We’re debuting a series of posts that will take a look above, below, around, and behind the things you see in Corning everyday. ?Hidden Corning will reveal details and stories about?interesting features of the City and its environs that are not exactly in plain sight.
Today we take a look at the Athens Hotel. ?Opened by James Kotsones in November 1925, the hotel’s eleven rooms have not seen active use in decades. ?The original layout remains basically unchanged – and currently stands (at 46 W. Market Street) as an interesting time capsule from much earlier in our City’s history.
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Athens Hotel ca. 1925
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From the Corning Evening Leader, November 20, 1925
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Present Day
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The building that housed the Athens Hotel is still family-owned and currently keeps Realty USA as its ground floor tenant. ?We’re planning a follow-up feature on the family and their future plans for the former hotel, so stay tuned.
Urban Corning readers, do you have any stories about?the Athens Hotel? ?Or ideas for future Hidden Corning features? ?Share them in the comments.
Dave owns Rochelle Media Works and is a partner at CreAgent Marketing in Corning, NY
I worked at the Athens as a teenager, then rented the apartment above what used to be Earl’s Jewelers. Sophie Kotsones showed me the hotel once. Always thought it would make a great place to live.
My friends and I use to go there as teenagers in the 60s and have hot fudge sundaes! I hope they do something to restore it, maybe make it senior apartments.
It’s a shame that the building has become so unsightly!
So interesting. With the boutique hotels and apartments opeing on Market Street hopefully this too will be refurbished and once again be productive usable space.
My grandfather, Walter J. Gleason, was a barber in Corning for many years, in association with Joseph Roche (the shop was called “Roche and Gleason”). In 1935, the 3-chair shop moved from 10 W. Market Street to the Athens Building. By 1947, it had moved again, to 62 W. Market Street.
Do you know what the seafood restaurant that went into the building for a brief time in the 80’s was called?