Patrick Tavern Restoration Process

Aurora Village Historian Linda Schwab Ph.D. provided the information for this page.

Restoration of the Patrick Tavern is a compelling effort that continues now with restoration of the porch and planned improvements to the east side, funded though the generosity of the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation and a New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) grant. Since 2016, the Village of Aurora Historical Society has managed the building for the Village of Aurora.

The Tavern has public uses for the Aurora Market and other events and for historical displays. These uses and the characteristics of the building have attracted generous support from donors for extensive restoration work. The Patrick Tavern attracts interest because it was erected in 1793, with rare post and beam construction. The Tavern also looks inside and out much like it did in 1793, with restoration to its 1870-1880 appearance with a porch now in progress. The building itself is an historical exhibit.

Furter, the building provided shelter and hospitality in the era when Aurora was settled and commercial traffic intensified, up to the building of the Erie Canal. Afterward, its presence in a residential neighborhood made it part of the social history of Aurora in the era of immigration.

Restoration efforts commenced around 1992 with a review by preservation architects Crawford and Stearns. This review highlighted the presence of original material in the east part of the building, and advised against removal. Considerations favoring removal prevailed, but the foundation area remains, much of it reinforced with concrete blocks. This would have been a crawl space under the addition.

Restoration work always considers the question of what eras should be represented, guided by the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. There is typically more than one answer. The plain west front of the early settlement era does not make sense with a raised foundation. The porch of the second era of significance, a workers’ neighborhood, allows visible access, is, in the words of the Standards, a “familiar and established feature of the village” in the words of the Standards, at least to long-time residents, and will serve the same function as its predecessor of protecting the west façade against prevailing winds. The porch fits with neighboring houses, and offers some additional space for community use. It will be made a close replica of the 19th century design, but with a higher railing or balustrade to conform to modern building code requirements.

For the east side, the possibilities of appropriate treatment span the building’s eras. However, the design must avoid false historicity, that is, creating the impression of something historic that never was. Simplicity and flexibility are both historically accurate and support varied community uses. For example, rebuilding the one-story extension for authenticity has no advantages over an open-sided but roofed structure that draws attention to the original building footprint, as outlined by the remaining foundation. Modern requirements for a fire escape, easy and direct handicapped access, and railings around the foundation will be met but not be obtrusive.

Flexibility for the open space—for use with tents, for tailgate and other outdoor events, parking, and more—means keeping the open east area as large as possible. All these considerations are incorporated into the design for the east side that the Society is about to build with DRI grant and other support. The plans fulfill today’s ideas of sustainability, support ease of maintenance, and promise an attractive, accessible, and flexible outdoor space to enhance the beauty and use of the historic Patrick Tavern.