East Utica Our Loving Memories
By W.G. Davis
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About this ebook
To some people, Utica New York is nothing more than a small upstate city that is mostly known for its abandoned storefronts and vacant buildings.
However, just beyond the vacant lots and potholes lies a magnificent city that was once a booming city full of family-owned businesses where people traveled from near and far to experience everything that East Utica had to offer.
In these pages, we will look back at some of the amazing businesses and people that made East Utica a great place to grow up in.
And we have even added the directions on how to make Utica Tomato Pie, Chicken Riggies, and Utica Greens.
So now you can sit back and eat some good old Utica food and reminisce on some good old Utica memories.
Enjoy the journey through East Utica the way we remember it from yesterday.
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Book preview
East Utica Our Loving Memories - W.G. Davis
I dedicate this book the people of Utica New York
The ones who made Utica the greatest city to grow up in and to those who share these memories of a Utica that doesn’t exists any longer
255936671_254712643379759_5262427972819942412_n.jpgA Message from the author
Throughout this book, you will find photos and old advertisements of some of the restaurants that we talk about.
Some of the ads are almost 100 years old and have been shared from numerous locations on the internet and they may not be as clear as we would like them to be.
We apologize for any ads that are hard to read.
And we also want to apologize for any information that may not be 100% accurate.
We gathered this information from people who relied on their memory to share the history as they lived it.
Some of the photos that we placed in this book are what the location looks like today. We have attempted to add photos from the past whenever we could find one.
I truly hope that you enjoy reading this book as much as I did writing it.
We have also added three Utica recipes at the end of this book, Utica Tomato Pie, Chicken Riggies, and Utica Greens so that you can enjoy them at home.
Prologue
If you ever lived in Utica or even stopped off for a meal on your journey just passing through, you know that Utica is known for some great food.
Utica is known for its Chicken Riggies, Utica Greens, Tomato Pie, Manny’s Cheese cake, and of course their Half Moon Cookies.
Over the years, Utica has become a melting pot of people from all over the world.
The majority of the population spans English, Italian, Spanish, German, and Polish.
And each culture brought with them their favorite foods to share with the world.
Besides the mixture of races throughout the city, Utica is known for some pretty amazing family-owned restaurants.
Some of them are still serving up some amazing dishes while others have closed down due to the economic downturn or family members who have moved away from the Utica area.
Some of these amazing Utica area restaurants are:
Grimaldi’s where you could get a delicious Italian meal like Lasagna. Or you may be more comfortable at Trinkaus Manor to enjoy a nice family dining atmosphere.
But who could forget those old neighborhood favorites like Joe’s Restaurant on Jay Street and Pellettieri Ave?
Some called it Spaghetti Joe’s or Pellettieri Joe's. But no matter what name you identified Joe’s Restaurant with, the food was delicious.
And you can’t reminisce about the Cornhill food without thinking about Tony’s Spaghetti House on James Street.
Sadly most of these restaurants have been closed for years.
However, over the past two years, we have connected with people from Utica and they have shared their fond memories and even their recipes of the fine dining that we all have come to know as, Utica Food.
So join us as we take a look at the People, Places, and Foods that made Utica, New York an amazing city.
From Fred & Rita Grimaldi who started Grimaldi’s Restaurant to Eugeno Burlino who put O’scugnizzo’s Pizzeria on the map.
From Chicken Riggies to Half-Moon cookies, we will take a tour of Utica history from the early 1900s until the turn of the century.
We will start our journey at McGill’s Whiskey Tavern and Grill located at 2284 NY-5, Utica.
For many, this is considered Schuyler but I wanted to add it to my east Utica book because when I lived in east Utica we would go to this location when it was the Schuyler tavern.
And besides, the food is delicious and the atmosphere is great.
Every time we make our family visits to the Utica Rome area we always make a pit stop off at McGill’s Whiskey Tavern and Grill at the intersection of Route 5 and Dyke Road.
Just head east on Bleecker Street past Masonic Home to Dyke Road and turn left. And once you pass over the barge canal and the thruway it will be on your left-hand side at the light.
And who knows, you just may spot their food truck nicknamed McGill’s Hell’s Kitchen on Wheels
during the summer months around the Utica area!
As we make our way westward down Bleecker Street we will come to The Charlestown U.S.A Outlet Mall.
The building located at 311 Turner Street was built in the 1920s.
old charl.jpgThe Charlestown U.S.A Outlet Mall seen from the East-West Arterial (5-S)
The building was originally occupied by the Savage Arms company.
G0919-SAVAGE-3-copy.jpgAfter World War 2, Savage Arms was one of the largest gun manufacturers in the world and the original building that housed Savage Arms grew to multiple buildings connected by bridges and small buildings.
205438363_10222842188676634_6705514137741440182_n.jpgSavage Arms operated in the Utica location for over twenty years before moving its entire operations to Massachusetts in 1947.
The complex remained vacant for three years until 1950 when the Remington Rand Company announced that they would begin building their new UNIVAC computers at the Utica location.
The Remington Rand Company stayed at the Utica location until a fire in the mid-1960s forced them to close their Utica operations.
The third owner of the property was local developer Charles Gaetano.
Gaetano planned to turn the complex into factory outlet stores.
And the outlet store was named The Charlestown U.S.A Outlet Mall.
It soon became home to many name-brand outlet stores, along with several restaurants and even an OTB (Off Track Betting) parlor.
One of the restaurants at Charlestown was called Charlie G's.
It had a big deck in the back, with a coy pond and it was thriving in its days.
CharlieG85.jpgThe Charlestown U.S.A Outlet Mall closed in 1991 and on Aug. 27, 2020, the entire complex was destroyed by fire.
The Charlestown U.S.A Outlet Mall and Charlie G’s may not be there any longer but you can still get a delicious meal at Sheri’s Eastside Diner at 2199 Bleecker Street right next to the property where The Charlestown U.S.A Outlet Mall once stood.
sheris.jpgSheri’s Eastside Diner is known for its delicious breakfast foods and my personal favorite is its tasty burgers.
Across the street from Sheri’s Eastside Diner is the Masonic Home.
masonic home.jpgThis is an undated postcard of Masonic Home and School on Bleecker Street.
The cornerstone of the main building (left) was laid in 1891 and it opened for use two years later in 1893.
masonic.jpgLocated at 2150 Bleecker Street, The Masonic Home has a total of eleven buildings.
The Masonic Home was built on the east side of Utica because of its central location in the state.
The Masonic Home’s first residents moved in on May 1, 1893.
The Masonic Home expanded in its first thirty years to include a building for 360 adults.
There was also a hospital built, along with several dormitories for the children.
The Masonic Home was self-sufficient with a 200-acre farm that supplied all food.
The farm also provided products that could be sold to generate additional revenue.
In the mid-1920s, The Masonic Home purchased property at Round Lake so that children and residents of the home had the opportunity to get out of the city in the summer and enjoy the Adirondacks.
The Masonic Home opened the Camp Turk Summer program for children ages 8 to 16.
Camp Turk has also grown over the years to include not only a get-away from the city but a baseball field, and basketball and tennis courts.
Round Lake is located about 10 minutes east of Booneville.
Today, The Masonic Care Community offers not only on sight care but also home care.
Some of the facilities at their Bleecker Street location include:
The Wiley Hall/Adult Care
The Masonic Medical Research Laboratory
The Health Pavilion/Long Term Care
The Knights Templar Building
A Memorial Building
The Administration Building
The Robert R. Livingston Library & Museum
The Tompkins Memorial Chapel
A Child Care Center
Acacia Home Care/Home Care Services
Another facility located right behind the main campus is the Acacia Village / Independent Retirement Living, Also known as the Neighborhoods at Acacia Village.
As we travel west from the Masonic Home campus we soon come to the intersection of Culver Ave and Bleecker Street.
At the Southeast corner, you will see a small store named Dari Del.
Dari del has been at the 2000 Bleecker Street location as far back as I can remember. That would be the early 80s.
dari del.jpgThey are well known for their friendly staff, and their awesome pizza and sandwiches.
Their milk was known to be the freshest in the area back in the 1980s as it came directly from the dairy.
Dari Del was a stopping point for many people making their way to proctor Park just a few blocks to the south.
I have made my share of stops here to grab some cold beer before heading to the park myself to play a game of baseball with my high school friends.
Also at that intersection is a very well-known Utica bakery named Napoli’s Italian Bakery and Deli.
napolis.jpgThere is a rival within the city of Utica on who makes the best Utica Tomato Pie. My personal favorite is Napoli’s Italian Bakery and Deli.
239473814_10160556188990695_5857026194163652461_n.jpgMaybe growing up on Bleecker Street in East Utica gives me a little bit of a bias opinion but to be honest I know many people from all over central New York who have made the drive to Napoli’s Italian Bakery and Deli at 412 Culver Ave in Utica to get their famous Tomato Pie.
So if you are ever in Utica stop into Napoli’s Italian Bakery and Deli in east Utica, and grab a delicious