Martin's Hotel, circa 1966
(formerly the Wheeler House)

(Photograph courtesy of Q. David Bowers)

This is the building where Larry Givens found the Wurlitzer style 30-A PianOrchestra, circa 1957. It was standing amidst rubble and just inside the grand entry doors to the large and once elegant upstairs ballroom, occupying the upper front right side of the building (the area with the two visible front and three side windows).

(Photograph courtesy of Q. David Bowers)

Upstairs and dilapidated ballroom of Martin's Hotel, circa 1963-1965. The double doors at the center of the picture open into a hallway at the 2nd floor landing area for the main stairway. The exposed electrical wiring on the ceiling and wall is knob and tube, and the pair of wires coming down from the ceiling to the right of the center doorway were probably used to supply electrical power to the Wurlitzer 30-A PianOrchestra. If you look carefully you can see the faint outline or "shadow" of the PianOrchestra on the wall next to the doorway. Notice the elaborately painted ceiling, which even in such a neglected state was still brightly colorful and magnificent to behold. The room was strewn with old chairs and odd items, suggesting that the ballroom had become nothing more than a catchall storeroom for the rambling old hotel.

(Photograph courtesy of John Stewart - Western New York Railroad Archive)

The Skaneateles Junction Train Station, estimated circa 1910. In the background, situated between the locomotive and box cars is the Central Hotel (a.k.a., Slater Hotel), later the Holihan House, the Wheeler House, then circa 1940 Martin's Hotel. Although this picture was probably taken long before the Wurlitzer 30-A PianOrchestra was moved into the hotel ballroom, the ballroom windows (at the front corner, overlooked the New York Central's Skaneateles Junction train station, a simple wood frame structure at picture left. In the foreground is a water crane, for filling the locomotive's tender with water.