Written by Carol Godette | Photos provided (Unless Noted)
[From the 2025 Summer Magazine]
Beginning in 1893 Mary Brockway’s salon and lending library operated at 417 Broadway.
At the intersection of Broadway and Division Street, to me the epicenter of Broadway, an unassuming three-story brick building at 417 Broadway has witnessed two centuries of change and outlived nearly everything around it.
As its closest neighbors evolved and disappeared, the core structure of 417 Broadway has remained remarkably unchanged. It has stood as a silent witness to a downtown in flux. It survived as the United States Hotel at the intersection of Broadway and Division Street was demolished and replaced with an ever-changing stream of neighbors: the Red Barn restaurant, Pope’s Pizza, Borders Bookstore, and the Fingerpaint offices. This stately building experienced the shift to a 1960s "automobile architecture,*” with the construction of the low-rise Downtowner Motel with a drive-up parking lot as its adjacent neighbor.
Portrait of Gideon Davison, the original owner of 417 Broadway, at the Saratoga History Museum.
One of the earliest maps of Saratoga Springs is a memory map from the Skidmore Mapping Collection. This 1820 map done from memory shows Gideon Davison‘s house as being one of the few structures on Broadway at that time.
The Other Gideon: A Building, A Printer, A Legacy
Much has been written about Gideon Putnam, Saratoga Springs's first entrepreneur. However, this building was the brainchild of a lesser-known Gideon who also impacted Saratoga Springs: Gideon Davison. Constructed in 1825, Davison's residence was one of the few brick buildings in Saratoga. It reflected his foresight and permanence and offered fire protection in the wooden structures of Broadway in the 1830s.
A native of Vermont, Davison apprenticed in the art of printing before refining his skills in New York City. When he arrived in Saratoga, the village had no newspaper. After consulting with local leaders, he set out to fill that void. In 1818, he launched The Saratoga Sentinel, the city's first newspaper. The weekly Sentinel was an immediate success, and today, its early editions offer a vivid window into the 19th-century life of a growing resort town.
For nearly 25 years—until 1842—he published the Sentinel from a small press in the rear of his sturdy three-story brick home.
In the great fire of 1865, flames swept through the wooden Marvin House next door and the original United States Hotel across the street. But 417's sturdy brick and stone construction effectively acted as a firewall, halting the fire's advance and sparing the rest of the block.
According to the 1899 Saratogian special issue Our County and Its People, "Mr. Davison was a man of great public spirit, being especially interested in the establishment and extension of railroads, to which several of the most active years of his life were devoted. He died October 1, 1869, aged seventy-eight. During the funeral, business on Broadway was suspended, and the bells of all the churches were rung."
Bible published in 1826 by Gideon Davison at his shop in the back of 417 Broadway. Davison published several types of books including tour guide books, a book analyzing the content of mineral waters, and a spelling book.
Two Centuries at the Heart of Saratoga
At the end of the 19th century, 417 Broadway continued to adapt to the changing rhythm of downtown Saratoga. Although the printing press no longer operated, the building remained in service to the public, adapting to the needs of the Gilded Age.
In the 1890s, the building housed a basement millinery shop and a second-story salon run by Mary L. Brockway, a resident chiropodist and beauty specialist. Her business reflected the growing popularity of wellness and grooming in Saratoga's resort era. Brockway offered services catering to locals and visitors, including hairdressing, manicures, facial massage, and scalp treatments. A 1906 ad boasts she was a "Marcel Waving specialist." Another ad invited readers to "meet their favorite author” by borrowing one of her 12,000 books for a 5-cent per week rental fee. I have to think some of these books were once part of the same library that Gideon had operated from his home.
As Saratoga Springs moved through the mid-20th century, 417 Broadway again adapted to meet the community's needs through medicine. The building became home to the office of Dr. Jacob Feynman, a World War II veteran who established a medical practice in his postwar years.
During Feynman's ownership in January 1957, the building again witnessed destruction—this time from across the street. A fierce blaze consumed most of the neighboring buildings on the Eastside of Broadway, but the flames did not leap across the road. Once more, 417 survived unscathed, a quiet constant amid chaos and loss.
At first, Dr. Feynman rented offices to other healthcare professionals, such as optometrist Dr. Lewis Taub, meeting healthcare needs in the heart of downtown. Like Gideon Davison before him, Dr. Feynman was deeply invested in the well-being of Saratoga Springs. He was a founding member of Temple Sinai, helping shape the city's growing Jewish community.
Local funeral director Mark Phillips recalls Dr. Feynman as a "coroner's physician." Funeral homes called upon him to certify and sign death certificates, particularly in cases where the deceased was not under active medical care—a quiet but essential role in the community's life (and death).
After Dr. Feynman's retirement in 1982, Broadway was in transition. The brick building became home to a rotating cast of small businesses. Over the next two decades, 417 Broadway housed a travel agency, a sewing center, and a hair and nail salon, all catering to the daily needs and rhythms of the downtown community.
In an ironic full-circle moment, the building that once housed Saratoga's first newspaper press under Gideon Davison became home to the Schenectady Gazette's Saratoga office.
An 1800s photo of the building. Photo courtesy of the Saratoga History Museum’s George S. Bolster Collection.
The building served as the office of Dr. Jacob Feynman and the Schenectady Gazette. Photo courtesy of the George S Bolster Collection.
A New Vintage for an Old Address
In 1998, Melissa Evans was inspired by the wine bars she had discovered in New York City. She sensed a similar concept would fill a niche in Saratoga Springs—a sophisticated, relaxed setting for adults in the heart of downtown. While walking with her mother along Broadway that fall, she noticed a "For Sale" sign in the window of 417 Broadway. Gene and Lois Collins, longtime owners of the building and the adjacent Downtowner Motel, were ready to retire and move on.
The Evans family purchased the building and immediately began a million-dollar restoration and updating, after which Evans’ dream became a reality with the opening of The Wine Bar. Owning the building, she has said, protected the business from the escalating rents that have challenged many downtown restaurants. Her father handled much of the maintenance, and it remains a true hands-on family operation.
From the beginning, Melissa set a tone of intention and quality. "Nothing good happens after midnight," she often says—so the bar closes just after midnight each evening, a philosophy that has helped maintain its atmosphere and longevity. Over the past 25 years, adaptability has been key to The Wine Bar's success. The business has reinvented itself time and again, offering everything from a ventilated cigar lounge and live jazz downstairs (complete with baby grand piano) to date nights and even karaoke, always keeping pace with the evolving tastes of its loyal patrons.
And now, another transformation may be on the horizon. In May 2025, after 25 years of stewardship, the Evans family listed the building for sale, opening the door for a new chapter in the life of 417 Broadway. Whatever its future holds, one thing is sure: this unassuming brick building will continue to echo the spirit of Saratoga—resilient, evolving, and deeply rooted in history.
Author's note: Information courtesy of Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation files; Broadway buildings file at the Saratoga Room, Saratoga Springs Public Library; The Saratoga Springs History Museum; research from Mitch Cohen; and interviews with Melissa Evans
Today this building is home to the successful business, The Wine Bar.
Saratoga Springs Preservation plaque verifying the 1825 date of the building.