A September fundraiser, a surviving piece of the Empire State Winery, and a community determined to make sure this story still has a place on our shoreline
There are certain pieces of history that simply refuse to disappear.
Buildings come down. Industries change. Generations pass. The landscape we know by heart slowly becomes something different.
And yet, every once in a while, something remains.
In Penn Yan, one of those things is a cupola.
Not just any cupola.
It is the last great architectural piece of a building that once stood near the head of Keuka Lake, overlooking a waterfront filled with steamboats, grapes, wine barrels, railroad cars—and the unmistakable bustle of a village at work.
And on
Wednesday, September 9, from 5–7 PM, the community is invited to gather at The Tunnel Bar at the Main Deck to help make sure this piece of Penn Yan history finally gets the future it deserves.
Best of all?
Admission is free.
And The Tunnel Bar is generously donating 15% of the evening's food and bar sales directly to the Cupola Restoration Project.
So supporting this little piece of Penn Yan history can be as simple as showing up, ordering something to eat, raising a glass and spending an evening along Keuka Lake.
But before we get to September 9, we need to understand exactly what we're trying to save.
And for that, we need to go back to a Penn Yan that looked very different from the one we know today.
When Penn Yan Was a Wine Town
Long before tasting rooms dotted the hillsides surrounding Keuka Lake, wine was already serious business here.
The Empire State Wine Company was established in 1886, and in 1896 an imposing stone winery was constructed near the place where Keuka Lake meets the Keuka Lake Outlet. The company produced wines, brandies and its "State Seal Champagne," becoming part of the booming grape and wine economy around Keuka Lake.
Picture that waterfront for a moment.
Not pleasure boats tied along quiet docks.
Steamboats.
Not tourists carrying wine glasses.
Workers carrying grapes.
There were barrels and baskets, wagons and trains. Grapes grown along the hillsides surrounding the lake traveled by water to Penn Yan, while finished products and agricultural goods could continue by rail toward markets far beyond Yates County.
The lake wasn't simply beautiful.
It was transportation.
The Outlet wasn't simply a walking trail.
It was an industrial corridor.
And Penn Yan wasn't simply sitting at the head of Keuka Lake.
It was one of the engines helping drive the region's grape and wine industry.
And perched high atop the Empire State Winery was its cupola.
Apparently, it had a job of its own.
According to the Cupola Restoration Project, the illuminated cupola could be seen from down the lake and helped guide steamboats carrying grapes and wine toward the Keuka Lake Outlet and what was known as the Port of Penn Yan.
I absolutely love that part of the story.
Because suddenly this isn't simply an architectural decoration perched on top of an old building.
It was a beacon.
And Then the Building Was Gone
The Empire State Winery survived Prohibition, although not easily, and eventually closed in 1956. The building later became familiar to another generation of Penn Yan residents as the home of American Legion Post 355.
Then came 1990.
The old winery building was demolished.
Stone walls that had stood for nearly a century disappeared from Penn Yan's waterfront.
But someone had the foresight to save one piece.
The cupola.
It was removed before the building came down.
And then it waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
For years, this piece of Penn Yan's skyline sat on the ground—a survivor without the building it once crowned.
When I first dug into the story of the old Empire State Winery for Keuka Roots, that was the part that stayed with me.
The cupola had somehow refused to disappear.
The winery was gone.
The workers were gone.
The steamboats were gone.
The railroad activity that once helped define the Outlet had changed.
But there it was.
Still here.
Waiting for someone to decide that its story wasn't finished yet.
What If We Saved It?
In 2013, local resident Steve Knapp began working toward restoring the Cupola.
That idea eventually became a movement.
An advisory board was assembled. Community members became involved. Steve and Jeff Johnstone helped establish the Cupola Restoration Project of Penn Yan, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the structure.
Architects, engineers, volunteers, historians, donors and community supporters have all played roles along the way.
And yes, if you've lived around Penn Yan for a while, you may be thinking:
Hasn't the Cupola Restoration Project been going on for quite a while now?
The answer is yes.
You may remember hearing about the restoration years ago. You may have driven past the Cupola and wondered, Whatever happened with that? Are they still working on it?
They are.
The reality is that historic preservation rarely happens quickly—or in a nice, neat, straight line.
There are engineering questions and property questions. Permits and approvals. Money to raise. Experts to consult. Plans that have to be developed and sometimes redeveloped.
And then there's the red tape.
Lots of red tape.
Some expected.
Some completely unforeseen.
That's the part of preservation work most of us never see.
From the outside, it can sometimes look as though nothing is happening, while behind the scenes people are spending months—or even years—working through the next obstacle.
The Cupola Restoration Project has certainly encountered its share of hurdles.
But here's what's important:
Some very big hurdles have now been crossed.
In May 2024, the Cupola was moved from Village property to a temporary location where restoration work could eventually take place.
More recently, the organization acquired property near the mouth of the Keuka Lake Outlet, only a short walk from the Cupola's original home.
And that changes things.
After years of planning, problem-solving, setbacks, persistence and people simply refusing to give up on the idea, the finish line is beginning to come into sight.
That's also why the September 9 gathering feels important.
This isn't simply another fundraiser for a project you've been hearing about for years.
It's an opportunity to find out where the project stands today, see the new site, meet the people who have kept pushing it forward and hear some exciting news about what happens next.
Historic preservation takes patience.
But perhaps that's fitting.
This Cupola has already been part of Penn Yan's story for well over a century.
It's worth taking the time to bring it home the right way.
This Isn't About Rebuilding a Winery
And I think this is where the story becomes bigger.
The goal isn't to pretend Penn Yan still looks like it did in 1896.
It shouldn't.
Towns grow.
They change.
They find new purposes for old spaces.
But somewhere in all that progress, we need landmarks that whisper:
Remember what happened here.
The vision for the restored Cupola includes more than simply repairing it and putting it on display.
The Cupola Restoration Project wants it to become an educational destination—a place where residents, visitors and schoolchildren can discover the industries and people that helped build Penn Yan and Yates County.
Because follow the story of this Cupola and suddenly you're following the story of grapes and vineyards, wineries and fruit growers, basket factories, steamboats, railroads, the Keuka Lake Outlet—and generations of people whose livelihoods were tied to this landscape.
That little structure that once sat atop a winery roof becomes a doorway into an enormous piece of our history.
And that is exactly why saving it matters.
September 9: Come Hear What Happens Next
Now there is another chapter to write.
On Wednesday, September 9, the Cupola Restoration Project is inviting the community to gather from 5–7 PM at The Tunnel Bar at the Main Deck, 301 Lake Street in Penn Yan.
Admission is FREE.
There is no ticket required simply to come out and be part of the evening.
Even better, The Tunnel Bar is generously donating 15% of the proceeds from food and bar sales during the event directly to the Cupola Restoration Project.
Which means supporting the restoration doesn't have to be complicated.
Come hungry.
Order a bite to eat.
Have a drink.
Listen to some music.
Catch up with friends.
Spend a September evening beside Keuka Lake.
And while you're doing it, a portion of what you spend will help bring an important piece of Penn Yan's history back to life.
The evening will feature live music, hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar, along with an opportunity to meet the Cupola Restoration Project board, tour the new site, hear the latest update on the restoration and learn some big news about what comes next.
And honestly, could there be a more appropriate place to gather?
We'll be right along the water where so much of this history unfolded.
The steamboats may be gone.
The old winery may be gone.
But on September 9, people will once again gather near the head of Keuka Lake because of that Cupola.
There's something wonderfully full-circle about that.
Maybe This Is Your Chance to Become Part of the Story
And there is another reason I hope people come out on September 9.
Maybe you've been looking for a way to become a little more involved in our community.
Maybe you love local history.
Maybe historic preservation matters to you.
Maybe you're new to the area and looking for a way to put down some roots.
Or perhaps you've lived here your entire life and have reached that point where you're thinking, I'd really like to do something that makes a difference.
The Save the Cupola Project might just be that opportunity.
Projects like this don't happen because one person decides something should be saved.
They happen because a community decides it matters.
They need people with ideas. People willing to volunteer. People who can lend their talents, share the story, support fundraising, help at events or simply become another voice saying:
This piece of our history is worth saving.
And here's the best part.
You don't have to be a historian.
You don't have to know anything about nineteenth-century wineries, steamboats or historic restoration.
You simply have to care about the community you call home.
Come September 9 and meet the people already doing the work. Ask questions. Learn where the project has been, where it stands today and where it's going.
And maybe find a place for yourself in the story.
Because someday, when that restored Cupola is standing proudly near the head of Keuka Lake again, how wonderful would it be to look at it and say:
I helped make that happen.
The Cupola comes from Penn Yan's past.
But the history surrounding it is still being written today.
And there's room in that story for all of us.
A Keuka Roots Reflection
Maybe I've become a little sentimental about old buildings.
Okay.
Maybe more than a little.
But the longer I write Keuka Roots, the more convinced I become that preserving history isn't really about saving old things.
It's about saving connections.
Someday, a child may stand beside that restored Cupola and ask:
"What was that?"
And someone will tell them about the enormous stone winery that once stood there.
Which leads to the story of the grapes.
Which leads to the vineyards.
Which leads to the steamboats.
Which leads to the railroads.
Which leads to the Outlet.
Which leads to the families who worked there.
And suddenly that child isn't simply standing beside an old Cupola.
They're standing in the middle of their hometown's story.
That's why these things matter.
And there is something wonderfully fitting about this particular survivor.
More than a century ago, the Cupola helped people find their way toward Penn Yan.
Perhaps now it can do that again.
Not by guiding steamboats through the darkness.
But by pointing us backward just long enough to understand how we arrived here—and forward toward what we choose to preserve for those who come next.
The Empire State Winery is gone.
The Cupola is still here.
And after all these years of waiting, planning and perseverance, maybe it's finally time to raise it toward the Penn Yan sky again.
Save the Cupola Fundraiser
Wednesday, September 9, 2026 | 5–7 PM
The Tunnel Bar at the Main Deck
301 Lake Street, Penn Yan
Admission is FREE
🎵 Live Music
🍷 Cash Bar
🍴 Hors d'oeuvres
🏛️ Meet the Board
📍 Tour the New Site
📣 Hear the Big News
15% of the proceeds from food and bar sales that evening will be generously donated by The Tunnel Bar to the Cupola Restoration Project.
So come for the history.
Stay for the music.
Have something to eat.
Raise a glass to Penn Yan's past.
Meet the people working to preserve it.
And maybe discover how you can become part of what happens next.
Keep Digging Into the Story
I've previously explored the Empire State Winery and its remarkable surviving Cupola in two Keuka Roots stories:
The Last Sentinel: Remembering the Empire State Winery
The story of the winery that once stood at the head of Keuka Lake and the Penn Yan waterfront that surrounded it.
The Last Piece of the Winery
The story of Penn Yan's Empire State Winery Building—and the Cupola that refused to disappear.
And for the history of the Cupola, restoration updates, ways to support the project and information about becoming involved:
Save the Cupola Project
Read the stories. Come to the fundraiser. Meet the people behind the project. And perhaps find your own place in the next chapter.
Because sometimes a community gets the chance to bring a little piece of its story home.
This is one of those times.
A Piece of Our Past. A Beacon for Our Future.
Stay Rooted. Stay Keuka.™
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