by Noah Fitzgerald

The large pale blue 1984 Herkimer County jail sits on the side of the street in the town of Herkimer. It is historic, but in danger, and people are still trying to save it.

Every year, the Preservation League of New York State lists the “Seven to Save” threatened historical buildings and sites. The league is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving these buildings and landscapes throughout New York, and this year the Herkimer County Jail made the list. The league and their president, Jay DiLorenzo, want to save the building for the historic significance it adds, not only to the upstate New York region, but to the nation as well. Almost a century ago the jail housed one of the most famous murderers in the nation’s history.

In 1906, on the third floor of the jail, murderer Chester Gillette awaited his conviction for drowning his pregnant girlfriend Grace Brown. During his trial in the Herkimer County Courthouse, Gillette stood tensely as the judge announced his verdict. Gillette, a prep school graduate, brought his girlfriend to the Adirondacks on a trip she thought would end in a marriage proposal. Their excursion ended quite differently than she expected.

Brown was found at the bottom of Big Moose Lake with lacerations on her head, assumed to have come from a tennis racket. The police feared Brown and Gillette both drowned, but two days later the investigators found Gillette in a hotel directly after he had finished his breakfast. He appeared calm and denied his involvement, but all signs pointed to his guilt. Gillette didn’t appear

Dreiser's An American Tragedy

upset about his girlfriend’s death, he didn’t notify the police of the incident, and he reserved a room in the hotel under a different name.

Gillette was arrested and put on trial, but without any hard evidence the case could have gone either way. For weeks he walked across Herkimer’s historic four-corners intersection from the courthouse to his room in the Herkimer County Jail. He continued to denounce the accusations and insisted his girlfriend committed suicide, but in one month, the judge sentenced Gillette to death. It was one of the first circumstantial evidence convictions ever.

In 1925, this story was immortalized in one of the great American novels, An American Tragedy, by Theodore Dreiser. The novel was also made into two movies: An American Tragedy and A Place in the Sun. A Place in the Sun starred Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Smith and won six academy awards. DiLorenzo mentioned that the Metropolitan Opera House might put on a performance adaptation to Dreiser’s novel in 2006 to celebrate the event’s 100-year anniversary. DiLorenzo believes that for these reason and more, the jail should attract more statewide concern.

Currently the building's condition is threatened. “The county is supportive of its reuse, but they don’t need the building anymore,” DiLorenzo explained. Officials turned the heat off last year because it cost too much. With building not being used often, it wasn’t worth their while to spend money to keep it in shape.

An American Tragedy's film adaptation

With the heat off, temperatures fluctuated and moisture began to build up inside the old brick building. “This just accelerates deterioration,” DiLorenzo said. With no effort going into the preservation of the jail, it needed help. The building is still used occasionally; a fund-raiser was held in the building last Halloween. “There are many reasons why the jail should be saved,” he said.

Besides the famous incident with Gillette, the building is historically important for other reasons. The building is of architectural significance because its construction is in a Federal style (a colonial architecture popular from 1780-1830). DiLorenzo said the jail is a “continual member of the historic four-corners intersection.” The intersection is near North Main Street in the town of Herkimer and includes the County Courthouse, an old Reform Church, a stately Victorian style house, and a memorial of Fort Dayton.

"It is still a vibrant building"
-Jay Dilorenzo of the PLNYS

As buildings outlive their economical value, they lose their purpose in the eyes of some. While others may have forgotten of the jail's historical and statewide value, the Preservation League of New York State has not and is trying to ensure that this part of the nation's history doesn't fall apart and is not forgotten.

Tell us if you think the jail is worth saving.

The PLYNS Seven to Save of 2005

Old Custom House
Whirlpool Street, Niagara Falls Niagara County

Herkimer County Jail
Four Corners Intersection, Herkimer
Herkimer County

The Iron Block
Public Square, Watertown
Jefferson County

Old Custom House
Whirlpool Street, Niagara Falls Niagara County

Todd Shipyard Graving Dock
Erie Basin, Brooklyn
Kings County

Saint Thomas the Apostle Roman Catholic Church
118th Street, New York City
New York County

Rafael Guastavino House
Bay Shore, Town of Islip
Suffolk County

The Hudson Area Library
State Street, Hudson
Columbia County.