Kent Building, Stephens Square - Court Street Historic District - Binghamton, NY
Posted by: 
ripraff
N 42° 05.870 W 075° 54.757
18T E 424534 N 4661041
This historic brick building is in the Victorian period Romanesque Revival style. It had many occupants including a supplier of paper goods.
Waymark Code: WMZ7XW
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 09/25/2018
Views: 1
The earliest building on site was a tannery in 1821. There was a canal on State Street that was filled-in around 1873. Kent was a cigar manufacturer. This building was built in 1888-9. The building is named for F.H. Stephens who had a jobbing warehouse of paper and stationary. He provided office supplies, school books and supplies, wrapping papers, building and roofing papers, news and printing papers, twines and party papers and restaurant supplies. They also has wallpaper and window shades. Stephens was mayor from 1889-1890. At one time the building had a bowling alley, pool hall, Masonic Lodge (#83) and hotel.
(
visit link) "North of, and adjacent to this building is the massive, five-story Stephens Block, including the eighteen-bay Stephens Square portion at the center and south (81-87 State) and the independently owned northern three bays at 89 State. The building is an exceptional example of Victorian period Romanesque Revival style commercial architecture. Its design incorporates a rustic stone round-arched entrance, stone and iron storefront piers, various forms of arched window openings, boldly corbelled cornices, a unifying central tower, and terra cotta medallions."