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The legend returns to Schenectady
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The historic Stockade District sits on the banks of the Mohawk River and in 1814 the property at the corner of Union and Church Streets was commercially used to house the Mohawk Bank. Much of the present building was constructed around 1818, and the massive block vault in the cellar is evidence of its use as a bank. Banking business was conducted on the first floor and residence quarters for the chief teller were on the second floor.
In 1853 the building became a private home, and continued as such for nearly 20 years. In 1868 it was owned by Edward C. Delavan who was an organizer of the New York Temperance Society.
In 1872 the building was purchased by the Union School, an organized free school system in Schenectady with a Board of Education, an early public high school system. The classical department of the Union School was located here for 32 years.
In 1904, the building was purchased and extensively remodeled by the Mohawk Club, a private men's social club with a rich history dating back to 1885. In it's heyday, with members topping 600, the building was an exclusive location for dining, entertaining and business dealings for men only. The Mohawk Club still meets and entertains here, but the Club sold the building in June 2003 to the McDonald family, lifelong Schenectadians. The McDonald family lives and works in the Stockade area and they saw the opportunity to acquire this historic property, to preserve its character, and to open it to the public so all can experience one of the treasures of Schenectady. In additional the McDonald Family owns Pinhead Susan's Pub and has recently purchased the Van Dyck Restaurant and is scheduled to reopen in the winter of 2009.
Since its construction in 1818, additions and alterations to the building have increased the size to its present 20,000 square feet. The building has three floors in addition to a sprawling cellar and large attic. The McDonalds have taken great care to maintain the grandeur of the building while renovating to accommodate the needs of a modern restaurant, banquet facility and Inn. The fine dining restaurant and two banquet rooms occupy the first floor, along with the cocktail lounge and Stockade Bar, a copper-topped antique bar acquired by the McDonalds and placed in an area once used as the business office of the Mohawk Club. By looking beneath the surface, elegant ceilings, marble fireplaces, and wood panels were discovered and restored to offices, and in the near future, nine renovated overnight guest rooms. The private dining rooms are perfect for business meetings, luncheons and dinners, and have been updated with high speed Internet access and telephone ports. The renovations on the third floor are complete and nine Inn Rooms each with private baths, each beautifully decorated, are open and available for overnight guests. The Inn now houses eighteen overnight rooms.
As you explore this historic property, a cornerstone of the Stockade District, we invite you to think back to before the Civil War, to imagine the original construction taking place when President Lincoln was merely nine years old, to imagine the people who have lived, dined, and celebrated here over the years, and we hope you enjoy your own Stockade Inn experience and will return again soon.
