Story by Arthur Cleveland
Photos provided by SUNY Plattsburgh Special Collections

The exterior of the Champlain Hotel in Plattsburgh, N.Y.

The War of 1812 made a stop in Plattsburgh, N.Y., when American militia and British army regiments fought and died over the course of several days. It was one of the great battles in local history and one of the only times Plattsburgh made it into the history books.

The town is much more important than that, though; it also had weapons of mass destruction prepared in case the Cold War escalated. It has survived economic spirals and was home to luxury industries. Many of this happened all within the last 100 years, and it has shaped the town of Plattsburgh more than many realize.

“People had to fight really to even get Battle of Plattsburgh into the history books,” jokes John Krueger, Plattsburgh city historian and part-time staff for the Kent-Delord house in Plattsburgh.

Bombs and Aircrafts

Some of the most significant elements of Plattsburgh were built less than 60 years ago, one being the Plattsburgh Air Force Base, which completely reshaped how the town was made. Built in 1961, the air force base stood where the Plattsburgh Airport, Clinton Community College's dorms and miles of residential land now stand.

“People had to fight really to even get Battle of Plattsburgh into the history books.”

Keith Herkalo, city clerk for the city of Plattsburgh, discussed the operations in the area. The airbase was capable of landing a space shuttle in case an emergency landing was needed. The airstrip also had an underground fuel tank, able to quickly refuel bombers around the clock. In addition to providing jobs, the military base brought a certain cultural effect.

“It brought along with it a certain ambiance, a certain amount of diversity in people and customs and relationships,” Herkalo says. “It enriched the community.”

In 1992, the base was closed during a period of cost cuts by the U.S. government.  The town lost many jobs after businesses that supported the base went under. The Plattsburgh State Redevolpment Coorporation was formed after the base’s closing to try to repurpose all the surrounding land while attempting to keep the local economy afloat. The airstrip that used to let bombers take off and land now lets travelers take flights.

“Before the airport, it was just an army base, and before that, it was Champlain College for a little bit,” says Krueger, who lived on the U.S. Oval during the base’s functioning days. “Now you’ve got apartments to rent out there, public space, the Plattsburgh city gym, and the Plattsburgh city court.”

The University

SUNY Plattsburgh has also changed over the years. Opened in 1890, SUNY Plattsburgh was originally Plattsburgh Normal School, which trained people to become teachers. In the 1940s, MacDonough Hall, the first residential dormitory on the campus, opened to accommodate the influx of returning G.I.'s attending college after World War II. At this point, the only buildings were Hawkins and MacDonough Halls. This would soon change.

In the 1960s, under President George Angell, the college began to expand. Between the two buildings was a neighborhood with homes, gas stations, and stores. These stood in the way of Angell’s plan to expand the college.

An aerial view of Plattsburgh State's campus before the Angell College Center was constructed.

“The smaller houses were moved, and actually, they are still available for visits or are lived in on the west side of the city. The larger ones were simply leveled,” says Doug Skopp, former SUNY Plattsburgh history professor and college historian. “Imminent Domain was declared and people were sometimes given a portion of what the house was worth. There were 85 properties estimated as being 'in the way.'”

With the neighborhood torn apart and the campus expanded, the college looks nothing like it did 60 years ago. Currently, all of Rugar Street belongs to a long series of dormitories and administration buildings.

“The smaller houses were moved, and actually, they are still available for visits or are lived in in the west side of the city."

Located not far from the air force base is Clinton Community College. However, it wasn’t always a college. Located on Bluff Point, it was originally the Hotel Champlain, a posh resort that gained international fame almost immediately after its 1890 opening. Designed by George Harney, the hotel was “a large, rambling, white and gray, wooden affair built in the grand Victorian style,” according to Jesuit author Leonard Riforgiato. Around the hotel were several private cottages, a golf course, and a scenic view of Lake Champlain. Several American presidents stayed at the hotel; in fact, President McKinley stayed at the place for two summers, making the hotel a 'summer White House.'

On May 25, 1910, the Hotel Champlain burned to the ground. Reopened in July 1911, the hotel  managed to stay in business up until 1951. With more people driving, people headed to far-off destinations, Kreugar says. The New York Province of the Society of Jesus bought the hotel, turning it into Bellarmine College, a Seminary school for young Jesuit students. It was then bought in 1969 and made into Clinton Community College. With the new owners came more construction, with a gym and an art building soon constructed on the new campus

The interior of the Champlain Hotel during its hayday.

LOZIER MOTORS

Plattsburgh once had an auto company that rivaled the likes of Ford and Rolls Royce. Lozier Motor Company was founded by Henry Lozier, a man who originally made sewing machines in Cleveland, Ohio. Around 1897, the business began to move toward the internal combustion engine. It entered Plattsburgh to build boats, but the project later moved on due to winter weather making boat sales difficult. Lozier soon found itself building cars in 1904 when Henry Lozier’s son took over for his father.

Lozier’s cars were status symbols at that time. While Henry Ford was focusing on making cars affordable, Lozier moved in a different direction. "When their first car came out in 1905, the average person made $750 a year and new house was $2,500. When the first Lozier came out, it cost $4,800, putting it into a whole new category—it appealed to very wealthy people,” says Dick Sober, exhibit manager and curator at the Champlain Valley Transportation Museum.

In 1910, Lozier Motors moved to Detroit where decreasing quality and weakening sales brought the company down a bit. It finally went out of business in 1918. The buildings that housed the Lozier factory are now surrounded by the Georgia Pacific plant on Cumberland Road.

Plattsburgh has more to it than musket fire between Redcoats and Americans. It’s a town that has been shaped and changed by the choices of national government, economic shifts, and of the wills of men.

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