When the St. Nicholas Hotel opened in Nyack in December 1866, it ushered in a new era for the village. Located at 87–91 Main Street, the three-story structure symbolized progress, refinement, and ambition—qualities the growing riverside town sought to embody in the post–Civil War years. Modeled in name and spirit after Manhattan’s grand St. Nicholas Hotel, Nyack’s version quickly became the village’s classiest establishment. The building’s front entrance faced the manicured lawn and impressive Greek Revival mansion of steamboat captain and entrepreneur Isaac Smith, a placement that reflected its status at the heart of Nyack society.
The St. Nicholas Hotel in New York City was an iconic building during the post-Civil War era.
But no event better showcased the hotel’s central role in village life than the celebration of the arrival of Nyack’s first train.
In constructing the St. Nicholas Hotel, Nyack residents experienced what the local press called the last community house-raising in the village—a symbol of collective pride and civic ambition. Townspeople came together not only to build their grandest hotel yet, but to affirm that Nyack had grown beyond its rural roots into a community capable of orchestrating major public works.
Despite its grand ambitions, however, the St. Nicholas would eventually fade into obscurity, overtaken by larger resort hotels and more modern venues. Yet for a brief and vibrant moment, it stood as the epicenter of Nyack’s social and civic life—a place where parades began, dances lingered until dawn, and the community gathered to chart its future.
A Symbol of Refinement
The hotel’s opening was celebrated in the Rockland County Journal, which proclaimed that “the village had long suffered for such a hotel where order, taste, and dignity prevail and where the best society can call without being offended by unseemly sights and customs.” The paper applauded the arrival of a refined public space in the heart of town.
“Where the best society could call without being offended by unseemly sights and customs.”
Rockland County Journal, December 13, 1866
Jacob A. Demarest, who built and initially ran the hotel, designed it with luxury in mind. Before coming to Main Street, he gained a reputation for refined hospitality as the proprietor of the Clarksville Hotel at Four Corners in West Nyack. The 85-foot-long structure contained six rooms on the first floor, including a spacious dining room, ladies’ parlor, billiard room, reading room, and bar. Sliding doors opened the ballroom to span the full eastern length of the building, allowing space for large public gatherings and dances.
Two separate entrances welcomed guests from Main Street—one exclusively for women. The second and third floors each held 16 guest rooms, with a women’s dressing room and private parlor on the second floor. A kitchen, laundry, heating system, and barber shop filled the basement. Guests could glimpse the Hudson River from their rooms.
In its early days, the hotel truly elevated Main Street, helping shift the village from its rural roots toward a more urbane identity.
Isaac Smith: Captain, Builder, and Neighbor
Across the street from the hotel stood the home of Isaac Peter Smith (1802–1869), one of Nyack’s most influential early residents. Born in Blauvelt, Isaac moved to Nyack with his family in the early 19th century. Alongside his brothers and business partner John Green, he co-founded the Nyack Steamboat Company, which launched the Orange—the first Nyack-built steamboat—in 1828. He captained multiple vessels, including the Armenia and the Civil War–era Isaac Smith, which bore his name.
Captain Isaac Smith built and captained ships, co-founded Nyack’s steamboat company, ran a bank, and lived in a grand mansion across from the hotel that bore witness to it all.
Smith’s ventures didn’t stop at the waterfront. He co-owned the Nyack Foundry, helped organize the National Bank (serving as its first president), and invested in real estate. In the early 1850s, he built a commanding Greek Revival home on Main Street, fronted by a formal white fence and Ionic-columned veranda. The mansion symbolized the wealth and sophistication that Nyack’s river economy could produce. His brother Tunis built an estate just west of Isaac’s, later known as the Mansion House. Directly across from Isaac’s front lawn, Jacob Demarest constructed the St. Nicholas Hotel, forming one of Nyack’s most distinguished intersections.
Following Isaac’s death, his brother David Smith took over the family bank but eventually drove it—and himself—into ruin. In 1890, the Harrison & Dalley department store replaced Isaac’s house, closing a chapter in the village’s early elite history.
The Hotel’s First Flourish
The St. Nicholas quickly became a civic hub. In its first year, it hosted shareholder meetings for the West Shore Railroad and balls for the local fire company. Fire Engine Company No. 2 once led a celebratory parade from the hotel to Nyack’s docks. Unfortunately, a visiting fireman, Tom Ward, tragically slipped while helping pull the engine and was crushed beneath the wheels. An inquest was held at the hotel.
Women’s groups like the Wayside Chapel and Episcopal Church held fairs and Christmas festivals in its grand ballroom. On the Fourth of July, the 57th National Guard Regiment and local fire companies began their village parade in front of the hotel before ending at Tunis Depew’s Grove on Franklin Street. Professor Brown hosted a grand soiree for $1.50 a ticket, followed days later by a birthday ball for Demarest’s daughter Emma. A week later, Brown ran a “dancing symposium” where children learned steps in the afternoon, women in the early evening, and men from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.
Dancing Until Dawn:
At the height of its social life, the St. Nicholas hosted elegant balls where dancing lasted until 6 a.m. and supper was “a recherché affair that only Demarest could provide.”
The hotel welcomed political clubs, veterans’ associations, labor organizations, and fraternal groups such as the Odd Fellows. In 1868, veterans assembled in front of the St. Nicholas to commemorate Colonel Edward Pye with a march to Oak Hill Cemetery. Photographer William Veeder captured one carriage passing the hotel as residents watched from the porch and upper windows. Notably, Mrs. Dr. E. Monroe held electrical and phrenological examinations for women in private rooms at the hotel—an unusual offering that speaks to the diversity of events the space supported.
St. Nicholas Hotel’s Finest Moment
The St. Nicholas Hotel’s finest hour came on May 21, 1870, during Nyack’s jubilant celebration of the first train’s arrival. Villagers packed the streets, waving flags and cheering as cannons thundered in salute. On the grounds of his mansion on Franklin Street across from the train station, Azariah Ross delivered a rousing speech that set the tone for the day. Afterward, the crowd dispersed across the village—some to the Rockland Female Institute, others to the Smithsonian Hotel—but the majority made their way to the St. Nicholas.
There, J. A. Demarest, ever the gracious host, opened every interior door to accommodate the swelling crowd. By 2 p.m., more than 600 guests had gathered in the ballroom for a grand luncheon. According to the Rockland County Journal, the meal rivaled those served at Delmonico’s in New York City—an extraordinary compliment and a testament to the hotel’s crowning moment. Wine flowed freely, capping a day that symbolized both civic pride and the arrival of modern progress in Nyack.
“Wine flowed in abundance, without, however, making its effects on any one.”
Rockland County Journal May 28, 1870
From Lodging to Retail: Decline Begins
Despite its early prominence, the St. Nicholas struggled to compete with newer, larger hotels like the Tappan Zee House and Prospect House. The construction of Nyack’s Opera House and Voorhis Hall diverted major events and performances elsewhere. By the early 1870s, guest bookings had dwindled. One report noted that only 12 guests signed in over a 60-day period. Meanwhile, the bar remained profitable.
In 1871, Demarest sold the hotel. New management adapted by leasing space to merchants. In 1872, Louis Schwartz opened a men’s clothing store, and Mrs. McNamara moved her millinery shop into an adjacent storefront. Doctors, dentists, and homeopaths leased rooms upstairs. By 1874, the Rockland County Journal was referring to the “old St. Nicholas.”
Ads for businesses located at the St. Nicholas Hotel. Notice that the ad for Charters & Wyman mentions the “old” St. Nicholas Hotel.
The hotel’s ballroom, however, continued to host dances and gatherings, and its bar and bakery remained popular. Louis Hoffer, who later built the Franklin Hotel and the Opera House, took over hotel operations in 1874. In the 1880s, businesses like Charters & Wyman’s tin and sheet iron shop moved in. Meanwhile, the St. Nicholas Bakery, founded in 1873, became a village favorite. Oscar Luleich purchased the bakery and later opened a new shop in his building at 86 Main Street. His family ran the bakery there until 1972.
YMCA: A New Era of Community Service
In 1895, the Nyack YMCA purchased the former hotel and revitalized it as a hub for youth and community activity. The Association maintained the large ballroom and dining area and added programming for boys and young men. Retail storefronts on Main Street provided additional income.
In 1895, the YMCA took over the St. Nicholas Hotel—adding a gym, bowling alley, and showers in the basement, giving many boys their first experience of indoor plumbing.
Behind the hotel, the YMCA expanded into the old armory facing Burd Street. Originally used to train Civil War volunteers, the armory became the site of a new gymnasium designed by local architects, the Emery Brothers. In 1898, the YMCA opened the updated gym and renovated the bowling alley, one of the village’s few indoor recreational facilities. Lockers and showers were installed in the hotel’s basement. Many local boys took their first showers here—an experience uncommon in private homes at the time.
The YMCA remained at this location until 1920, when it moved to South Broadway. The original hotel and gym buildings passed into private ownership. Ellish Furriers occupied the space for a time, but the gymnasium eventually collapsed under a heavy snowstorm.
A Changing Streetscape
It’s hard to imagine today, but Nyack’s central shopping district once featured a grand hotel across from a sprawling estate lawn. The transformation of the St. Nicholas Hotel—from symbol of refinement to second-tier lodging, retail storefront, and finally YMCA headquarters—mirrored the broader shifts taking place in Nyack during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Its opening marked a new level of ambition for the village, a place where the best society could gather with dignity and purpose. Its decline reflected changing tastes, new architectural developments, and the migration of social life to more modern venues.
Though the building no longer stands, the legacy of the forgotten St. Nicholas Hotel remains deeply etched into the story of Nyack’s transformation from riverside hamlet to bustling community.
Mike Hays lived in the Nyacks for 38-years. He worked for McGraw-Hill Education in New York City for many years. Hays serves as President of the Historical Society of the Nyacks, Vice-President of the Edward Hopper House Museum & Study Center, and Upper Nyack Historian. Married to Bernie Richey, he enjoys cycling and winters in Florida. He has written the Nyack People & Places column since 2017. You can follow him on Instagram as UpperNyackMike.
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