Floral Hall

Gary Norman wrote in May, 2022:

FAREWELL FLORAL HALL
The Otsego County Fair Board has notified the Friends of the Fair that they have decided to take down Floral Hall rather than repair it. The building condition report from Bero Architects indicated that the building would need around $300,000 to bring it back to a safe status, which funds would be raised by the Friends of the Fair. The Fair Board prefers to undertake a faster solution by removing the building and replacing it with something less costly.

Gary Norman wrote in 2019:

Friends of the Morris Fair

The creation of the non-profit Friends of the Otsego County Fair was/is driven in large part by the need to repair Floral Hall.

Floral Hall - Brief Narrative:

Floral Hall sits at the figurative heart of the Otsego County Fairgrounds in Morris NY. Today it serves many of the same needs as it was constructed to serve in 1877, namely, as a place to exhibit agricultural products grown by the community, art gallery of art created in the county, floral arrangements, and domestic artisan products such as quilts, baked goods, and others. Similar to as envisioned in 1877, the hall is also the place where families meet to enjoy the fair, go when they have lost their groups, and kids are told to return to after being allowed to roam freely around the fairgrounds. Today demonstrations of traditional crafts, quilting, and history also take place in the hall during fair week. Generations of county residents, as well as more recent residents, are welcomed to show and to see items representing the skills and talents of Otsego County residents.

Built in 1878 as Exhibition Hall by the Butternut Valley Agricultural Society, a precursor to the current fair corporation, after their first fair in 1877 in time for the fair of 1878. When first opened, the building sported a 75’ flagpole from the roof’s apex, something that has been lost in the ensuing years. Floral hall originally was the name of one transept of Exhibition hall, with the others named Art Gallery Hall, Agricultural Hall, and Mechanical Hall. Somewhere over the years the building came to be called Floral Hall, and the other transept names along with the Exhibition hall moniker were dropped.
The original design was two ~90’ x ~30’ long halls that intersect in a cruciform configuration which allowed exhibitors to drive their horse carts through the hall for loading and unloading. In the 1950s (and possibly much earlier), four sheds were constructed to expand the building into a 90’ x 90’ square. Though this greatly expanded the space for the hall, the shallow slope of the shed roofs have contributed to the water damage of the roof and other structural members as wind driven rain and ice dams have plagued these parts of the building.

Floral Hall - Current Condition:
Currently Floral Hall’s roof is leaking in numerous locations. Parts of the shed roofs were replaced in the last 4 years, however, it hasn’t solved the problems where the main peaked roof meets the shed roofs and might have exacerbated issues where flashing was not installed. The leaks during fair week have caused some long time exhibitor groups, notably the quilters and other woven good exhibitors, to move to other buildings for recent fairs. Additionally, many of the posts, sidewalls, and beams of the structure show their age. Successive repairs have diminished and/or obscured the beauty of the original structure without always adequately repairing the issues.

In October of 2018, The Friends requested a local contractor quote replacement of the roof with a galvanized roof on the main peaked sections with an EDPM system on the shed roofs. This quote did not address most structural issues other than the roof itself. The Friends is reluctant to “throw good money after bad” by repairing the roof without evaluating the rest of the building, which includes obvious sags in structural members and damaged posts.
With the recognition that the Friends would need to raise funds regardless of the road taken, it was decided to focus on a full restoration approach rather than a piecemeal approach.

Floral Hall has pride of place at the fair, and though showing its age, it remains a beloved and cherished contributor of the educational, agricultural, and community mission of the fair. The needs it serves, though changing, continue to be a crucial part of connecting our county’s heritage with its future.

Photo taken 2018.
Click on links below to see images full size.

An aerial view of Floral Hall next to the grandstand at the Otsego County fairgrounds in Morris, NY.