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Christman's Windham House destroyed by fire

Jul 13, 2021 6:00 am

Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the 216-year-old Christman's Windham House was destroyed by fire overnight, July 12. The historic tavern building was located at the golf resort of the same name, on Route 23 in Windham. “The call went out at 2:51 this morning for a structure fire at 1805 Tavern,” Windham Town Supervisor and volunteer firefighter Thomas Hoyt said. “It was fully involved and just a sad day for the town of Windham.” No injuries were reported. However, the building was a total loss, Hoyt said. “The first floor is the pro shop and the second floor is a restaurant and small performance center and outside patio,” Hoyt said. “The building is made of old hand-hewn logs — from the inside. It was very nice. It was 216 years old. It is completely destroyed.” The rest of the resort property was undamaged, Hoyt said. Windham Fire Chief Gary Cook said the fire did not spread to surrounding structures. “...Other buildings were a good safe distance away,” he said. Cook said the heat was so intense that cables leading from the building to Route 23 melted. Cook said the cause of the fire is unknown and may never be determined, but noted it was not deemed suspicious. The building dates to 1805 and is a prized piece of Windham history, Hoyt said. “It was horrible — just a gut-wrenching feeling because of the history and the hard work that went into it. Ruth and Brian Christman pour their heart and soul into the resort,” Hoyt said. Seven fire companies responded to the scene including Windham, Hensonville, East Durham, Prattsville, Ashland, Jewett and Hunter. The Catskill Fire Department was placed on standby in case its tower truck was needed. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.