The Stagecoach Inn, located on the northeast corner of Rt. 259 and Rt. 33, is scheduled to be torn down. In its infancy, the building, known then as the Stagecoach Inn, was a popular stop for weary travelers on their way to and from Rochester and Buffalo. Then in 1867, Benjamin Roberts, the founder of the present Roberts Welseyan College, purchased the building to house his fledgling academic institution. The ballroom was transformed to classrooms, the basement to a kitchen-laundry, and the upstairs to housing. Eventually, the Chili Seminary, as it was known then, outgrew the space and relocated to the present campus. After that, a grocery store, post office and other businesses occupied the place. It was a lively spot to gather and chat for the locals. In the 1900s it became a private residence until it was again sold to a businessman in 1980. It was his choice to decline placing the building in the historic district and his decision to keep it commercial. Contemplating a sale, he then gave Roberts Wesleyan first choice but because of the prohibitive cost of removing it from the site and renovating, the college declined the offer. The building, and three other structures adjacent to it are expected to be demolished to make room for a chain pharmacy store. Photograph by Walter Horylev. Information from a letter to the editor from the Chili Historical Preservation Board first printed in Suburban News February 19, 2006. March 5, 2006 |
