Nov
20
2008
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Rogues Harbor Reopens Historic Ballroom |
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by Dan Veaner
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Friday, 21 November 2008 |
 The Rogue's Harbor Inn is having a party on December 5th, the 75th anniversary of the 22nd Amendment, which repealed Prohibition. But this isn't just any party -- it's a period costume party that also marks the reopening of the inn's ballroom.
"(Events Coordinator) Sandra Pierzinski discovered that date on the horizon, and we said, That's it!" says owner Eileen Stout. "Because Rogues never stopped serving. Prohibition didn't stop the Rogues Harbor Inn, and I suspect that was the time when Rogues got its name."
The ticket price will include live jazz by the Bernie Upson Trio, a Charleston lesson, and 1930s style appetizers. Guests will also get a commemorative pen and ink poster by Bill Benson. They'll be asked to sign a copy of the poster that will later be framed and hung in the ballroom. A champagne toast will officially inaugurate the ballroom.
Guests will come in flapper outfits and zoot suits. A contest will be held to choose the best costumes. Approximate period clothing is acceptable. "Even I am required to wear a flapper dress," Stout says. "It will be 30s... ish."
The inn was built in 1830 by General Daniel Minier. At that time the hamlet around the inn was known as Libertyville, and the 'Central Exchange Hotel' was a stop for stage coaches and eventually a train stop (the building that now houses Gimme! Coffee is thought to have originally been a ticket office for the Rogues harbor train spur line, which ceased operations in 1931). In the late 1800s it was called the 'Elm Grove Hotel.'
'Rogues Harbor' was the inn's unofficial name since around 1900., after a drunken patron hurled a liquor bottle against the inn from a nearby building, proclaiming, "Here's to a harbor of rogues." In 1902 the name was made official by its new owners, Sarah S.H. McIntyre and Elizabeth S. Hubbell.
Tickets to the party are a reprinted prescription for liquor,
used for medicinal purposes during Prohibition
Stout purchased the inn in 2001, and has opened the upper floors as a Bed & Breakfast, while operating the restaurant and bar in four large parlors on the ground floor. She says the ballroom probably hasn't been used since the '60s. It became part of an apartment that she and her family lived in for several years until they bought a house earlier this year. Since moving out she and her husband have been busy painting the ceiling and getting the room ready for its grand opening.
Stout says that she has read a report that carpenters found part of a still in the basement doing renovations around the 1940s. Tubing was found that had been used to pump the spirits up into one of the parlors, which is now the restaurant. The inn has served liquor continuously since it was built, not stopping for a minor obstacle like Prohibition.
During that time when alcohol consumption was forbidden a blue parrot on the inn's porch asked patrons whether they wanted a cup of cold tea. If they said yes, they were brought a tea pot filled with whiskey.
In keeping with that tradition the opening party will feature drinks from the 30s at a cash bar that will be a fixture in the new ballroom. Even the tickets to the party are reprints of a prescription form used for doctors to prescribe alcohol during prohibition. Stout has many plans for the inn, including reviving a version of its alcohol manufacturing days. "We're thinking about brewing our own beer one day," she says. "But one project at a time!"
The vaulted ballroom ceiling is suspended from beams in the attic
As far as anyone knows, the ballroom is very close to original. "We repainted the ceiling and refinished the floor, but the vaulted ceiling is original," Stout explains. "It is nearly 20 feet high. It is suspended by huge beams in the attic. It has a spring loaded dance floor (to protect the building from harm caused by the vibrations of a room full of dancers). A lot of people think it is springs, but it's not -- it's a kind of pocket carved into the joists that allow for some give. The big brass chandeliers came from the Ithaca Hotel when it was demolished in the early '60s."
She says she doesn't know a lot about the inn in the '30s because at least its liquor operation was a secret. "Just like the underground railroad," she says. "We know it's true, but proving it is a whole 'nother matter."
But there is plenty of inn history that is documented, and that led Stout to submit a detailed application for historical recognition earlier this year. A few weeks ago Town Supervisor Scott Pinney received a letter from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation reporting that Rogue's Harbor is being considered for nomination to the Federal and New York State Registers of Historic Places. A review board will consider the nomination at its next meeting, and the letter invited Pinney to submit comments before a December 2 deadline.
Brass chandeliers came from the Ithaca Hotel when it was
demolished in 1966
"It brings some prestige," Stout says. "It brings some long term protection. It affords some low interest loans for renovations, which we are always doing."
Over the years people have brought Stout stories, articles, memorabilia, and pictures that help fill in the history of the inn. She continues to actively research that history. " I feel sure that many folks in lansing have things that would be very interesting," she says. "I would love to make a scan or purchase these items."
The inn has only recently begun publicizing the reopening of the ballroom, but word is spreading fast. A couple of parties are already booked for the space. In additionally to renting it for private functions, it will be used to serve breakfast to B&B guests, freeing up a small dining room on the second floor to be reconfigured as a guest room. The inn plans to host its own events in the room, including silent movie nights, live jazz, local wine and cheese tastings, dance classes and recitals.
Another room that was part of Stout's apartment has already become a
guest room, while the room next to that now houses the night
innkeeper.
"I think it's kind of fun that people were so civilly disobedient," Stout says. "It was a ridiculous thing."
The opening party won't require civil disobedience as guests celebrate the inn's unique history while finally getting to see the historic ballroom after so many years. The blue parrot may be long gone, but the tradition of eating, drinking and being merry at the Harbor Of Rogues.
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