Program

NYS Historic

Subject

House, People

Location

11 Ford Ave, Oneonta, NY 13820, USA

Lat/Long

42.455622, -75.061697

Grant Recipient

Greater Oneonta Historical Society

In 1875, prominent local banker George I. Wilber (1845-1922) built his mansion at 11 Ford Avenue in the city of Oneonta in Otsego County, New York. Wilber was the son of David Wilber (1820-1890), founder of Oneonta’s Wilber National Bank, where he worked as cashier. After his father’s death, he became president of Wilber National Bank in 1890, serving in the role until his own passing in 1922.

In 1890, Wilber extensively remodeled his Ford Avenue mansion in Oneonta, enlarging the building with the addition of a tower along with a new roof and porch. In 1998, the Wilber Mansion became home to a nonprofit community arts center, the Upper Catskill Community Council of the Arts, which in 2012 was renamed the Community Arts Network of Oneonta (CANO). The Wilber Mansion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000, and as of 2024, it remains the home of CANO.