National Register of Historic Places

Little York Pavilion

Preble, Cortland County, New York
Listed
July 26, 1979
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
79001575

About this property

Little York Pavilion, also known as Dwyer Memorial County Park, Main Pavilion, is an historic trolley park pavilion located at Preble in Cortland County, New York. It was built about 1906, with later additions and modifications, and is a two-story Stick/Eastlake style structure, rectangular at the core, with surrounding verandahs and a jutting pavilion at each corner. The central hip-roofed section contains a single large room at each level. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The Pavilion was originally designed as part of a resort destination by the Cortland Traction Company. Little York Lake provided the only resort area between Binghamton and Syracuse, NY. Besides the Pavilion the park housed several boathouses, an observation deck above a water tower, and amusement rides. The Pavilion itself housed a restaurant on the ground floor and a dance hall on the second floor. In 1932, the New York Power Corporation, successor to the Cortland County Traction Company, abandoned the park. Attempted revivals met with little success. At the urging of the Little York Garden Club in the late 1930s, the County Board of Supervisors eventually purchased the property. But not until 1951, under County Highway Superintendent William Dwyer, were improvements seriously begun. Since 1972 the Pavilion has been home to the Cortland Repertory Theatre, a summer performing company. The building has undergone many changes over the years. The most prominent addition was in 1961, when a slate-roofed stone restroom facility was added on the north side. A large brick chimney occupies the center of the east wall; a similar one on the north was removed in 1973. Later alterations include the enclosure of the ten foot wide verandahs on the north side to accommodate kitchen facilities and dressing rooms for the theatre. The roof of the pavilion was originally surfaced with cedar shingles and was edged with white electric lights. Both roof and lighting were removed long ago, and the present roof is a combination of tin and asphalt shingles. Elsewhere, alterations have been carried out more in sympathy with the original design: stairways, porch rails and flooring have been rebuilt, fire doors installed, and wooden steps replaced with concrete.

Location

Preble, Cortland County, New York
42.71024, -76.15262

Categories

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURETRANSPORTATIONARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Little York Pavilion

This page lists Little York Pavilion. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Little York Pavilion report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

First Presbyterian Church
Industrial
1.8 mi
US Post Office-Homer
Industrial
4.7 mi
Water, Wall, and Pine Streets Lenticular Truss Bridges
Listed
5.2 mi
Old Homer Village Historic District
Listed
5.2 mi
Cortland County Poor Farm
Industrial
5.7 mi

Questions about this property

When was Little York Pavilion listed on the National Register?

Little York Pavilion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 26, 1979.

What type of historic resource is Little York Pavilion?

Little York Pavilion is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Little York Pavilion?

The period of significance for Little York Pavilion is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Little York Pavilion?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Little York Pavilion will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Cortland County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Cortland County.

Explore CortlandCounty ›

More historic places in New York

Browse all historic places in New York.

View New Yorkhistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

New York history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

New Yorkhistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Little York Pavilion will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report