DRYDEN – Even though only one building in the village of Dryden is being restored, Mayor Michael Murphy hopes it will start a pattern of revitalization.
The Corner Brew, 1 W. Main St. in Dryden, has won a $500,000 New York Main Street grant to re-do the cafe’s exterior. The Bohemian-style cafe opened two years ago, filling the space once filled by the Dryden Community Center Café.
Owner Kayla Lane, who also owns Dryden Realty and Apartment Co. with her father James Lane, sees it as a community gathering place, she said. The building also contains an events room for markets, plant swaps, ladies’ nights, book clubs and psychic readings.
“The outside will match the inside, which is what I’m looking forward to,” Lane said.
She stumbled upon the grant after her third year of helping the village apply for the New York Forward grant, she said.
NY Forward is a $4.5 million companion to New York’s Downtown Revitalization Initiatives -- which have provided $10 million awards to Cortland and, more recently, Homer, to upgrade elements of their center cities.
“I just felt a little defeated,” Lane said. “I was like, ‘What can I do for myself?’ Let’s change course here.”
Her grant consultant suggested applying for the New York Main Street grant, which provides funding to communities to strengthen the economic vitality of New York’s traditional main streets and neighborhoods, the New York State website says.
The village of Dryden was pleased to sponsor the application, its Facebook page says.
“I think the reason we were awarded the grant is we pledged ourselves as the anchor to Main Street,” Lane said. “If you think about all of the routes you can take into Dryden, you see this building, north, south, east or west.”
“It’ll be phenomenal,” Murphy said. “It’s a corner right in the center of the village. The Corner Brew and the park and that church are just the focus of your eyes when you come to the village. It’ll change the perception of us.”
Lane said she hopes the facade improvement is the start of some of the revitalization she hopes to see in the village.
“It’ll really set a new standard,” Murphy said. “Hopefully, if we ever win the New York Forward grant, we’ll be able to uplift some of the other facades.”
The work will be completed by November 2026. Six existing upper floor apartments will be renovated, and one additional apartment will be created, in addition to updating the exterior, the Regional Economic Development Council award packet says.
“The poorly altered historic facades will be restored and the badly designed front addition will be redesigned to integrate it with the historic character of the downtown,” it reads.
