Lyon, Adsit: Separated at birth?
Records reveal close connection between historic Hornell, Bath properties
By ROB PRICE THE COURIER-ADVOCATE

Pictured above, from left, the Martin Adsit House of Hornell and the former Dana Lyon Elementary School in Bath. Col. Ira Davenport built the Adsit House before moving to Bath in the 19th century; his son donated the land on which a portion of the Lyon building rests.

Two prominent historical preservationist groups based separately in Bath and Hornell have more in common than their love for antiquities.

The groups - Bath's Save the Lyon Commission and Hornell's Historic Hornell Inc. - also are linked by the confluence of two 19th century families whose wealth helped create the local landmarks both groups now are dedicated to preserving.

Historic Hornell Inc. was organized in 1997 largely in response to efforts to demolish the Martin Adsit House on Main Street and build a Rite Aid drug store on the corner lot of Main Street and state Route 36.

According to records in the Steuben County Historian's Office, the late owner of that house, Martin Adsit, moved to Hornell as a boy in 1826 and apprenticed himself to his uncle, local businessman Ira Davenport, whose sister Fanny was Adsit's mother. Davenport himself originally built the brick house that Martin Adsit eventually bought, moved into and expanded.

PHOTOS BY ROB PRICE

In 1847, Davenport and his wife, Lydia, moved to Bath after selling Davenport's local holdings to Adsit. The couple had five children, including Ira Davenport Jr., who in the late 19th century donated land in the center of the Village of Bath to the then- Haverling Union Free School District.

That property eventually became the site of the former Dana Lyon Elementary School, the building whose threatened demolition three years ago inspired the formation of the Save the Lyon Commission.

Both buildings continue to exist under the shadow of a wrecking ball, with developers seeking to build an Eckerd's drug store on the site of the Lyon building and, reportedly, a Walgreen's drug store on the site of the Martin Adsit House.

And the shared threat of demolition has led to a budding relationship between the two groups.

According to Commission President Rosalie Niemczyk, local preservationists in Bath formed an early respect for Historic Hornell's work during the Rite Aid controversy.

"We became disciples from afar," Niemczyk said. Now the Bath organization has invited members of Historic Hornell to attend its regular meetings in Bath.

Both groups to date also have been successful in defending their star properties. According to Mildred McAnany, a founder and copresident of Historic Hornell Inc., the group's current plan is to work on delaying any demolition of the Martin Adsit House while investigating other scenarios for a Walgreen's location. "The only thing we're gong to do is try to seek a compromise," McAnany told The Courier.

Meanwhile the Save the Lyon Commission has taken title to an early portion of the Dana Lyon building that heirs of Ira Davenport Jr. reclaimed in litigation against the development company Liberty-East Washington LLC.

The Commission continues to work against the company's efforts to rezone the property for commercial use.

Both Ira Davenport Sr. and his nephew, Martin Adsit, became leading businessmen and citizens of their respective communities.

Davenport continued to grow his business interests, operating numerous dry goods stores and joining a New York City coal company as a partner. He also founded The Davenport Institute for Female Orphan Children.

Martin Adsit conducted his own retail operations, was active in local government and served as president of First National Bank of Hornellsville.

Adsit's cousin, Ir a Davenport Jr., continued growing his father's businesses, and served as a state senator, congressman and state comptroller. He also donated the Tiffany interior to the First Presbyterian Church of Bath, a collection that included two Rose windows built by the Tiffany company in New York.