ended up owning the building but in the late 1930's it housed both Buck's Women's Store and the Paris Women's Store. Josie Buck may have been the owner by the 1950's, when Buck's occupied the entire store and The Paris opened their new store on West Miller St., currently occupied by the Newark Village Pharmacy.
The Pollock Building was and is a well built structure, currently housing only a beauty salon and one large apartment upstairs.
Interesting note: When Mr. Pollock built the new block there was a house on the corner. He moved the house just a bit east on East Miller St. and converted it to a business block that still stands behind the Pollock Building. Tenants of the building that was moved over the years were Darrow Photography, Estelle's Gift Shop, Muth Insurance, a shoe repair shop, and a tattoo parlor. It is now the field office for the firm that is renovating the new ESL Bank (Great news for Newark).
So, when someone asks me "What is the oldest house in Newark, I say that the oldest house is a store building at 103 East Miller St. If you stand in the municipal parking lot and look at the rear of the building that was moved, you can see the roof of the original house.
PHOTO:
1904 photo of the E.T. Grant house, moved to build the Pollock Building.
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HVL Said,
PROPERTY OF YOUNG WOMEN AT NEWARK DESTROYED BY FIRE.
Pollock Building Burned and Miss White and Miss Richards Lose Money and Nearly All Their Clothing—
Origin of Fire is Unknown.
Newark, Feb. 6. 1901 Alarm from
box 41 summoned the Deluge Hose company and Protective Extinguisher company to the building of L.D. Pollock in Scott Str. where a fire was in progress friday.
The residence was occupied by Mrs. Fanny White and Frank Van Dura. Mrs. White who occupies the north portloo,
noticed the ocor of smoke and going to the other side of the house
asked if they had been burning wood and was surprised to hear that they had not. She immediately went to a neighbour and sent in a call for the Fire Department. Two streams, besides the chemics, were soon playing on the fire.
The building was only partly destroyed, enfalling a loss of 1000 dollars. This was insured for some 1300 dollars. Besides this Mrs. White has a heavy loss on furniture for although most of it from the residence in breakage was large. Her insurance was 450 dollars.
There were two school teachers as boarders and lodgers.
Miss May L. White, who lost some money and nearly all her clothing, with no insurance. Miss Edith Richards, the other teacher, also lost some clothing and
valuable papers.
The furniture in the south portion of the residence occupied by Frank Van Dura, was all removed with very little damage. He had an insurance of 325 dollar.
The origin of the fire was a defective chimney. The flames destroyed the kitchen, two bedrooms and nearly the entire roof of the north portion of the residence,
also a portion of the roof on the south side.
source: The syracuse Journal saturday, February 6, 1901 - Fulton History wesite
Posted on Tue Oct 15, 11:03:00 AM EDT