SOMERS, N.Y. - Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages…
Somers has received a $281,500 state grant that will help it preserve and maintain the character of The Elephant Hotel, a designated National Historic Landmark that’s marking its bicentennial this year.
Prominently located at the corner of routes 202 and 100, the federal style red brick building houses the town’s offices, the Somers Historical Society, and the Museum of the Early American Circus, a treasure trove of artifacts and dioramas.
The focal point of many community events, it was built as a memorial to “Old Bet,” an elephant that made the town known as the “cradle of American circus history.”
Last year, the town unveiled to great fanfare the brand-new statue of “Old Bet.”
The bronze beast, created by local sculptor Luigi Badia and funded by the family of late society member Barbara Wittmann, holds pride of place atop a granite obelisk outside Town Hall.
The old “Old Bet,” made of concrete, was literally falling apart after decades and decades of being exposed to the elements.
Likewise, the 200-year-old structure is showing its age. One of its chimneys reported leaks every time there’s a heavy rain.
Several years ago, the town hired Stephen Tilly Architects of Dobbs Ferry to conduct a building condition survey.
The intention was to identify any issues so that the town could make plans to correct them before they become problematic.
Supervisor Robert Scorrano, state Assemblyman Matt Slater, and state Sen. Pete Harckham got together on Friday, March 28, to hail the matching grant’s receipt.
The grant came from the state Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (OPRHP).
“The Elephant Hotel holds a significant place, not only in the history of Somers and New York, but also in American history,” Harckham said. “This important investment in the preservation and restoration of the cherished national landmark is vital so it can continue to serve the community as a town hall, home of the Somers Historical Society and as an archive for vital historical records. The improvements will help to preserve this structure for another 200 years as a testament to the rich history and heritage it represents.”
“The Elephant Hotel is an iconic piece of Somers history, and I am proud to work alongside our partners in government to support critical funding to preserve it,” Slater said. “The Hudson Valley is full of historic landmarks like the Elephant Hotel, and it is our responsibility to ensure future generations can see, experience and learn from them. Congratulations to Supervisor Scorrano and the great town of Somers!”
Echoing that, Scorrano said the grant “will support critical repairs to preserve not only the building itself but also the invaluable historic artifacts, cultural exhibits, municipal offices, and essential town documents housed within.”
Proud of be able to support a state capital plan that makes key investments in historic places such as the Elephant Hotel, he said the funding will ensure it “remains a cornerstone of our community for generations to come.”
Although the exact scope of the project has yet to be finalized, the money will be used for weather-proofing repairs throughout the building, the town said.
“We’ll use the dollars wisely,” Scorrano told Halston Media.
Society president Jonathon Benjamin welcomed any funding that will keep the Elephant Hotel “around for a much longer time.”
(Benjamin happens to be the farm director at another of Somers’s gems, Muscoot Farm.)
“It’s such a unique building even for Westchester, which is FULL of history,” he said, adding: “This is a win-win.”
It’s the town’s project, but the historical society “supported and encouraged” it for a number of reasons – first and foremost, “historic preservation,” said society member Grace Zimmermann.
Literally defined, the term means to stabilize a building in its current state.
Restoration means returning a building to an earlier appearance or arrangement, according to the National Register of Historic Places. Most work is more accurately described as “rehabilitation,” it said.
The façade will not be altered.
Most of the society’s archives are kept at the Elephant Hotel. That’s why the building’s health and welfare is “very important to us,” Zimmermann said.
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