This old building and the future of the South side.
The building that now houses Coffee depot has a rich history that honestly, we know very little about. We have been able to shake out a few choice tidbits, however, like: Prior to our building being built, the entire lot it sits on was a large train repair yard for the Lehigh Valley railroad.
We know that our building was built in 1911 to be the railroad freight terminal for Cortland. Simultaneously, a new passenger station was being built a couple hundred feet East. Both buildings still stand today on South Ave.
Sometime in the early 1970s, the railroad sold the freight depot to private owners. Since then, our building has been a machine shop, a furniture store, and a bottle and can return center, among other things. Craig and Michelle bought the building in 2006 and are in the process of restoring it.
We have great expectations for the future of the South end of Cortland. We support and encourage the continued re-development and restoration of this area with the hope that this can become an area where all people can feel welcome and at home. We are excited about the effort that the city of Cortland continues to put in to this end of town.
If you have any historical pictures of or stories about the Coffee Depot building, or Cortland’s south side in general, please don’t hesitate to share!!