New Owners To Revive Historic Oneonta Hotel Property

By MONICA CALZOLARI
ONEONTA

Cyril and Gail O’Reilly are the new owners of 55,000 square feet of property from 193 to 203 Main Street in Oneonta. They plan to convert former hotel rooms that have stood vacant for an extended period of time into market-rate apartments for recent college graduates and young professionals.

At a gathering on Saturday, July 25, City of Oneonta Mayor Mark Drnek said, “This afternoon, it is my distinct pleasure to introduce Cyril and Gail O’Reilly to the Oneonta community.

They are the new owners of our historic Oneonta Hotel, which, with its next-door building, they’ve christened, ‘The Oney on Main.’”

The O’Reillys live in Nassau County, Long Island and own an electrical contracting business there. They are no strangers to Oneonta. Cyril insisted that his wife is the best spokesperson for this joint project.

“My parents have a house on Goodyear Lake. I spent my summers here,” said Gail. “I did my back-to-school shopping at Bresee’s [Department Store]. My sister and our daughter went to SUNY Oneonta.”

Caroline O’Reilly, a graduate of SUNY Oneonta, attended the ribbon-cutting with her partner, Joshua Jackson. Caroline majored in criminal justice and will be joining the Oneonta Police Department.

“She completed the Police Academy [at SUNY Oneonta] and was already hired by Schoharie County before she graduated,” said Gail. “The college did a great job.”

Caroline lives in Oneonta and remembers frequenting the Red Jug Pub as a SUNY student.

“When my daughter was a student here, she and her roommates rented a house. I really appreciated the landlord for keeping an eye on the students,” Gail said.

“I wanted to do the same for future students,” she explained. “My original idea was to invest in real estate and rent to students.”

Soon after Gail had that idea, her husband, Cyril, saw the Oneonta Hotel property for sale. Caroline mentioned that the property was condemned.

“On some floors, you can see pigeons walking around,” Gail said.

As an electrical contractor, Cyril saw the potential to rehabilitate the property. Gail commented on the beauty she saw, with “sunlight coming through the windows overlooking Main Street.”

“We are empty nesters,” Gail said. “Our intention is to provide safe housing to others….getting things back up to snuff.”

The project is estimated to take one to two years to complete, depending on permit approvals.
“We are excited to have three long-term tenants nearby,” Gail said.

The tenants who occupy the property bought by the O’Reillys are Oculo Visitant Gallery, a tattoo parlor, Tiger Sushi and Red Jug Pub from 193 to 195 Main Street.

Gail called the project “the perfect marriage between the past and the present.”

Bobby Sharp, owner of a glassblowing business, will be the newest tenant at 205 Main Street, the site of a former computer store that vacated a few years ago.

Sharp plans to offer glassblowing workshops.

“I happen to be good at art and business,” he said. “I recently patented a baseball glass…and I provided Beekman 1802 with a product for facials.”

“Bobby and I have worked together for more than a year to find the perfect downtown location for his business, and with Cyril and Gail, he’s not just found the ideal location, but also that rarity of supportive and invested landlords whose commitment will ensure his success,” Mayor Drnek said.

Sharp expressed his goal for the space: “Get people to come in and teach them to create art and make money doing something they love doing.”

“Art that hangs on walls is a luxury,” Sharp said.

He intends to teach people about creating art that becomes a product with a wider audience than art collectors.

“This [store at 205 Main Street] used to be Woolworth’s,” said Liz Morley, who grew up on Dietz Street and knows the history of department stores like Bresee’s and F. W. Woolworth Company.

Morley also pointed out the place where the “The Oneonta Hotel” logo used to hang at 193 Main Street, pointing to the expanse of windows above the storefronts which will become apartments.
The reaction to the announcement was positive.

“I am thrilled. This is really good news. The apartments will help retain our students and recruit young professionals,” said Carolyn Marks, resident of the Seventh Ward and chair of the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission.