In the mid- to late-19th century, the development of a community was an interesting thing. Buildings would pop up, but they would not remain the same for long. Sometimes the building would move, and sometimes it would be torn down so that something grander would be built in its place.
On rare occasions, though, that building would start to stand the test of time. As development continued and communities started to have denser-packed areas, new complications started to appear, such as fire and sanitation. Just look at the downtowns of Canastota and Hamilton, now lined with brick buildings because fires significantly altered the original downtown areas.
Fires such as these also led to codes being passed in communities to make brick buildings mandatory downtown to avoid future disasters. The City of Oneida is no different; take the intersection of what is today Lenox and Main Street. Lenox Avenue, east of Main Street, didn’t exist until the mid-20th century.
Today, on the northwest corner of Main and Lenox, you have Community Bank; on the southwest corner, you have a vacant lot and Origlio’s Wagon Wheel Restaurant; on the southeast corner, the old Oneida Hotel; and on the northeast corner, a parking lot. However, 150 years ago, there was the Presbyterian Church where Community Bank is, the Baptist Church where Origlio’s is, and a feeder canal running on the other side of the street. The population growth of Oneida in the mid-19th century led to the churches needing more sp.
