If you’ve ever strolled around Pulteney Square in Hammondsport, you’ve likely noticed the charming blue building that seems to quietly anchor the street.
It’s the kind of place you might walk past on your way to coffee, a lakeside stroll, or shopping with friends. But if you pause for a moment and really look at it — you begin to realize something special.
Those walls have been standing there since 1828.
Long before the wineries that now dot the hillsides.
Before Glenn Curtiss would lift his early aircraft into the sky.
Before Keuka Lake became a destination for travelers seeking quiet beauty and a good glass of Finger Lakes wine.
A Tailor Shop on the Square
When the building was first constructed in 1828, Hammondsport was still a young village forming along the southern end of Keuka Lake. The building began its life as a tailor shop known as the Latimore Taylor Shop, serving the practical needs of a small but growing community.
Imagine the square then — dirt roads instead of pavement, wagons tied to hitching posts, and lake boats bringing travelers and goods into the village. Inside that small tailor shop, cloth was cut, coats were fitted, and news of the day likely passed from neighbor to neighbor.
But Hammondsport was growing, and before long the little tailor shop would take on a new role.
From Tailor Shop to Village Inn
As travel increased through the region, the building was transformed into an inn known as the Urbana House, welcoming travelers arriving by stagecoach or lake steamboat.
By 1861, the property was purchased by John Jacob Frey, who expanded the building and renamed it the Park Hotel.
Frey was not just an innkeeper — he was also involved in the early wine trade of the region and operated the Germania Wine Company nearby. In fact, he enlarged the cellar beneath the hotel to store wine, connecting the building’s story directly to the early days of the Finger Lakes wine industry.
It’s easy to imagine the scene during those years:
Travelers stepping in from dusty roads.
Wine merchants discussing the year’s harvest.
Lake visitors gathering around tables to share stories after a long journey.
In many ways, the building was doing what Hammondsport itself was becoming known for — offering hospitality, conversation, and a warm welcome at the edge of Keuka Lake.
Watching a Village Grow
Over the decades, the building quietly watched the village change around it.
It saw the rise of the Finger Lakes wine industry.
It witnessed the aviation experiments of Glenn Curtiss just down the road.
It stood through Prohibition, economic downturns, and the shifting tides of tourism around Keuka Lake.
While many buildings came and went, this one remained.
Today, it is widely considered the oldest surviving building in the village of Hammondsport — a small but remarkable piece of living history standing right on the square.
The Park Inn Today
Today the building is known as The Park Inn, continuing the tradition it began nearly two centuries ago.
Inside, visitors find a welcoming restaurant and cozy guest suites upstairs — a modern inn that still carries the warmth of its long past. The woodwork, the intimate dining rooms, and the comfortable atmosphere all feel perfectly suited to the village it calls home.
And perhaps that’s the most beautiful part of the story.
Nearly 200 years later, people are still coming through the doors — for a meal, for a stay, or simply to enjoy an evening in Hammondsport.
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The Park Inn
π 37 Shethar Street, Hammondsport, NY 14840
Tucked just steps from the village square in charming Hammondsport, The Park Inn offers a warm and welcoming place to stay while exploring the beauty of Keuka Lake. With its inviting atmosphere and walkable location near shops, restaurants, and the lakefront, it’s the kind of spot that makes visitors feel like they’ve discovered a little home away from
home in the Finger Lakes.
π Phone: (607) 224-4004
π Website: parkinnflx.com
Whether you're visiting for wine trails, lake views, or a quiet village weekend, The Park Inn makes a lovely starting point for your Keuka adventure.
A Keuka Roots Reflection
Next time you walk across the square and pass that blue building, take a moment to look at it a little differently.
Imagine the wagons, the early winemakers, the travelers arriving from the lake.
Imagine the conversations that once filled those rooms.
Because long before the tasting rooms, the festivals, or the summer visitors…
The Park Inn was already there — quietly welcoming the world to Hammondsport.
And in many ways, it still is.
Stay Rooted. Stay Keuka.
