Woodruff Block

Standing at the northwest corner of West First and West Cayuga streets in Oswego, this four-story commercial building dates to about 1840. It has load-bearing masonry walls, an eight-bay brick facade on West First Street, a seven-bay facade on West Cayuga Street, and a rounded corner joining them. The ground floor has cut stone columns and lintels, with some slender cast iron columns added in the late nineteenth century. Greek Revival details include Doric capitals, rusticated stone panels and corbelled brick parapets shaped like classical entablatures. The building reflects Oswego's growth as a port after the 1828 canal opened, when this area filled with warehouses, chandleries and shops. Early occupants included the attorney Leander Babcock, and later uses ranged from fruit wholesaling and knitting to footwear, car sales and retail. Steel columns and beams were added to the floors between 1900 and 1930. Fires and demolition have removed most of the surrounding district, leaving this one of the few reminders of the city's port-era commerce.