GREEK REVIVAL ARCIIITECTURE IN THE ROCHESTER AREA

By the Same Author "COBBLESTONE ARCHITECTURE" Published 1944

The Hervey Ely House, Rochester, N. Y.

GREEK REVIVAL ARCHITECTURE IN THE ROCHESTER AREA

CARL F. SCHMIDT

Published April 1946 Copyright 1946 by CARL F. SCHMIDT

Published By CARL F. SCHMIDT Scottsville, N. Y. This Book Is Dedicated to My Mother and Father INTRODUCTION

JT IS regrettable that while much has been recorded and published regarding the earlier Colonial and Georgian work of western New York State, there is no record of those later structures designed in the Greek Revival style which developed to such a high degree in the Genesee Valley, except as a very few exan1plcs appear in works which attempt to cover that period throughout the coun­ try. While most of the buildings followed variations of much the same pattern in that style, it did off er an infinite variety in detail, some quite heavy, made of simple lun1bcr forms, and others using cornices, trim and mouldings of great refinement and beauty. These arc days of argument and disagreement between those who advocate discarding all old and known forms and going con1plctely overboard on an uncharted sea in the design of buildings, and those who still feel that tra­ ditional forms must and should be studied, at least to a limited degree. The latter group insist, and logically, that one cannot. write good English prose without first learn­ ing the alphabet and acquiring a vocabulary and, by virtue of the same reasoning, arc of the opinion that a study of the good architecture of the past will furnish the best foundation and background for good architecture in the future. The writer feels that the men who today are doing the best modern work arc those who have been educated and trained in schools which still taught along traditional lines, and wonders, hopefully it is true, what will result when the students of schools which no longer have any contact with tradition arc turned loose to do our archi-

6 tectural work. Being a great admirer of good modern work, and re­ alizing what a great contribution the modern school has made, particularly in the elimination of the senseless archi­ tectural rubbish with which many buildings were em­ bellished, and tending more and more toward designing in that manner myself, I still feel that this recording of a delightful style is worthwhile and noteworthy. In those days, when this style- was prevalent, and living was leisurely and dignified, the style of houses and other buildings of the period became, naturally, unconsciously and without force, dignified and fine. I am glad that my colleague and friend has taken the time to compile this book and .know that it will prove of lasting interest to many who, like myself, feel that the past had n1uch to . off er that is good, even though our present day speeded up, automobile, airplane and machine age requires a different approach and· solution in archi­ tectural design. w ILLIAM G. KAELBER

7 FOREWORD

JT IS impossible to tell in one volume the complete story of an architectural style that covered such a vast ex­ panse of territory as did the Greek Revival in America. The di.ff erences in the social life, the climatic conditions, the difficulties of travel, the intermingling of ideas, caused distinct variations in the plans, elevations, and details of this style. Therefore, it is the purpose of this book to describe the Greek Revival style in Rochester and the nearby vil­ lages. This book is also an attempt to make the American people realize that the architecture of the Greek Revival is one of America's contributions to the history of archi­ tecture and should be recognized as a distinct architectural style. If some people call the Greek Revival an imitation of the stone architecture of Greece and condemn it for that reason, they forget that the original Greek architecture was but a development of a previous wood architecture. If we take this stand we must condemn also the late Colo­ nial and Post-Colonial architecture· because it also was a development in wood of the stone architecture of Rome. We know that at the beginning of the Greek Revival, the architects, both in Europe and· America, copied the Classic Greek farms and details. The style rapidly pro­ gressed, once it achieved popularity, into new designs and details which have a classic spirit, but are entirely different from the Classic Greek. The plans of the houses and build­ ings which had been developed in the various localities, the climatic conditions, and the new materials which be­ came available were the determining factors influencing the American craftsmen who brought forth a new style.

8 It is American and possesses the qualities of good planning, intelligent use of materials, interesting compositions, and inventiveness of detail. The style suffers because of a bad name, it would be more appropriate to call it, "American Classic," because it is the classic spirit as interpreted by the American people. The more one observes the stately houses and public buildings which were built in this style, the more one be­ comes enthused over the harmony, dignity, and quiet beauty of the streets and villages still remaining. To imag­ ine what has been destroyed only leaves a deeper impres­ sion of its architectural significance in American Building. This book does not include all the examples of the Greek Revival in the Rochester area. "Cobblestone Architecture" describes a iocal development by the masonry craftsmen who built masonry walls of small field stones and lake­ washed stones in this style. Although it is a local expression of the Greek Revival, it is not include4 in this book. The various examples shown are representative of the various types, but many fine examples as well as measured drawings and sketches had to be omitted. The author hopes that some day it may be possible to publish 'a portfolio completing the architectural record of the Greek Revival builders in the Rochester area. May this book aid others in enjoying and appreciating the works of the master craftsmen of the second quarter of the Nineteenth Century. I here want to thank Amy Croughton, Anne, Lucy and Paul for their assistance and aid in correcting the manu- . script.

9 -CONTENTS

Introduction by William Kaelber • • • • • • 6

Forward by Carl F. Schmidt • • • • • • • • 8

General History of the Greek Revival • • . . . 12

The Greek Revival in the Rochester Area • • • . 42

Entrances and Porches • • • • • • • . . . 5 2

Materials and Details • • • • • • • • • . . 63

Interiors . • • • • • • • • • • • . . . 72

Mouldings • • • • • • • • • • • • . . 80

Builders and The Builders Handbooks • • • . . 89

Appendix • • • • • • • • • • • • . . 96

Greek Revival Architecture in the Villages near . Rochester, N. Y...... 142

10 North Entrance, Campbell-Whittlesey House, Rochester, N. Y.

11 GENERAL HISTORY OF THE 'GREEK REVIVAL

CATTERED throughout the entire eastern half of the S United States f ron1 Portland, l\1aine, to Natchez on the i\1ississippi River, one finds churches, court houses, town halls, mansions, and farn1 houses built after Greek temple n1odels or en1bellishcd with Greek details and orna­ mentation. Generally a portico of two-story columns or square posts en1bellished the stre~t facade, and when finan­ cial or puritan dislike for ostentation made a portico im­ possible, pilasters or antae were used. In the sn1aller houses of the villages and outlying farn1s, · a Greek spirit was achieved by merely adapting Greek mouldings to entrances and cornices, and flattening the pitch of the roof to corres­ pond to the flat pitch of the roof of a Greek temple. Wood carving and ornaments made of plaster were frequently used. The egg-and-dart, the honeysuckle, and the acanthus leaf of the Greeks were favorite motifs .. This period in the history of architecture in our country extended from about 1795 to 1850 and is generally referred to as the "Greek Revival." In the opinion of the author a much more appropriate name would be "American Clas­ sic." The interest in Greek a~chitecture did not originate in the United States but began in Europe and made its ,vay to the United States. Son1ehow the interest in Greek farms in architecture never aroused the enthusiasm in Europe which it did in An1erica. There were buildings erected which derived their farms and details f ram the classic Greek, such as the l\1adeleine in Paris, the Glypto­ thek in l\1unich, and many small churches and govern­ ment buildings; but the people of Europe never became

12 GENERAL HISTORY

interested in Greek Revival architecture. The architects of France, England, and Gcrn1any care­ fully studied the Classic Greek architecture and detailed the orders and mouldings with some ability, but they seemed bound by scholastic rules or traditions ~hich pre­ vented development in planning and new motifs in design. The Greek Revival in Europe was n1orc or less a problem in archaeology. The trained architects carefully copied the Greek orders, their intcrcolun1nination, the profiles of the n1ouldings, and the ornan1ent. The refore, good architecture in Europe was that which n1ost closely fol­ lowed the original Classic· Greek forms and proportions. Buildings of this type were naturally a cold inert mass because the architects lacked creative ability. They did not seen1 to be able to use the Classic Greek as a source of inspiration as did the Greek Revival architects and crafts­ men in An1erica. For this reason the Greek Revival work in Europe is adr-nirablc only to the extent that they were exact copies. A similar situation in the field of architecture existed in the United States during the first quarter of the Twentieth Century when architects vied with each other as to .who could n1ost accurately copy and apply the Roman orders on school buildings, churches, and office buildings. In· America the interest in Greek architecture swept over the country from l\1aine to Louisiana. What was the cause of this popularity for the Greek Revival? Public buildings, churches, city residences, southern plantation mansions, village hon1es, and farm buildings were built with Greek colonnades, porticos, pilasters, or n1erely with a f cw Greek architectural characteristics. _Although it is difficult for us to understand this enthusiasn1 when the ' builders were still doing such excellent work- in the Post- Colonial style; we arc able, f ron1 our present historical

13 GENERAL HISTORY position, to see how the various influences and historical events interested and· influenced the people toward the Greek f orn1s.

Various European architects, such as Stuart, Revet, Cockerell, Donaldson, Haller, and Stackelbcrg went to Greece to excavate and study c;rccian ruins. Books con­ taining the results of their researches bccan1c very popular with the professional architects and cultured layn1cn, and son1c of these books found their way to An1crica.

The poetry of Keats, Shelley, and Byron aroused in their readers an enthusiasn1 for Greek art. Keats n1adc con­ stant use of Greek n1yths and characters in his \\'ork. Hardly a poen1 n1isses refcrencc to a (;reek God. The sa1nc is less true of Shelley and Byron. The fact is the \vholc Greek lifc was in1bedded in the Ron1antic poets.

Byron's decision to sail to the aid of the Greeks and his death in Greece naturally aroused public interest.

The removal to London of the sculptured n1arblcs f ron1 Greece by the Earl of Elgin, and of the sculpture of the pedin1ents of the· temple of Athena at Acgina to the Glyp­ tothek in .i\1unich by Haller, no doubt helped to arouse an interest in Greek art. It also pcrn1ittcd the n1aking of n1odels of these ,vorks of art which were distributed to schools and art galleries. l\1any people f ron1 the United States visiting Europe f requcntcd the Art c;allerics, and becan1c fan1iliar with and interested in the Greek discov- . cries.

The struggle of the Circe ks against the Turks for inde­ pendence found syn1pathctic feel ings in this country be­ cause the struggle for A111erican independence was still fresh in the n1inds of 1nany of the people. We were so scntin1cntal about things Greek that we even gave c; reek

14 GENERAL HISTORY names to towns and villages. In New York State we have Ithaca, Syracuse, Palmyra, Athens, Attica, and Corinth. Other States also named many of their towns after Greek cities. We must also remember that all university students were familiar with the Greek language; it was the mark of dis­ tinction between the scholastic and practical man. We can readily see that the soil was fertile for a growth of Greek architecture, that there was a trend of thinking farming a link between the young Republic and ancient Greece. We must also realize that the plans for the ·public build­ ings and houses in America had been in a process of devel­ opment for more than one hundred years. The plans and certain principles of design had developed through the Colonial and Post-Colonial eras. vVith the introduction • of the Greek Revival, the Greek forms, proportions, and details had to be reconciled with plans and building customs which were already in existence. It is the refore essential that we understand something of the principles of the "Post-Colonial" or "Republican" Style. · The roots of every style are buried in the soil of previous· styles and many of the characteristics, details, and ideas of planning of the Post-Colonial are found also in the Greek Revival. The first buildings in the new style were those whose plans could be adapted to the rectangular f orn1 or the so-called "temple plan." The narrow end of the rec­ tangle was terminated with a porch and a two-story colon­ nade. The gable roof of the house was extended to roof the porch in a continuous line. The gable end over the colonnade was finished as a classical pediment, and the flat slope of the pediment determined the slope of the entire roof. It is from this beginning that the Greek Revival

15 GENERAL HISTORY developed into the many variations of plans and composi­ tions. During the tra11sition period· classic Greek f orn1s and details were often applied to Post-Colonial forms; however, it rapidly grew and developed into an individual style in the hands of the new class of professional archi­ tects and master builders.

During the first three-quarters of the Eighteenth Cen­ tury the architecture of the Colonies in America was naturally inspired by the architecture of England and was very freely interpreted. After the ·Revolution there was a definite trend to follow more accurately Classic Ron1an models. The movernent was initiated in Europe about the middle of the Eighteenth Century by scholars who had studied in Rome or who had taken part in the excavations of buried Roman cities. The Adams Brothers in England and Clerisseau and Souffiet in Franee were leaders in this movement. The publishing of Piranesi's engravings and other books on Roman architecture made this form of architecture accessible to those who could not visit the sites of the Roman buildings.

In the young American Republic this new movement was led by Thomas Jefferson. Some authorities have said that Jefferson was seeking an architectural expression which he though worthy of the new Republic. Others have said that he and his followers rebelled against borrow­ ing their architectural motives from .England. Whatever his motives, we know that Jefferson was only taking a part in a movement that was well-established in Europe. The important thing to remember is that instead of receiving our architectural influences by way of England, we were now receiving our inspiration directly f ron1 Roman models.

After the formation of the new Federal government following the Revolutionary War the need came for new

16 ~ ......

Lindley M. Moore House, Rochester, N. Y. GENERAL HISTORY buildings to suit the new form of government. It neces­ sitated the construction of court houses, custom houses, prisons, city halls, and county seats. There had been little building of any kind during the bitter days of war and the financial crisis which followed. Thon1as Jefferson's first opportunity came when he was asked to design the new capitol at Richmond, Virginia, in 178 5. This was the first modern Republican governmental building in the United States.

While Jefferson was in F ranee as a representative of this country, he studied the Roman buildings in the south­ ern part of that country, particularly the l\1aison Carree at Ni mes. Therefore, it was natural that he should take this building for his model in designing the new capitol for Richmond, Virginia. His only change was the substi­ tution of the Ionic order for the Corinthian. His drawings show notes and corrections by his friend, Clerisseau, who was one of the leaders of the Roman movement in France.

Jefferson followed up the building of the capitol at Richmond with the building of his own home, l\1onticello, and the University of Virginia at Charlottsville in which he used Roman and Palladian architectural motifs.

At the University of Virginia he. made use of a con­ tinuous row of one-storied buildings having a colonnade in front. This one-story high colonnade is interrupted at intervals by two-storied buildings for the use of the pro­ fessors. The two-story buildings are rectangular in plan and the narrow ends of these buildings faced the colonnade. Some of the front ends of the buildings have two-story porticos of four columns which support an entablature and pediment. The roof of the building was a continuation of the roof over the portico and was determined by the slope of the pediment. There is no doubt that the successful

18 GENERAL HISTORY use of the two-storied portico and the continuous roof over the portico and building at the University of Virginia pre­ pared the way for the Greek Revivalists who made use of this motif continuously throughout the whole period.

During the last years of the Eighteenth Century and the first decade of the Nineteenth Century the classic Roman influences were lost. It appears that all of Jefferson's efforts to introduce the architecture of Rome or the motifs of Palladio were in vain. The architects trained in the schools of Europe and coming to America were more partial to Greek architecture than Roman. Even so, Jefferson exerted a tren1endous influence on the men who followed him. The Roman dome, which he used in the capi_tol, in il\1onticello, and at the University of Virginia, became a feature in American building. One of the most interesting studies throughout the Greek Revival was the harmonizing of the Roman dome i11 the Greek-inspired buildings.

The Roman movement never proved popular with the pe0ple although our colonial work had been a free inter­ pretation of Roman forms by ,vay of England~ but Roman influences such as the dome and niche will be found in the Greek Revival work of the professional architects.

The Greek te1nple portico and pediment in the Doric style was a favorite motif of the- European-trained archi­ tects that reached our shores, and these architects also were impressed by the powerful plans of the Pantheon and other Ron1an buildings. They did not attempt to copy or build archaeological reproductions of classic Greek buildings, but they applied certain Greek forms and details to build­ ings which were needed by the American people. In their designs they did not hesitate to combine the Roman dome and niche with Greek forms or to invent new moulding profiles and details, nor to make use of new building

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Gate Posts and Fence, Lyon-Chapin House, Rochester, N. Y.

20 GENERAL HISTORY materials. In England, France, and Germany a few men had been interested in classical Greek architecture as early as the middle of the Eighteenth Century. Colin Campbell sub­ mitted a design for a church along these lines about 173 0. In 1785 James Stuart designed a garden temple in the classical Greek for Lord Lyttelton at Hadley. A book was published by Robert Mitchell in 1801 in England in which is illustrated a Greek temple. pl~n divided into rooms for living purposes. A few public buildings had been erected in Europe in the Greek manner, but we do not find that houses had been erected in imitation of Greek temples. Simple houses of the farm house type on which Greek motifs or details were applied were never built in Europe. The people in Europe never became interested in Greek architecture to the extent of desiring it for their homes. They never bec-ame as enthusiastic about the Greeks, or Greek Art as did the Americans. The works of Words­ worth, Keats, and Byron ,vere appreciated more in Amer­ ica than in Europe. Was it because the average man in Europe was not interested in the Greek struggle for inde­ pendence? The American people were sympathetic to Greek ideas because they had also fought for their inde­ pendence. Our literary men were n1ore interested in the classic Greek writers and their philosophy of "the balanced life" than in the writers of imperial Ron1e. Napoleon had been defeated and the idea of in1perial Ron1e won out for another century in Europe. The n1en who actually believed in the republican f orn1 of governn1ent-we n1ight call it "the virus ·of democracy"-fled to An1erica. We can see today how the "virus of democracy" has spread f ram America to infect the entire world. Again that virus will produce a new f orn1 of architecture, a new style, but it ,vill be based on forms and traditions preceding it that have

21 GENERAL HISTORY proven sound and useful. . From 1801- to 1815 only a few exan1ples of Greek Re- vival architecture had been erected; but after 1815 the public taste for Greek f orn1s spread with great rapidity until it covered the whole country cast of the l\1ississippi River. To say, as son1e authorities do, that the Greek Revival was a .reflection of a corresponding n1oven1ent in Europe is not altogether true. The cultured people of Europe were interested in the discoveries and researches of the classical Greek and Ron1an architecture as were the An1ericans. We know that copies of Stuart's "Antiquities of Athens~' and Thomas l\1ajor's "Ruins of Paestun1" had reached American shores shortly after they were published. Then, in the closing years of the Eighteenth Century, archi­ tects who had been trained in the architectural schools of Europe began to arrive in America. James Hoban, Stephen Hallet, and Latrobe were the first. Could it not be possible that these men were thwarted in their efforts to design in the Greek style in Europe, and cam.e to America to-express n1ore freely their artistic thoughts? Hoban, who had attended the architectural school at Dublin Society in 1 7 89, went to South Carolina vvhere he erected the State House at Charleston. He later built the "White House" in Washington, and also _rebuilt it after its destruction by the British in 1814. Hallet, who came from France in 1879, submitted designs for the capitol in· Washington which were considered second in point of n1erit. He was later placed in charge of c9nstruction of the building from the design of Dr. Willian1 Thornton whose drawings had been placed first. Dr. Thornton came from the Island of Tortola in the West Indies, and in 1794 he was appointed one of the commissioners of the District of Columbia and was put in charge of the building of the Capitol until 1802.

22 GENERAL HISTORY

Benjan1in Latrobe, who had had considerable experience in Europe, can1e to An1erica in 1796. His first appointn1ent was as engineer to the State ·of Virginia; later he went to Philadelphia where he ,vas n1ade superintendent of ,vater supply. Latrobe's first in1portant work was the Bank of Pennsylvania built in 1799-1801. It was based on the (;reek ten1ple plan vvith Ionic colun1ns. This vvas followed by his appointn1cnt in 180 3 as architect for the Capitol in Wash­ ington. Latrobe was also f an1iliar ,vith the classic Ro111an and Gothic architecture. Not only was Latrobe an excep­ tional architect, but he 111ust have been an excellent teacher because his t,vo pupils, Robert i\1ills and Willian1 Strick­ land, becan1e pron1incnt architects. Both i\1-ills and Strick­ land had a great influence upon the architecture of An1crica and upon the developn1ent of the Greek Revival style. Robert i\1ills designed the Washington lVIonun1ent in the Capitol as well as the one in Baltin1ore, the l\1on~~cntal Church in Richn1ond, Virginia, and n1any buildings and residences. Willta1n Strickland, a native of Philadelphia, was the architect for the Philadelphia Mint, the old Merchants Ex­ change, the State Capitol of Tennesee at Nashville, and the Custom House at Erie, Pennsylvania. As soon as the American architects, led by l\1ills and Strickland, grasped the principles of Greek architecture they began to take liberities with the classic Greek forms ahd details. They designed their Greek Revival structures from a well thought-out plan, and applied such Greek f orn1s and details as they believed to be structurally sound. New materials were eagerly accepted by then1. They realized that climatic conditions influenced the mode of living as well -as the use of 111aterials, and consequently detern1ined the planning as well as the designing of their

23

College Hall, Lima Seminary, Lima, N. Y.

24 GENERAL HISTORY

structures. An investigation of the solutions of their prob­ lems in the villages and cities-for example, the manner in which the buildings were suited to climatic conditions­ clearly shows that they were- builders of first rank. This is especially evident in the large residences in New York, Charleston, and Natchez. They adopted Greek clements and details in a broad way to 1ncet new conditions. For these reasons it is obvious that the American Greek Revival architecture far exceeded the Greek Revival work in Europe where architecture continued to be more or less an archaeological reproduction of Greek f orn1s and details.

William Strickland in turn had two pupils, Thomas Walter and Gideon Shryrock. Walter was the architect for Girard College in Philadelphia, the wings and the dome of the National Capitol, the extension of the Patent Office, and the Portico on the Treasury Building in Washington.

Shryock, after ··his architectural training in Philadelphia, returned to his native State of Kentucky and became the leading Greek Revivalist in the West. He built the State House in Frankfort, the Morrison Chapel ·at Transylvania, and the Jefferson County Court House at Louisville.

During the 1820's and 18 30's there also app~ared upon the scene a number of educated and wealthy men who had traveled about in Europe and were enthusiastic in the study of architecture from the point of view of the laymen. Nicholas Biddle of Philadelphia, an important financier of the early Nineteenth Century, was an enthusiastic Greek scholar who said "there are but two great truths in the world: the Bible and Greek architecture." He visited Greece in 1806 and from there wrote, "The Greek temple of Thesus is the most perfect building seen in Athens.'' Since Nicholas_ Biddle ,vas a man of great social standing and president of the United States Bank, his preference for

25 GENERAL HISTORY the Greek style would naturally have an effect on the gen­ eral public. The people vvould naturally be influenced by his ideas and use them in building their homes, churches, or public buildings. It n1ust be kept in n1ind that during the period f ro1n 1815 to 18 50, when the Greek Revival was at its height, the United States developed into a great nation. The population grew with "leaps and bounds" and house· building was the most in1portant trade. The entire country from the Appalachians to the l\1ississippi River was opened up, and cities and villages sprang ~p over all the western area. Thousands of houses were built and yet the demand constantly exceeded the supply. Today it is difficult for us to understand this privilege given to the common man to build his own house on his own land. During the same time in Europe from which most of the immigrants came, land was generally controlled by land barons whereas in this country the common man could own his own land and build his own home. This enthusiasm to build required many men who could plan and design. We have in the preceding pages mentioned the leading professional architects who had introduced the classical Greek forms in a few of the public buildings and in some of the homes of the wealthy people. But hundreds of amateur architects and talented craftsmen were needed to build the numerous houses, court house·s, churches, and other lesser public buildings. These are the men in whom we are particularly interested. Working in the various sec­ tions, north and south, they were able to take the meager infprmation from "builders' handbooks" and adapt the Greek forms and details in developing plans and designs to meet the various social and climatic conditions. These are the men who gave life to the Greek Revival and devel­ oped a distinct style of architecture in the United States. They were not interested in exactly reproducing the pro-

26 GENERAL HISTO.RY

files of classic Greek mouldings, or exactly copying the proportions of the classic Greek entablature. They looked upon the classic Greek farms as a source of inspiration. . - A few of the most prominent of these amateur architects. were Charles Bulfinch of Boston, Philip Hooker of Albany, N. Y., Asher Benan1in of Greenfield, Mass., Samuel Mc­ Intyre of Salem, lVlass., lthiel Towne of New Haven, Conn., l\1inard LaFever of the Finger Lakes Region and New York City, Chester Hills of Hartford, Conn., and George Hatfield .

. l\11ost of these men erected structures in both the Greek Revival and Post-Colonial styles. Son1e of then1, like Philip Hooker, constructed n1ore buildings in the Post-Colonial style than in the Greek Revival but there were many de­ tails and motifs co1nmon to both of these styles. For in­ stance, there were no examples of entrances with side lights or mantel pieces in the classical Greek buildings; but the designers used the Post-Colonial motives and redesigned them in Greek proportions and Greek moulding profiles. Of this gro·up of pro111inent architects, we are partic­ ular! y interested in Asher Ben j an1in, l\1inard LaFever, and Chester Hills because they not only were successful ama- . teur architects, but they were particularly influential in the development of the Greek llcvival style through their pub­ lications. Their books were so popular that it required three and four editions of their work to satisfy the public: The use of the "builders' handbooks" was not new. They had been in common use in England from the mid­ dle of the Seventeenth Century and throughout the Eight­ eenth Century, and many found their way to America. With the development of small printing establishments in America the handbooks became readily available so that every talented craftsman could use them to obtain ideas for

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Entrance, Dorr-Scott House, Scottsville, N. Y.

28 GENERAL HISTORY

plans, designs, and details. When the public demand for the new style in architecture developed, the "handbooks" of Asher Benjamin, Minard LaFever, and Chester Hills filled the craftsmen's need for a simple precise reference guide to the Greek orders and details. These talented crafts­ men, one or more of whom were found in every small community, were responsible for most of the Greek Re­ vival architecture in the United States. Rochester, New York, was fortunate in having three such talented men, Captain Daniel Loomis, his son Isaac Loomis, and S. P. Hastings. These men were thoroughly familiar with the social and climatic conditions as well as with the use of local building materials and were able to adapt these conditions to the new . Greek Revival style. The result of combining local condi­ ·'tions, and a new source of inspiration developed many local characteristics jn the various parts . of the country. The trained architects who came to these shores from Europe usually retained the classic proportions and details, but the native craftsmen generally fallowed the advice of Asher Benjamin and attenuated the columns and pilasters. They adapted the profiles of their mouldings to wood character­ istics and assembled the various wood members to meet the. local climatic conditions. They also varied the mouldings in scale, profile, and in the relationship of flat surfaces to the moulded surfaces. This will be more thoroughly discussed in the chapter on "Mouldings." Examples of the Greek Revival work in some of the nearby towns clearly indicate that they too must have had skilled craftsmen. The names of most of these men have been lost, but the fine examples of their work remain which show that they had carefully studied the plans, elevations, and details. It is possible that some of these houses were designed by the amateur architects of Rochester, because

29 GENERAL HISTORY it was common practice in those days for an owner to have plans of his house .drawn for him by well-known men. The amateur architects also sold to various clients and craftsmen individual designs for an entrance or a mantelpiece. Some of the critics of the Greek Revival said that this deviation was due to "ignorance" or "lack of training" in correct drawing of the orders. This may be true in some cases, but it is not true of most of the work. These men freely interpreted the orders and details from the hand­ books to suit their fancy. l\1ost of them still turned out all their mouldings by hand, using moulding planes. Mould­ ings were often determined by the stock of moulding planes they had at hand. It is difficult to understand why the critics condemned the Greek Revival architects for inventing and designing new profiles for their mouldings and changing or on1itting parts of the orders. The direct contrary should be true; we should condemn for lack of imagination or inventiveness those who accurately repro­ duce the work of any previous period in architecture with­ out thought of material or locati'.on. The temple plan was used in the first examples by the Greek Revival architects, and it became fixed in the minds of the amateur architects and builders throughout the pe­ riod. It was rectangular in shape with a portico built across one of the narrow ends, with four columns, or square posts, supporting a complete entablature and pediment. The slope of the pediment determined the pitch of the roof which was continuous over the portico and house. With this form the problem was to fit the rooms within the rectangular plan. The entrance was generally at one side of the narrow front and, in this case, there was only one room and the hallway across the front of the house. Sometimes the front, including the p0rtico, was made wide enough to have the entrance and hallway in the center with a room on each

30 GENERAL HISTORY

side. In this case the portico consisted of five and even six columns. Another type of plan had the portico across the front and an entrance on one or both sides with two parlors across the front connected with a wide opening. The high windows in the front were designed to open so that one could walk from the front parlors out into the portico. Often, when a colonnade could not be used, the Greek pilasters were substituted, and the gable end was finished in the form of a pediment, and the entablature carried around the house. , The next development was the addition of one or two subordinate wings at right angles to the axis of the main rectangle, sometimes with porches extended across the front of the wings. These were the general types of plans, but we have many variations and l9cal developments. In the large cities of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, a plain box-like house, two or three stories high, without portico, pilaster, or pediment, became very popular. The plan and the fenestration had been completely developed in the Post-~olonial period and was· adapted by the Greek Re­ vivalist who merely dressed the architectural features with Greek details. The entrance, or entrance porch, was in the center with a pair of windows or a segmental bay window on either side. A full three-member cornice extended across the front, sometimes surmounted with a railing behind which was a very flat-pitched roof. There are several of these .city-type houses still standing in Rochester. These at numbers 80, 88, and 90 South Fitzhugh Street are interesting examples. All are narrow three-story brick buildings with simple designed entrances on one side of the narrow front, and a three-member cor­ nice, the frieze and architrave of which usually returns on

31 GENERAL HISTORY

itself before it reaches the end of the front wall.

Charleston, New Orleans, and Natchez developed types peculiar to their needs and local conditions. The plan which found favor throughout the southern States was a two-s·tory box-like structure, nearly square in plan, having three and s~metimes four sides faced with a full two-story colonnade supporting a three-member entablaturc which was carried around the house. The house and portico were covered by a very flat-pitched hip roof. This type of plan had many variations. One of the most interesting has four entrances, one in the center of each side of the house lead­ ing into halls which intersect in the center. We also find through the south, especially in the cities, the typical so­ called temple plan with all its various developments. The plantation owners, however, preferred the house which had two, three, or even four sides surrounded with colon­ nades and full-height windows which could be opened to the portico.

Throughout the whole country there were numerous small farmhouses or village cottages built with neither columns nor pilasters. The plans were rectangular, the nar­ row end facing the road and the low-pitched gable roof forming a pediment at the end. A three-member cornice, modeled after Greek forms, with small frieze windows covered with ornamental iron or wood grills, continued around all sides. A simple entrance with pilasters and en­ tablature completed the embellishments.

Another farmhouse type frequently found in the Roch­ ester area is a small square, or nearly square main block, a story and a half high, with one-story wings on each side projecting in front of the main block a distance of one-half their depth. The space in front of the main block and be­ tween the projecting wings is filled with a porch with

32 GENERAL HISTORY

square posts supporting the cornice and porch roof. The ridges of the main roof and the wings are parallel with the front of the house.

In many of the late small houses all mouldings with curved profiles were omitted. The builders achieved the subtle effects of Greek character by using plain pieces of wood with beveled surfaces or square fillets in conjunction with the f acia, frieze, and soffit. Throughout the whole period the work of the Greek Revival builders indicates inventiveness in planning, skillful use of materials, and appreciation of material iii detailing. Local and individual freedom-is found in various localities such as the "cobble­ stone construction" in the Rochester area.

Cobblestone masonry walls were built of -selected round smooth stones, about three inches high, laid in straight horizontal courses. The exterior corners were usually built of stone quoins, although there are instances where smooth plaster or wood pilasters were used, resulting in a type of masonry of unique beauty and interest.

The planning of houses indicates a remarkable develop­ ment during this period, but we must be careful not to· claim too much for the Greek Revival builders because the Post-Colonial style was continuing to develop in the hands of master craftsmen. The plans. of the Greek Re­ vival and Post-Colonial houses are of ten very similar. The difference in the styles being a matter of how the various parts and members were detailed.

The "opening-up" of the house plans from the idea of cozy individual rooms to a feeling of a group of rooms con­ nected by means of wide openings was also used in the Post-Colonial, although the idea is more closely associated with the Greek Revival style.

33 Entrance, Pitkin House, East Avenue, Rochester, N. Y.

34 GENERAL HISTORY

A favorite composition consisted of a central mass with wings on one or both sides and the service rooms continu­ ing as a subordinate wing toward the rear. This permitted windows on opposite sides of all rooms, an ideal ar­ rangement for lighting and ventilating during hot summer days.

At this time when architects are again interested in glass areas, we should not forget that the Greek Revival builders also were interested in this problem. Rooms were built much higher and the windows of the principal rooms of the first story were usuaily_ made nearly the full height of the room, from the floor to the cornice. Often the windows extended through the architrave and frieze of the room en­ tablature in order to obtain greater height. The tendency was to reduce wall area and increase glass window area. The small- units or panes of Colonial days were superceded by much larger panes, but the wood divisions or n1untins were retained, but kept very thin.

Much has been written about the causes of the passing of the Greek Revival style. Critics have continually told us that it was ·due to the degeneration of the abilities of the craftsmen, and the decadence .of the appreciation of archi­ tectural design. But the actual architectural examples of the time do not seem to substantiate these statements. Many excellent examples of Greek Revival architecture wefe built as late as the 1850's and in the South as late as 1860. A degeneration in taste and craftsmanship is apparent after 1865, but by this time the Greek Revival had ceased to exist and the Gothic Revival was firmly est3=blished.

First, we must keep in mind that during the first four decades of the Nineteenth Century many craftsmen· con­ tinued to build in the Post-Colonial. Second, that the trained architects who did much of the Greek Revival

35 GENERAL HISTORY

work were just as familiar with Gothic architecture as they were with the classic Greek. Latrobe built Sedgeley, an estate near Philadelphia, in 1800, as well as the Bank of Philadelphia in 1810, in the Gothic style. Strickland built a Masonic temple in 1809 in the Gothic manner, and Havi­ land built the Eastern Pennsylvania Penitentiary in 182 3 in the same style. We also have an attempt in the Egyptian style by Walters in the Debtor's Apartment at Moyamen­ sing. The books on Gothic architecture and construction by the Pugins, and others, were reaching this country by the 1840's, and they had a great ·effect.

We can see that the stage was never clear for the Greek Revival. Other styles were discussed and analyzed in maga­ zines and books. Roman classicists as well as the advocates of Gothic architecture were near at hand to call attention to the virtues of Roman and Gothic architecture. These men were never copyists; they were always attempting to progress through the means of these styles. It required a new system of construction, the steel f raine, before a new system of design could be launched, and that did not come until the turn of the century. These men were thinking in terms of a new architecture based upon existing forms and developing into something appropriate and peculiar to America. But before a new style can develop, fundamental changes or a new system of construction is usually neces­ sary.

What caused the passing of the Greek Revival? Some. believe the books of A. T. Downing helped considerably to turn the public interest away from the Greek Revival. His discourses on houses, practical plans, and theories of design seemed to be just the Food the rising practical busi­ ness men and industrialists desired.

· Let us read a few excerpts from Downing's "Landscape

36 GENERAL HISTORY

Gardening and Rural Architecture" which was published in 1844. "The most common f orn1 for an An1erican villa is the pseudo-Greek T en1ple; that is, a rectangular oblong building, ,vith the chin1ney tops concealed, if possible, and instead of a pretty and con1f ortable porch, veranda, or piazza, four, six, or eight lofty wooden colun1ns arc seen supporting a portico, so high as neither to a~ord an agree­ able promenade, nor a sufficient shelter f ron1 sun and rain.

"As it is admitted then, that Grecian architecture is in­ trinsically beautiful in itself, and _highly interesting in point of associations, it may be asked what are the objections, if any, to its common introduction into don1estic Rural Architecture.

"To this we answer, that although this form meagerly copied, is actually in more common use than any other style, in the U IJ.ited States, it is greatly inferior to the Gothic and its modifications in fitness, including under that head all the comforts and conveniences of country life.

"We have already avowed that we consider fitness, and expression of purpose, two leading principles of the first importance in Rural Architecture; and Grecian architec­ ture in its pure form, viz: the temple, when applied to the purpose of domestic life, makes a sad blow at both these established rules. As a public building, the Greek· temple form is perfect, both as to fitness ( having one or more large rooms) and expression of purpose;-showing a high broad portico for masses of people, with an ample opening for egress and ingress. Domestic life, on the contrary, re­ quires apartments of various dimensions, some large and others smaller, which, to be convenient, must often be ir­ regularly placed, with perhaps openings or windows of different sizes. or dimensions. The comforts of a country house are so various, that verandas, porches, wings of dif-

37 .~· M~-1~ '}~i,. ',I . ;::.:;:-- ) .:.·§___ .· "'__ ,,,,_._;_·_ ..· . ;~- .. '•. ·. :. : _:',: . . . . , ..... :(~~---.Le Ki ;/ ,. .. ------'· ... - ... -,ff£2t,.,.~ - .~'-'-.;;,;••-t.t. . . -~_-.;,..;: ·... · z15r <> ,_•

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Entrance, Cox House ' Scottsville, N. Y.

38 GENERAL HISTORY

f erent sizes, and many other little accomodations expressive of purpose, became necessary, and therefore when proper­ ly arranged, add to the beauty of Rural Architecture. But the admirer of the pure Greek models is obliged to forgo the majority of these; and to come within the prescribed .. form of the rectangular parallelogram, his apartments must be of a given size, and a lin1ited number, while many things, both exterior and interior, which convenience might other­ . wise prompt, have to bow to the despotic sway of the pure Gieek model."

Downing, like the Greek Revivalist, was honestly seek­ ing a type of architecture that could be developed in An1er­ ica; one in which the new convenience, new living condi­ tions, new sanitary arrangements, and new central heating plants could all be absorbed into a unified plan. It is no wonder that the American people, who were on the alert in the matters of houses, should eagerly follow Downing and others and abandon the Greek Revival.

It was not so much that the style degenerated, as that the architects of the late Greek Revival did not have the ability to continue to develop the style as did the earlier amateur­ architects. The requirements of the American people could not be n1et with the established plans of the Greek Revival in residential, governmental, educational, or business build­ ings. They therefore readily followed the new trends toward the Gothic Revival.

That there was much poor-construction and bad-design, we do not deny; and we must not forget the tremendous demands of the time on the building trade. There was no system of apprenticeship which controlled the roving me­ chanic from village to village and anyone able to wield a hammer often called himself a builder. The wonder is that there was so much good work in spite of the conditions.

39 GENERAL HISTORY

The architects themselves were ready followers of the new school because they were unable to develop the Greek Re­ vival to n1eet the needs of the day.

40 I, ~­ -~

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Hoyt-Pond House, Rochester, N. Y.

41 THE GREEK REVIVAL IN THE ROCHESTER AREA

HE earliest Greek Revival houses now standing in the T Rochester area were built in the late 18 2O's, about fifteen or twenty years after the first log cabin was erected in Rochesterville. This ,vas a long time after the first ex­ amples of the Greek Revival had been built in the coast cities. The style was then firmly established and was spread­ ing rapidly throughout the West and South. But we must constantly keep in mind that some of the builders who pre­ f erred the Post-Colonial style continued to erect buildings in this style.· In some localities, as Canandaigua, this was the dominant style of architecture. The Gothicists, or those who believed that the principles of construction of the Gothic style should be followed, were not idle and ex­ amples of their work appeared as early as 1810, and con­ tinued to be built during the entire period of the Greek Revival.

In the 1820's the Rochester area was part of the so-called "West." It was the time when western New York and Pennsylvania and the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky were operied up. Towns and villages were grow­ ing up like mushrooms. The sound of the hammer and saw must have been in the air from sunrise to sunset.

The majority of the men who went "West" in the 1820's and 18 3O's were not the shiftless, drifting type of pioneer; they were builders. They dared such engineering feats as the building of the Erie Canal, and built bridges, aqueducts, and roads that astounded the old countries of Europe. When we read extracts of letters and newspapers of the

42 .,._.<'

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Entrance, Hoyt-Potter House, Rochester, N. Y.

43 GREEK REVIVAL IN ROCHESTER AREA

time, the vision~ and.faith of these men in the future great­ ness of this country is today beyond our comprehension. The men and women, more often than not, were cultured and interested in good literature, good furniture, and good architecture. Had they not been interested in the arts they certainly would not have taken so much time and care in building and furnishing their homes and public buildings. Many went "West" because they. were dissatisfied with the class distinction which was making itself felt in the coast cities and towns. The bankers and important mer­ cha_nts, under the leadership of John Adams, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton were trying to build up a class which would control the finances and business politics of the new country. They were attempting to set up a system which so many people had fled from Europe to escape. Therefore, when the new villages sprang up in the "West" and the pioneers had provided themselves with shelters and means of living, their first thoughts were to erect schools, .churches, and colleges. Newspapers and magazines of the time give much light as to the thoughts and ideals of these men. They contained far more literary articles, poetry, and discussions about architecture than do the newspapers and_general magazines of today. Many of the pioneers were well-read and took pride in their collection of books. When we analyze the cultural interests of the time we find that there existed an intense interest in classical litera­ ture and languages. Archaeological discoveries concerning the Arts-and architecture of Greece were made known through various publications and builders' handbooks. The prose and poetry of that time were generally based upon the Greek life and art. It is therefore logical that the archi­ tectural motifs of Greece should have become popular

44 GREEK REVIVAL IN ROCHESTER AREA with the people. It is difficult to understand the history of the architecture of the United States since I 7 80 because of the various in­ fluences. When the first Greek Revival houses were built in the Rochester Area, many excellent examples of the Post-Colonial style already had been erected in the village. They continued to be built during the entir~ period of the Greek Revival. The handbooks used by the builders in designing the Greek Revival houses often contained a sec­ tion of Gothic plates and details. This accounts for the in­ termingling of Post-Colonial and Gothic details to be found in the work of the Greek Revival builders. Greek Revival builders were compelled to develop plans for the Greek Revival house from the Post-Colonial house. The methods of construction, and the general detail continued to be the same, except that Classic Greek mouldings or new profiles conforming to the spirit of this type of design were invented and applied to the construction. Every new style is dependent on the social conditions and building methods in vogue during a previous period; but in order to become a living style, it must have those qualities which permit de­ velopment so that it will more fully satisfy the social and economic conditions of the time. With the beginning of the so-called "revivals," the Greek and the Gothic, the eclectic age of architecture began. We are still living under this influence. Owners selected the style which they desired. The eclecticism is well-illustrated in the Pond House and Isaac Hills' House on Plymouth Avenue South in Rochester. Mr. Hills lived in the Pond House, a fine example of the Greek Revival, while he was building his new home on the adjacent lot to the south. The latter is a fine example of the Post-Colo­ nial type but- contains many ideas or forms taken from the Greek Revival style. The flat pitch of the roof and the main

45 GREEK REVIVAL IN ROCHESTER AREA cornice details are d~cidedly Greek Revival.

; During the eclectic period the owner could select the style of his proposed project but the final result depended upon his selection of a master craftsman or architect who could intelligently unify and compose the desires of the owner into a simple plan and harmonious design. The vil­ lage of Rochester ,vas fortunate in having a number of talented craftsmen and three capable architects; Captain Daniel Loomis, his son Isaac Loomis, and a man named Hastings left their influence upoh the city. Captain Loomis came to Rochesterville about 18 20 and was extensively employed by Colonel Rochester. He built the home of Colonel Rochester, also homes for his three sons; one for Thomas Rochester at the southeast corner of Spring and South Washington Streets in 1830; another for William B. Rochester, which was the third house north from Spring Street on Fitzhugh Street about 1826; and the home of Nathaniel T. Rochester on Washington Street. He also built a house for Mr. Gould on the northwest corner of Spring and South Fitzhugh Street in 1824 . • Captain Loomis was also the architect for the first county jail on the "Island" in the Genesee River south of Main Street. He also built the old "Center Market" at the foot of Market Street, and many business blocks, including the old Rochester Bank Building. His son, Isaac Loomis, was associated with hin1 until his. father's death in 1864 and then continued to practice archi­ tecture. It is impossible to separate the work of the Loomises. Therefore we must consider them together. Their struc­ tures were very simple but dignified. Generally they were rectangular-shaped plans with brick n1asonry walls covered

46 t\.. vt\,

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Harvey Montgomery House, Rochester, N. ·Y.

47 GREEK REVIVAL IN ROCHESTER AREA with stucco. They ~id not make use of the free-standing columns or portico, but they did use masonry pilasters at the front corners of the Nathaniel T. Rochester House. Their details and mouldings were small in scale typical of the Greek Revival design, for they, no doubt, had been trained in the Post-Colonial school of design and adopted the Greek Revival style as the public trend moved in that direction. S. P. Hastings is said to have been brought from Hart­ ford, Connecticut, by Josiah Bissel. He was an architect of great ability and very enthusiastic about the Greek Revival style of architecture. He was the architect for the Hervey Ely House on Livingston Park; the Montgomery House, now destroyed; and the Child House on Washington . Street. These three designs had elaborate two-story por­ ticos across the front and full three-member cornices. He chose the simple Greek Doric capital for the Ely House; the Ionic for the Montgomery House; and for the Child House he chose for his model the Corinthian capital from the Choragic Monument of l.1ysicrates. He, undoubtedly, had some thorough training, because he, more than any other builder-designer in this area, followed more closely Greek Classic details and mouldings. The plans of his houses were excellently conceived, an~ his facades were harmonious, and the various elements were well-balanced, resulting iri dignified designs.

Robert T. Elliott, who came to America in 1819 from . Tipperary, Ireland, worked first in Quebec, and_then came to Rochester in 1827. During the seven years he remained in Rochester he was both architect and builder. He left Rochester for Detroit in 18 34.

l\1ar,,rin Austin came to Rochester about 1845 ·and be­ came an influential architect. He tore down the original

48 GREEK REVIVAL IN ROCHESTER AREA

court house and built the second one. He introduced the Gothic cottage for residential purposes, steering the people away from the Greek Revival. There were several others, one of whom was Jason Bas­ sett. He built many of the smaller type of houses in and around Rochester between1840 and 1850, though we have been unable definitely to assign any particular work to him. Rochester is also the center of the region in which was developed the "cobblestone masonry," a type of stone con­ struction peculiar to this region. Small stones were laid up neatly, in straight horizontal rows between straight lines of mortar. At first the stones were field stones of varying sizes laid in uneven rows. Later lake-washed stones care­ fully selected for size and color were used. These were laid in perfectly straight courses. Cobblestone architecture is a local development of the .late Greek Revival Style. _It is thoroughly discussed in the book "Cobblestone Architec­ ture." These creative builders and their clients welcomed inno­ vations for the opportunities it gave them. They were not hesitant about inserting frieze windows to make use of at­ tics. They developed the planning of houses more rapidly than in any other period; such as the opening up of the in­ terior rooms, and increasing the glass area by developing full-length triple-hung ·sash. The planning of rooms for , cross-ventilation, the orientation of houses, and the con­ struction of masonry walls with an air-space were given serious consideration. The trained men, like Hastings, Elliott, and the Loomises, who introduced the classic forms in this area, came from the eastern cities. They introduced the plans and elements of design which they had been accustomed to in the cast. The Greek Revival architecture in the Roch-

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Entrance, Thomas Weddle House, Rochester, N. Y.

50 GREEK REVIVAL IN ROCHESTER AREA ester area was simliar to the work we find in the east. But gradually the work of these men, and the local builders who were influenced by the architects, developed local characteristics. In the following discussions on porches, entrances, interiors, and materials, an attempt will be made to describe the Greek Revival architecture of the Roch- • ester area and its relationship to the style as a whole.

51 ENTRANCES AND PORCHES

NE of the most interesting studies of early American O architecture is the development of the entrance from the simple entrance door to the elaborate entrance porch. Faced with the problem of relieving the monotony of a rectangular, box-like mass, the builders developed the en­ trance and made it a feature that individualized the home. One often associates a house with its front entrance because it is the dominating feature of the designo It, more than any other detail, expresses the character of the design. After the Revolutionary War, with the advent of the merchant prince, when whaling and sailing ships were beginning to make men's fortunes, entrances and porches became more pretentious and dignified. The builders introduced paired columns, circular pediments, broken pediments, arid the combination of door, sidelights, and transom. Many were embellished with wood carving and gouge cuts. The porch is distinctly an American develop1nent. A few projecting porches were built previous to 177 5, but we can safely say that the porch as it is known to us was developed between 1785 and 1840. During most of this time the Post-Colonial and the Greek Revival styles were developing side by side. The Greek Revival builders and architects no doubt contributed their share in developing this feature of the American home. The Greek Revival builder made extensive use of col-:­ umns, pilasters, and porticos in the larger and more ex­ pensive buildings, but he also developed simple designs for the entrance and enframements for farmhouses and cot­ tages. They were skilled enough to adapt the various parts of the enframements and entablatures of Post-Colonial

52 ENTRANCES AND PORCHES

motifs to the proportions and details of the Greek Re­ vival. These new proportions and mouldings were derived from the architecture of classic Greece and gave an en­ tirely different character and style to the familiar Post­ Colonial motifs.

In Rochester and the nearby villages variety and free­ dom are the notable features of the Greek Revival en­ trances. The types of entrances range from simple en­ f ram emen ts, as in the Dorr-Scott House in Scottsville and the Shaw House in Rochester, to elaborate porches as in the Turner House in Mendon Center and the Child House in Rochester.

Although lacking some of the grace and refinement characteristic of the Post-Colonial, the Greek Revival en­ trance is nevertheless dignified and harmonious. The builders began by. adapting the Post-Colonial motifs with which they were familiar. They increased the width of the mullions between the door and sidelights and embel­ lished them with pilasters. The transom bar ~as usually made very wide and moulded similar to the architrave of the classic entablature. The door, sidelights, and transom bar were framed with pilasters or antae on each side with a two- or three-member entablature across the top of the opening. They continued to adjust and develop the various parts until the Greek Revival entrance became a distinctly different and peculiar type to be associated only with the Greek Revival style.

The Classic Greek provided only two entrance lllotifs to serve as models; one from the Tower of the Winds and the other from the Erechtheum. Both are very simple motifs compare<:f to the elaborate entrances developed by the Greek Revival builders.

53 ~)~)~f

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Entrance, Child House, Rochester, N. Y.

54 ENTRANCES AND PORCHES

In the early stages of the period the columns, pilasters, and entablatures were very heavy, closely approaching the Classic Greek proportions, but as the style developed, the builders fallowed the advice of Asher Benjamin and other writers of builders' handbooks. They attenuated or made the columns and pilasters of greater height in proportion to the diameter. Slenderizing the columns and pilasters in this manner is more expressive of the character of wood. They also changed the proportions and the members of the entablature, often omitting some of the mouldings,

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Entrance, Edson-Skivington House, Scottsville, N. Y.

56 ENTRANCES AND PORCHES or antae supporting a two- or three-member cornice is a favorite motif. This type was expanded in many ways, sometimes with a transom sash above the door or with sidelights on each side of the door without a transom sash; again, with sidelights and a transom sash across the top of the door. The mullions between the door and sidelights were made from six to ten inches wide and faced with small pilasters supporting a wide transom bar. The transom bar was usually from eight to twelve inches wide faced with a series of mouldings. The entrances to the Mudgett House in Rochester, N. Y., the Edson-Skivingto_n House in Scottsville, the Doty Hou·se in Geneseo, and the Lee­ Duryea House in Clarkson are typical examples. This composition of an entrance consisting of a door flanked by sidelights and transom enframed with pilasters and entablature led to endless variations in details. The Hervey Ely House entrance in Rochester has narrow solid wood pane1s in recesses in place of glass sidelights. In the front entrance of the Campbell-Whittlesey House the mul­ lions on each side of the door, instead of supporting the transom bar, extend through it to the very soffit of the en­ trance opening. An entrance very similar to this is ill us­ trated in LaFever's book, "Beauties of Modern Archi­ tecture." Sometimes the entrance, consisting of door, sidelights and transom sash, was set into a deep recess without using an enframement of pilasters and entablature. The Nathan­ iel T. Rochester and the Hoyt-Pond Houses, both the work of the Loomises are good examples. The door is flanked with pilaster mullions and sidelights and a half pilaster is inserted between the sidelight and entrance re­ cess. Above the door and sidelights is a transom sash sur­ rounded with .a carved moulding. We also find examples where the door and sidelights are deeply recessed in a

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Entrance, Lee-Duryea House, Clarkson, N. Y.

58 ENTRANCES AND PORCHES masonry opening. The entrance door and sidelights are separated by heavy mullions which are faced with pilasters supporting a wide moulded transom bar and sash. This is all enclosed with a two-or-three-inch-thick deep wood jamb set in the masonry opening. The Shaw House on At­ kinson Street and the house at 19 Mathews Street are good examples of this type. The Thayer-Bennet House in Lima is a very interesting deviation. In this instance the entrance consisting of door, sidelights, and transom is very plain but deeply recessed so that it is possible to set in front of the mullions two free­ standing attenuated Doric columns. They extend from the sill to the soffit of the masonry opening without the use of an entablature. Another type ·of entrance retains the sidelights and tran­ som, but the mullions and transom bar are only about four or five inches wide, the faces of which are relieved with a series of mouldings or channeling. The wood surround or enframement of the opening consists of an architrave moulding about eight to ten inches wide, with. wood cor­ ner-blocks and a wide center-block over the center of the entrance. The architraves are either moulded or channeled and the corner-blocks and center-block are paneled. The Hawley House entrance in Webster is of this type. Projecting porches were built with single columns in front of the enframement pilasters as in the Child House in Rochester and the Corning House in Webster. The porches of the Erickson-Perkins and Pitkin Houses on East A venue in Rochester and the LeRoy House in LeRoy have paired or double columns on each side of the porch. The wide one-story porches or verandas extending across the fronts of the Hoyt-Pond and the Hoyt-Potter Houses in Rochester are not often seen. In.the Hoyt-Potter House

59 *''

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Entrance, Thayer-Wernett House, Lima, N. Y.

60 ENTRANCES AND PORCHES

a row of five slender fluted Doric columns supporting a modified three-member entablature and a very low balus­ trade extend across the front of the house. In the Hoyt­ Pond House a row of four square wood posts, paneled on four sides, with a carved palmette at the top of the panels, support a single three-member entablature. In these two examples the porches divide the front elevation horizon­ tally in two with a heavy entablature which is very objec­ tionable. In the Livingston Park Seminary the porch or veranda was built as a one-story p~ojection on one side of the main house and does not inter£ ere with the design of the por~ico front. The Moore House on Lake View Park has a better solu­ tion of the porch problem~ It extends across about three­ quarters of the front of the house. The four slender fluted Doric columns support a modified three-member cornice and a solid paneled balustrade. Although the solid paneled balustrade with the enta~lature is too heavy for the attenu­ ated columns, this porch is not wide enough to divide the facade horizontally. It is one of the most successful de­ signs for a large front porch in this locality.

61 Entrance, Erickson-Perkins House, Rochester, N. Y.

62 MATERIALS AND DETAILS

HEN a new style of architecture is developed, it is W usually associated with the discovery of new build­ ing materials and the new use and arrangements of existing materials. Transportation during the Greek Revival devel­ oped very rapidly. The American Clipper sailed on every ocean, and the inland rivers and canals teemed with traffic. Marble, brick, wood, and sandstone were easily trans­ ported, giving the builders often a choice of materials. The seaport cities, as well as Natchez on the Mississippi, imported marble mantels, statues, brocades, and rugs. Cast bronze Corinthian capitals were brought from Italy to be used in building the porticos of southern mansions. It was a time of great opportunity for both architect and crafts­ man. Stone, brick, and wood have been the basic building materials for all styles of architecture. From these materials man has created beautiful buildings in different styles throughout many lands. It is the manner and form in which these materials were used that express ·the distinguishing characteristics of an architectural style. · The Greek Revival architects and builders did not solve any particular new structural problems, but they did de- · velop new types of plans and n1ade new and striking uses of the various building materials. Thomas Jefferson solved their most difficult problem at the University of Virginia, the continuous flat gable roof covering the main part of the house and the portico at one end. He used a portico of four or five columns or square posts at the narrow front end of the house supporting an entablature and pediment, the pitch or slope of which determined the roof line of the

63 The Doric Order With a Continuous Row of Guttae Under the Taenia Moulding.

64 MATERIALS AND DETAIL

house. This motif became very popular and is found wherever the Greek Revival style was used. Brick and wood continued to be the principal structural materials. Brick walls were often painted and even covered with a smooth cement. Corner pilasters built of brick were sometimes covered with a smooth cement and the brick walls painted as in the Nathaniel T. Rochester Hous~ in Rochester, N. Y. Brick walls covered with smooth cement stucco were also scored to appear as stone joints. Frame or wood houses were covered with clapboards. In some houses the front elevations were covered with a flush siding or smooth face boards and the sides and rear elevations covered with clapboards. Shadows_ cast upon a wall of flush siding are very sharp and definite in outline compared to shadows which fall on a wall of clapboards. A clapboarded wall is a pattern of many horizontal lines of shadows from the butts of the clapboards. Clapboards varied in width from three to six inches. The narrow three­ inch wide boards with one-half-inch-thick butts, were very popular. Often we find narrow clapboards on _the front of the house and ,vide clapboards on the sides. The close, heavy horizontal shado,v lines from the _narrow clapboards contrasted delightfully with the ,vide plain surfaces of the pilasters, friezes, and the f acias of the cornice mouldings. In the Rochester area there are a number of houses huilt of red and gray sandstone, also of cobblestones. The sturdy Greek Revival details of the cornices, entrances, and porches are very appropriate to use in conjunction with the sturdy stone walls. These masonry houses with their colorful stone walls appear as if they had grown from the soil. They are a very part of the landscape. Shingles, for covering the side walls of buildings, al­ though popular in other sections, were never used in the 65 Detail of Side Entrance Porch, Bowman-Furnald House, Clarkson, N. Y.

66 MATERIALS AND DETAIL

Rochester area by the Greek Revival builders.

Sandstone and limestone were commonly used as lintels and sills to doors and windows in the brick and stone houses. Generally the lintels were plain, set flush in the walls, but after 18 35 we find that recessed panels were sometimes cut into the face of the lintels. In the Child House in Rochester, N. Y., a form of palmette leaf decor­ ated each end of the recessed panel. A narrow moulded cap moulding across the top of the lintel was sometimes added. Another type was the so-called "'three section" or "stepped" lintel. The middle third of the lintel was higher than the ends, similar to the wide panel that was inserted in the architrave over doors. It was cut from one piece of stone, sometimes the middle wide section and the two nar­ row ends were paneled. Again the center panel is filled with carving, and a small moulding extends across the top of the lintel, as iri the entrance of the Rochester Female Seminary. There are also many examples of wood lintels. Occasion­ ally the actual timber beam is the finished wood lintel, but some builders set the crude beam back from the face of the wall and nailed on a finished piece of wood. This piece of wood is sometimes plain and again we find examples where it is paneled.

Although Rochester had several foundries, cast iron, which was very popular in other sections of the country, never became popular here. We do find a few cast iron balcony railings, fences, and a number of frieze window grilles.

The Greek Revival builders took advantage of the glass manufacturer's ability to make larger panes of glass and we find that window areas continued to increase compared to the wall areas. The increase of glass area in the exterior walls compared with the small glass area of the Colonial

67 Porch With Louver Paneled Sides, Scottsville, N. Y.

68 ·MATERIALS AND DETAIL

house is remarkable. The size of the panes of glass was in­ creased but the wood muntins or divisions were kept very thin. A type of window which became very popular with the use of porticos was a high double- or triple-hung sash win­ dow often nine or ten feet high. The sash could be raised so as to provide easy passage from the parlors directly to the portico through each window opening. In the Child House in Rochester the windows under the portico were ten feet high. The double-hung sash has hinged panels below. When the lower sash_ was raised and the small panel door opened there was a clear opening to the portico six feet high. In the Campbell-Whittlesey House the windows from the front parlors to the portico were nine feet two inches high with double-hung sash, and when the lower sash was raised it provided an opening four feet six inches high. In the new Greek Revival addition to the Livingston Park Seminary the windows to the porch were about nine feet high with triple-hung sash, so that when the two lower sash are raised a clear opening of five feet nin~ inches is e>btained. The Jenkins House on St. Paul Boulevard is one of the fine examples of cobblestone architecture. It is very inter­ esting because the interior details are characteristic. of the French Louis XVI period. The windows in front of this house are fulf-height casements, with very narrow side rails. Flat-headed triple windows in both the first and second floors were used in the LeRoy House in LeRoy, N. Y. In the front elevations of the wings in the Ely House in Rochester, a good example of paired windows separated by an anta are found.

69 MATERIALS AND DETAIL

In the larger houses plaster ceilings with center-flowers became very·popular. Some of these have beautiful designs derived from the Greek honeysuckle and palmette. There are designs for such center-flowers in LaFever's book "Beauties of Modern Architecture." It is interesting to read his instructions about making the ornamental plaster ceil­ ings. He speaks of two methods. The first is by what is called laying it on by hand, which is modeling it on the ceiling with stucco; the second, the ornament is modeled in clay, moulds taken from it, and the ornaments cast with plaster of Paris. ·

"The stucco is made of lime putty, mixed .with pulver­ ized marble, or raw plaster of Paris with sometimes a little white sand and white hair added to prevent it from crack­ ing. The mixture is then put on a dry brick wall for twenty­ four hours, after which it is taken off, well-beaten and put on again. This is repeated for four or five days when it will be fit for use. This preparation is tough and prevents it from cracking."

70 -i.....

Opening Between The Two Parlors in the Campbell-WhittleseyHouse, Rochester, N. Y. INTERIORS

HE interiors must have been the source of much an­ Tnoyance to the Greek Revival architects and builders. Very little remains of the interiors of the classic Greek buildings and most of the restoration drawings of the in­ teriors are merely conjectures. Stuart and ·Revet's Book, as well as other books containing drawings based on classical restorations, had many elevations and details o( exteriors but very little information about interiors. The publishers of the "Builders' Handbooks" had to use their imagination when they made designs for interior cornices, window and door enfram em ents, and mantelpieces. They used mouldings and ornament derived from Classic Greek sources on established interior features, as doors, windows, and mantels, in such a manner that the result was an interior entirely in harmony with the classic exterior. The Post-Colonial builders had already started to open up the interiors for a more spacious living; but the Greek Revival builders certainly developed the interiors to a greater extent to meet the demand of the new social condi­ tions. Large, wide openings ~etween the entrance hall and the parlor, or between the usual two front parlors, became very fashionable. Wings at right ang~es to the main axis of the house, as in the Hervey Ely House, developed new and interesting vistas. Ceiling heights were increased con­ siderably, and the height of a room was emphasized be­ cause the dado or chair rail was omitted. The vertical lines of the pilasters which often flanked door and window openings or the strong vertical lines of the door and win­ dow architraves extending to the floor helped to create an atmosphere of dignity and solidity in harmony with the . exteriors.

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. The walls of the rooms were plain plaster surfaces. Wood paneling was never resorted to. A three-member entablature or a heavy moulded cornice, usually of plaster, was carried around the principal rooms. In the Campbell­ Whittlesey House the walls, on each side of the wide open- . ing between the parlors, are enriched with a sunken plaster panel about fourteen inches wide and eight feet high, dec­ orated with the Greek palmette and scrolls at the top and bottom as well as in the center of the panel.

The pilaster treatment at the· sides of the door and win­ dow openings with a two-or-three-member entablature is a common feature. It is one of the favorite details found in Asher Benjamin's handbooks. An interesting interior fea­ ture was formed by surrounding a door or window open­ ing with an architrave moulding which was then enclosed with the flanking pilasters.

In the smaller houses moulded architraves with plain or carved corner-blocks and a wide center-block were com­ mon enframement. Interior doors and windows were often enframed with architrave mouldings with projections or "ears" at the top similar to exterior door frames. This type of interior trim was popular in Scottsville where it is found in most of the Greek Revival houses. When the pilasters or architrave mouldings flanking a window are carried to the floor, the space under the window is usually filled with a wood panel.

In the Child House, the most elaborate house in the Rochester area, the division between the two front parlors has been reduced to a pair of free-standing columns near the wall at each side supporting a very wide soffit and a three-member cornice. The columns are fluted and crowned with very fine capitals modeled after the capitals on the Tower of the Winds at Athens. Paneled pilasters

74 INTERIORS

with carved capitals flank each door and window opening. Two beautiful mantelpieces are located at opposite ends of the twin parlors. The f rant parlors of the Child House are particularly fine examples of interior design. To some they may be rather elaborate, but there is present the basic qual­ ity of dignified restraint and harmony. In the larger houses the plaster ceilings were often en­ riched with moulded recessed panels and center-flowers or rosettes. The plaster or stucco center-flowers were intro­ duced after 1830 and were elaborately modeled. At first the designs wer~ based up(?n the Greek honeysuckle orna­ ment and the palmette, but later Gothic Revival, leaf farms and scrolls made their appearance. Sometimes the center­ flower was enclosed with a circular band of mouldings, and in some of the more modest designs the center con­ sisted merely of a circular band of mouldings without ornament. The mantel continued to be the center of interest in a room. Its practical form and size had long been established and there were no Classic Greek examples to f9llow. Greek Revival builders sin1ply applied details and mouldings de­ rived from Classic Greek sources to existing mantel forms in place of the Post-Colonial details. Simple moulded en­ framements of the fireplace openings were replaced with a moulding of Greek character. The "crossettes" or project­ ing "ears" with straight or battered side architraves became a very common type. Narrow pilasters of the Post-Colonial mantels were replaced by wider and heavier pilasters with caps and bases of Greek mouldings. Frieze boards were usually plain, with a sin1ple bed mould under a plain heavy shelf. They also made use of small free-standing colon­ nettes with channels and caps like a Doric column, sup­ porting the frieze and shelf. The moulded architraves with corner-blocks and center-block, so popular as door sur- 75 .. n..

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76 INTERIORS rounds, were also used around fireplace openings. Some­ times the corner- and center-blocks were paneled and carved in high relief.

Generally the mantels were made of wood; however, in the parlors of the more elaborate city homes, native and imported marbles were often used. Sometimes a complete mantel was ordered from one of the eastern cities and shipped to this area by canal boat. In the Smith-Willard

House on East Avenue a richlv• modeled cast brass en- f ramement surrounds the fireplace opening inside the marble mantel. The Campbell-Whittelsey House has a moulded cast iron enframement around the fireplace opening enclosed by the 1narble mantel.

It is very difficult to uncover the original old painted wall surfaces but we do know that the plaster walls and ceilings of the 4 Greek Revival rooms were painted and that the architects were not afraid to use color. Fram houses which have been restored we found walls painted in yellow ochre, dull pink, brown, blue, red, warm gray, and lilac. We must make allowances for changes in the colors due to oxidation, but from appearances, the colors were very intense in tone and often they used nearly pure pigment. These colors may sound bold to us, but when a restoration has been carefully made the effect as a whole is very digni­ fied. Because of the large proportion of wood used at the doors, windows, heavy cornices, and high baseboards · which were generally painted white, there is much con­ trast and a considerable toning down of the intense wall colors.

We ~ust remember in attempting to evaluate the work of the Greek Revival builders that the early work was heavy and more or less an imitation of the classic forms. The interior details were especially heavy and out of place

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78 INTERIORS because they were taken from Stuart and Revet or some other early handbook containing only details and mould­ ings from the exteriors of the Classic Greek temples. Later the architects and builders learned from experience that the interior details required much refinement and mould­ ings needed changes in contours because the light rays do not strike them from above as they do on exterior mould­ ings. The result was that pilasters were attenuated, cornice members omitted or reduced in proportion, and new pro­ files. of mouldings invented. In much of the best work the interior details were not much larger in scale than the de­ tails of Post-Colonial interiors. The Greek spirit was ob­ tained, more from the wider flat surfaces between the mouldings than from following any Classic Greek detail. In many of the small houses a classic atmosphere was ob­ tained without the use of mouldings. The builders made use of small pieces of wood with .beveled surfaces and projecting fillets. The Greek Revival interiors have an atmosphere of quiet dignity and restraint. Even in the elaborate i,:iteriors there was a certain restraint and balance of contrasting plain wall surfaces with the elaborate door and window enframe­ ments.

79 MOULDINGS

HE houses of the Colonial, Post-Colonial, and Greek T Revival periods were, generally speaking, rectangu­ larly shaped box-like structures. The masses were relieved by cornices, pilasters, columns, window trim, and en­ trances. It is the well-designed decorative features which give the structural masses their charm. The decorative f ea­ tures are built up of a series of plain and moulded pieces of wood. Wherever pieces of wood join or butt together, or butt against brick or stone masonry, weathering begins its work of destruction. Rain and dampness cause the wood to rot. Therefore, builders long ago learned to protect all joints and projections with moulded members, mouldings designed to cover or lap joints and to shed water. It is the design of the profiles of these mouldings, their size and relationship to the plain surfaces, that. exercised a marked effect upon the structure and gave character and style to the work. They are as much a part of the style as is the system of planning or the methods of construction. We can say that mouldings correspond to words in liter­ ature or technique to art. All writers use words just as all builders and architects use mouldings; but the success or failure of a piece of literature or an. architectural motif depends upon the skill with which the words or members of the mouldings are put together. For many years we have been listening to the constant criticisms heaped upon the mouldings used by the Greek Revival builders. One writer says that "they seem to have lost that instinctive feeling for good wooden scale"; an­ other, that "they lost all respect for their material." An­ other comment often heard was, "that the Greek Revival

80 ',... ___ .

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81 MOLDINGS mouldings are crude imitations from the stone architecture of Classic Gre~ce tQ a white pine treatment." These and other comments were heard in every classroom discussing the Greek Revival work. Sturges, in his "Dictionary of Architecture," defines a moulding "as the plane, curved or broken surface forme_d at the face of any piece or member, by casting, cutting, or otherwise shaping or n1odeling the material so as to produce modulations of light, shade, and shadow.'' Every historic period has developed its particular style of _mouldings and they are just as important to the style as are the plans, materials, and methods of construction. The development of the mouldings always run parallel with the development of the architectural style. The mouldings begin as crude shapes and grow in refinement and proportion as the style develops. They reach a crest, and then degenerate because of over-elaboration and loss of purpose for which they were created. Greek Revival. details are often influenced by the Post­ Colonial mouldings. This is natural because most of the builders, no doubt, received their training working on Post­ Colonial buildings or working under master craftsmen who had been trained in that style. Some of the mouldings are distinctly Post-Colonial, and in several_ houses the mould­ ings have a distinct French character due, most likely, to the fact that the craftsman had his training in F ranee. At the beginning of the Greek Revival period the pro­ files of the mouldings very closely followed the profiles of the Classic Greek, but once the style became popular and the builders' handbooks were available, fhe architects and builders developed many mouldings not based on the Clas­ sic Greek. They redesigned the Classic Greek mouldings to a wood scale and changed the profiles and introduced addi-

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/ ~~~- MOULDINGS tional members. To them architecture was not an archaeo­ logical problem, but they looked upon the Classic Greek as a form of architecture which could be adapted and de­ veloped to satisfy the needs of the American people. The architects and builders first used Stuart and Revet' s book, but later Asher Benjamin and other American handbooks became available and from these they created new forms and mouldings. The craftsmen, as a rule, did not merely copy from the handbooks but continually tried to develop new forms, details, and mould~ngs. Building was a living art at that time and permitted a freed om within the limits of reason of which the craftsman took advantage. They developed an architectural style distinctly American. One need only glance at a sheet of moulding profiles from the Classic Greek and then compare it with a sheet of Greek Revival mouldings and he can readily see the difference in profile and scale. From the few Classic Greek mouldings the Greek Revival architects and builders developed an endless variety of n1oul dings, which varied from city to city and village to village. Did not the Classic Greek style have its birth in the Persian, and the Roman in the Greek style? Then why con­ demn the Greek Revival because it had its birth in the Classic Greek? Every style has its birt~ in a previous style: We do not wish to infer that all Greek Revival mouldings were studied and appropriate. Many houses built by medi­ ocre craftsmen were crude and distinctly indicated an ignorance of every rule of design and lack of feeling for material. However, we find that condition in many of the historic periods but the bad work is usually not considered nor published. We must bear in mind the tremendous de­ mand for any form of living quarters at that time. It was a harvest for the untrained craftsmen and speculator usually not interested in good architecture. Let us judge the Greek

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Revival on its good work, of which there are many ex­ amples to be found. in every locality. Until the early years of the Nineteenth Century it had been customary for each craftsman to cut out his own mouldings with a hand plane, the knife of which was cut to the contour of the moulding desired. During the Greek Revival, industrialization made great strides and mills had begun to turn out stock mouldings for the use of the build­ ers. How much the manufacturing of stock mouldings had progressed between 1830 and 1850 we cannot say. We do know that much stock moulding was used as crown mould­ ings and bed mouldings for cornices, and also for panel mouldings in the smaller houses. We need only study the smaller type of houses still remaining to see that many of these mouldings arc the same size and profile. There is no question that the manufacturing of stock mouldings was one of the principal causes for the decline in craftsmanship, which has continued to the present day. However, in all the larger houses designed by architects and master builders the mouldings continued to be cut out with a moulding plane. Since each craftsman had his own set of moulding planes, there was a similarity in the ·mouldings of his work, but he never used the same combination twice. That is one method by which we are able to assign diffetent houses to one particular craftsman. For instance, we know that Isaac Loomis was the architect and builder for the Nathaniel Rochester House and from the similarity of the mouldings in the Hoyt-Pond House, we would not hesitate to say that he was also the architect and builder for this house. This similarity of mouldings made from the same set of moulding planes is often clearly visible in the villages. Scottsville is a notable example. Here the same profile

86 00 '-1 .. l 1 - l L " Gt ~'E.E: K "'R,_£.VlVAL d '-- MOULDIN~5 'f;UJLT UP 0~ --" CANT~ 01?.LIQU.E., 8URTAC.E3 (!.~~ MOULDINGS crown moulding to. the main cornice, as well as the pilaster caps, is very similar in ·a number of houses, so we can readily assume that the same builder erected these houses. Beginning about 18 37 or 18 38, a new variety of mould­ ings was developed by the craftsmen which was in har­ mony with the classic spirit and appropriate to the wood material. The depth of the mouldings was very shallow and very few curved members were used. They consisted of wood strips, fillets, cants, o~ beveled surfaces separated by fillets and chamfers. (See plate illustrating this type of moulding.) It is from this type of cleat and beveled mem­ bers that the Classic Greek mouldings were originally developed. It is interesting to note that some architects today are using this type of moulding in their designs for modern buildings and referring to it as a new n1odern development. As far as structure is concerned, mouldings are not neces­ sary but they have a n1arked effect upon the charact-er of a building. The Greek Revival builders were always aware of this and constantly tried to achieve a classic char­ acter or spirit in the design of their mouldings. In the striv­ ing for character and effect the builders developed new and interesting profiles, because e.ff ects are caused by high­ lights, shades, and shadows, and similar effects can be ob­ tained by different profiles. Although there is an endless variety of mouldings in the varied localities, they were able to give their architectural designs a classical character arid . . sp1r1t.

88 BUILDERS AND THE BUILDERS' HANDBOOKS

HERE is no question that the invention of the printing Tpress had more influence upon architecture than any other tool or rnachine. Since 17 50 architectural books have . been more extensively published. Many of the European architects who made the "Tour" upon the continent to Rome and Greece carefully measured or made sketches of the classic ruins and published their work in fine large vol­ umes. These books rapidly· made their way into libraries, schools, and into the hands of architects and builders. We know that Thomas Major's "Ruins of Paestum" was in the possession of the Philadelphia Library in 17 62, and Stuart's "Antiquities of Athens" in 1770. The private library of Thomas Jefferson contained the books of Palladio as well as many others. Perhaps some of the more prominent archi­ tects possessed some of these books, but these archaeolog­ ical works were of little help to the master carpenter and builder in those boom days of building. The few learned professional architects could make use of these monumental works; but most of the building, ·especially in the smaller towns, was left to the master carpenter and builder. Many of these meY, though endowed with natural artistic talents, were without architectural training. From 1820 to 1850 the demand for houses, churches, public buildings, and school houses in the "new west" was so tremendous and the demand for carpenters and masons so great that many of them did not receive the systematic training ordinarily required in the days of more leisurely construction. If we are to understand the trend of architecture of the nineteenth century in the United States, we must be able to visualize the· demands made upon the building industry

89 A Paneled Post With the Familiar Squared-loop At The Top Of The Panel.

90 BUILDERS AND THE BUILDERS HANDBOOKS in those boom days. Villages and town~ grew up like mush­ rooms. The population of Rochester grew from 2,502 in 1820 to 20,191 in 1840. Let us quote from the "New Yorker" of July 12, 1839. "It is now twelve years since I passed through Rochester, then a raw, ungainly village of some five or six thousand inhabitants. Its growth has rivaled that of Jonah's gourd; for scarcely a dozen years had then transpired since its site was a dense forest and un­ traversable swamp around the falls of the Genesee.'' Then further on in the article the writer continues, "Rochester now irregularly covers an _area of some four square miles, and is steadily extending its borders and filling up its waste places. The great Revolution of 18 37 probably affected it less injuriously than any other city in the Union. It has gone on prospering through all, and now probably num­ bers some twenty to twenty-five thousand inhabitants." This phenomenal · growth of Rochester was not excep­ tional; it was repeated in many localities. One can hardly imagine the demands· made upon the building industry as a whole. The great quantities of lumber, lime, stone, brick, plaster, nails, and tools needed was almost incalculable. The use of the "Builders' Handbooks" by the master carpenters was not new. They had been used by many builders during the late. Colonial and Post-Colonial eras; and with the large increase in building they became very popular. The books of Asher Benjamin, John Haviland, Minard LaFever, and Chester Hills filled a great need at the time. It is a debatable question whether they helped or hin­ dered the progress of architecture in America. The writer feels it would have been far worse had it not been for the use of these books by the craftsmen. It was the only means possible for a builder to obtain any architectural informa­ tion and the n·umerous fine examples of architecture indi­ cate that the builders did understand how to use the books.

91 BUILDERS AND THE BUILDERS HANDBOOKS

The most influential publisher of these handbooks was Asher Benjamin of Greenfield and Boston, Massachusetts. He published his first book in 1805 and it was followed by four others by 18 3 3. Many editions were published, some as late as 1851, and these found their way into all parts of the country. Although some of the illustrations were taken almost directly from Stuart and Revet's "Antiquities of Athens," most of them were modifications and new designs based on Greek motives. His drawings were so simplified that any carpenter could easily_interpret them. Benjamin was very skillful in making simplified designs of pilasters, cornices, mantels, and entrances which could easily be adapted by the carpenter-builder for his various needs. His design of a pilaster and treatment of door and window openings with flanking pilasters was a favorite feature throughout the country. He realized that the stone propor­ tions from·Classic Greece were too heavy to be constructed in wood. Benjamin therefore instructed his readers that an order built of wood should be more slender than one built of stone. In his drawings of the Doric, Ionic, and Corin­ thian columns the heights are ten, eleven, and twelve diameters respectively instead of the conventional eight, nine, and ten. Many of the new architects and carpenter-builders used his books as a basis and developed inte.resting designs and details from them. Yet other builders faithfully fallowed the designs from his books to the most minute detail. That no doubt is the reason we find many similar Greek Revival· houses and entrances throughout the eastern state5. Mr. Hastings, one of Rochester's first architects, pos­ sessed some of these handbooks. The pl_ans, elevations, and details of his houses were well-studied. He was endowed with good architectural taste and ranks with the best archi­ tects of the period. He was the architect for the Child, Ely,

92 BUILDERS AND THE BUILDERS HANDBOOKS

and Montgomery Houses. We know that Captain Daniel Loomis, persuaded to come to the new village by Colonel Rochester, possessed one of the three-volume sets of Asher Benjamin and "The Builders' Assistant," published in Philadelphia in 1818 by John Haviland. Isaac Loomis (son of Daniel Loomis) who followed in his father's footsteps, had quite a library for his day. He not only had his father's books but also had the three-volume set of "Encyclopedia of Architecture" by Peter Nichol­ son, and Minard LaFever's "Beauties of Modern Archi­ tecture." The work of Hastings is interesting and individual. He made use of the builders' handbooks, but his plans, eleva­ tions, and details are free of any copying. The architect of the Campbell-Whittlesey House. may have taken the designs of the front entrance and the wall between the front parlors, from LaFever's book. It is also possible that these designs may have been purchased f ram LaFever by Mr. Campbell before LaFever published his book. The rest of the house indicates a rather free and individual inter­ pretation of the Greek Revival. The architects or master builders of the Turner House in l\1endon, the Bowman-Furnald House in Clarkson, the Elihu Kirby House in Henrietta, and the Marcus Adams House in Adams Basin were all thoroughly familiar with the principles of classic design as interpreted in the various handbooks, but how varied are the plans and designs. Not one of these plans or motifs were copied clirect from any handbook. The work of these master builders indicates an inventiveness of detail and a development in planning and designing tha~ obviously characterizes only the work of skilled designers.

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95 APPENDIX

NE who wishes to become familiar with the Greek O Revival in Rochester, can do no better than stroll through the streets of the old Third Ward-"The Ruffled Shirt Ward"-as it was once called. Here one can find ex­ amples of the Greek Revival, Post-Colonial, and Gothic Revival; but there is no clash, because they possess the basic qualities of good architecture, harmony, feeling for mate­ rial, and restraint. Although some of the Greek Revival structures have been altered and others allowed to fall into decay, and busi­ ness and modern ugliness have intruded, one senses a con­ tinuity and an appropriateness in these houses. Somehow these streets still retain a spirit of the Greek Revival era, suave, dignified, and a certain charm. Each of these styles brought forth its own special qualities, and each is an ex­ ample of how the architects, builders, and clients sought to be modern in their day. The spirit and practical intel­ ligence of the Greek Revival welcomed new ideas. One should not miss the opportunity to stand in front of the Pitkin House on East Avenue. It is only a few hun­ dred feet from here to the Smith-Willard, and the Erick­ son-Perkins Houses, which can be easily observed. It is from an opportunity like this that we can learn more about harmony and scale than from all the books in our library. Here the harmony of materials, of proportion and scale, and the harmony of windows and wall areas are very clearly. exemplified. In this appendix it is the intention of the author to list only the best examples of the various types to be found in the Rochester area. One cannot become thoroughly

96 familiar with architecture only from books. It requires association with buildings. This list may be of assistance in locating some of the best Greek Revival examples.

AMON BRONSON HOUSE Amon Bronson was born in Scip_io, N. Y., in 1807. Later he moved to Avon and there learned the carpenter trade. In 1832 he came to Rochester, where he carried on an ex­ tensive lumber business in his lumber yards on Exchange Street. He built his home at the corner of Plymouth Avenue South and Atkinson Streets in 1848. Although he was one of Rochester's first lumber dealers, he built his house of brick. The plan of the front part of the house is nearly square with a narrow wing extending to the rear forming an "L"- shaped plan. The entrance is in the center of the front. On either side two-story bay windows extend through the main cornice. The plan of the bay windows is'in the shape of a segment of a circle with two double-hung windows on each floor. - The main cornice which extends around the house is very simple. It consists of a cornice and frieze board. The roof ,is very flat hip with a deck which is surrounded by a flat paneled railing. The main entrance and projecting porch are very elabor­ ate compared to the rest of the house. A single panel door is flanked by mullions faced with very attenuated colon­ ettes with small carved Corinthian caps which support a wide but elaborately moulded transom bar. This transom bar is divided into three members: cornice, architrave, and

97 frieze. The mouldings of the transom bar all break around the colonett~ projections. The flutes of the columns con­ tinue from the necking to the stone platform without a base as in the Classic Doric order, but the columns are finished at the top with modified Corinthian capitals. The usual pilaster supporting the porch entablature at the house is omitted and., a carved console or bracket substituted. The three-member entablature is extremely plain and heavy compared with the capitals of the columns and the consoles.

CAMPBELL-WHITTLESEY HOUSE · The Campbell-Whittlesey House on the southwest cor­ ner of Troup and South Fitzhugh Streets was begun in 1835 for Benjamin Campbell, a wealthy miller of Roch­ ester. In 1848 the house was sold to Frederick F. Whit­ tlesey and remained in the possession of his descendants for eighty years when the "Society for Preservation of Landmarks in Western New York" acquired the building. It has been carefully restored by this society. The two-story brick Campbell-Whittlesey House has a very interesting plan, generally rectangular in shape. The front part is about thirty-six feet wide and thirty-two feet deep, and the rear wing extension about thirty-two feet wide with the four-foot break on the Fitzhugh Street side. The architect designed the gable roof to cover the entire plan and portico at the north end without a break. He accomplished this with the use of an enormous carved wood console or bracket about two feet wide at the rear end of the extension to carry the four-foot overhanging roof. Four fluted two-story Ionic columns, with entablature and pediment terminate the north end. The two front

98 South Entrance, Campbell-Whittlesey House, ~ochestet, N. Y.

99 parlors each have two windows, the spacing of which has no relation to the spacing of the columns of the portico.

Both entrances are on the Fitzhugh Street side. The front entrance-a very interesting design-has the usual wood door, mullions, and transom bar all deeply recessed. The pilasters and two-member entablature enframement _are n1ade of cut stone.- In this entrance the pilaster-faced mul­ lions on each side of the door extend upward to the soflit of the entrance opening, _and the transom bar sets back of and in between the mullions. The stone pilasters of the en­ f ramement are nine diameters high with a moulded cap and support an entablature which consists of a simple frieze and cornice. The entrance, as a whole, has a very vertical feeling, because of the attenuated pilasters and the mullions extending the full height of the opening.

The interior details throughout the house are very inter­ /esting. They are in good scale, individual in design, and in harmony with the Greek spirit. The black and gold marble mantels in the parlors and dining room, the doors framed with pilasters and entablatures or with splayed architraves, and the typical Greek "ears" at the top are all very delight­ ful architectural details. The so-called "ears" or crossettes in the original Greek construction were formed by the pro­ jection of the lintel stone beyond the side- posts of the open­ ing. In Greek Revival work the "ears" or crossettes are often more than twice as wide as the architrave moulding.

Another interesting detail in this house is the design. of the wall between the two front parlors. The opening is eight feet wide and has a very wide architrave moulding with the "ears" at the top and splayed sides. A flat member, eleven inches wide across the top, is decorated with a

100 plaster scroll and palmettes, and on the wide flat member at the top of each side architrave is also a scroll and palm­ ette. In the remaining wall space, between the opening sur­ round and the corner of the room, on each side is a sunken panel about fourteen inches wide and eight feet high with palmette decorations of plaster in the center and at the top and bottom. It has been impossible to obtain the name of the architect of this house, but the details suggest the work of Daniel and Isaac Loomis. The front entrance door and the design of the wall between the two parlors are taken from plates in "The Beauties of Mod~rn Architecture" published by Minard LaFever in 18 35. If the Campbell-Whittlesey house was begun in 18 35, and was several years in the process of construction, it is possible for the Loomises to have obtained a copy of this book, or it is possible that Mr. Campbell purchased from Mr. LaFever the designs for the entrance and the.. parlor wall. It was customary at the time for architects to sell designs for entrances, mantels and other details separately.

HENRY CADY HOUSE Colonel Henry Cady built his home_ on the northwest corner of Plymouth and Edinburgh Streets in 1839, while he was engaged in constructing the new Erie Canal aque­ duct. He sold the house to Henry S. Redfield in 1867, and in 187 6 it came into the possession of Solomon Hess. The front or n1ain part of the house is nearly square in plan, with a center entrance. A one-story porch, which ex­ tends across three-quarters of the front, has square posts at the corners and two columns between the posts. The main cornice is a simple three-member type, with a hip

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42'--I0" @ • • • • • Fl'R..ST FLOOR. 'P.LAN 3(,,!~n JONATHAN C.HILD HOUSE.. 1 FI R..5T rJ...OOR -PLAN S<:.AJ.. E. El B e1" i fE~T' "R..C>c. H c.SYE."R-, ,'I,"(, C..AM'P'E>ELL-WHITTLE.5l:..Y HOUSE. ROC-H EST E.'R.., N..'(. roof above ending in a flat deck at the top. The maso11:ry walls are covered with a smooth cement. This was made from a secret formula in the possession of a French architect who came to this country in the 1830's. He died a few years later taking the secret with hin1. The house was originally of the New York City basement type with kitchen and dining room below the level of the grade. The fenestration is very interesting because the first- and second-floor windows are set in a recessed panel from the grade course to the cornice, with panels under the win­ dows. This is a favorite detail in modern sky-scraper con­ struction, and is looked upon as a modern invention.

JONATHAN CHILD HOUSE This mansion at 37 South Washington Street is the most ela~orate example of the Greek Revival in the Rochester area. It was built in 1837-1838 by Jonathan Child, the first mayor of Rochester, who was then at the height of his prosperity. In those days the house was often referred to as "Child's Folly." Child lived in the house until 1850 when financial reverses necessitated the sale of the house and its beautiful gardens. It was purchased by Mr. Wilder, one of the founders of the University of Rochester. During his occupancy many brilliant gatherings were held there and many notable educators were entertained. From 1852 to 1856 the house was the residence of Free­ man Clark. It was then purchased by Frederick Stewart. From 1870 to 1879 it was the home of D.S. Hyde. . Throughout those years the Child House was one of the chief centers of the social life in the Third Ward. It is said that the first fancy-dress ball given in Rochester was held in this house by Frederick Stewart.

104 The plan of the house is nearly square, about forty-three feet wide and fifty-three feet deep, with a beautiful portico of five two-story Corinthian columns supporting a three­ member entablature and pediment. Although in the Classic Greek architecture we always find an even number of columns, S. P. Hastings, both in this and the Montgomery House, used a colonnade of five columns in the portico. This enabled him to plan two parlors across the front of the house, a social necessity of that era. Each parlor had two windows which were centered in the four spaces be­ tween the columns of the portico. The capitals of the columns are beautifully carved after the design of the capitals from the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates. Three members of the entablature which run around the house are also carved.

An elaborate projecting porch and entrance is located approximately in the center on each side of the house. They are connected by a wide hal~ which also co_ntains the stairway leading to the second floor. The entrance porches with fluted columns and Ionic capitals support a three-member entablature and pediment. Three members of the entablature are carved.

The only mark of separation between the two parlors across the front of the house is a wide beam of sufficient height to receive the three-member entablature. At each end the beam is supported by two fluted Corinthian columns with beautiful carved capitals. The four windows across the front have hinged panel doors under the sash so that when the lower sash is pushed up and the panel doors opened, access is obtained to the portico. On each side of the door and window openings are paneled pilasters with carved capitals.

105 HERVEY ELY HOUSE The stately old ~ansion on a knoll at the -corner of Liv­ ingston Park 'and Troup Street was built after 1834 for Hervey Ely, one of the notable leaders in early Rochester. The house was later owned successively by William Kidd, Aristarchus Champion, Jonathan Watson, and Dr. Howard Osgood. It is now the home of the Daughters of the Amer­ ican Revolution. The pl.in consists of a central two-story building embel­ lished with a portico of four Doric columns across the front. There are subordinated one-story wings at right angles to the axis of the two-story building. This type of plan, developed by the Greek Revival architects, always makes an excellent composition because the one-story wings give scale and gradually lead up to the two-story centrat.mass with its great portico and pediment. ) The dne-story wings have an interesting design motif on the street front. It consists of a pair of windows deeply recessed and separated by a wide pier in the form of a paneled anta with similarly designed antae framing the windows. These antae support a narrow frieze and modi­ fied cornice or belt course which is a very appropriate solution for the smaller wings. A beautiful low balcony of ornamental cast iron is located in front of this motif. On the wings above the cornice is a l9w solid parapet wall with coping which encloses a flat roof. " Antae in the original Greek construction were formed when the side walls of the temple extended beyond the line of the front wall and were thickened to form a pier. The effect being the same as if three pilasters had been applied, one on the face and one on each of the two sides of the projection. The three sides of the anta may be of

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THI MAIN LNT~ANCE TO THE tt£.'R..VEY tLY HOU~L --NOW THE D. A-.~- ..--. L l VJ N Ge'>TON. .:PA'R,K.. . "R..OCH'E...5TE.'R...., NEW YO:R.K. ~ a-/~ ~a,,,/~~ the same width, or that forming the face may be wider than the two in return. In Greek Revival work we often find "angular ~ntae," a face and one return. In a recessed entrance one face, or pilaster, is on the face of the building and one in the return of the recess. S. P. Hastings is said to have been the architect for this house and his work indicates that he was a faithful fol­ lower of classic details. He used them skillfully, and in such motifs as the wings of the Ely House, and in his individual plans, he clearly shows his ability as an architect. The four large Doric columns in the portico divide the f rant into three divisions or units. The entrance is located in the center of the right-end division. The door has two vertical panels and is flanked by mullions faced with fluted pilasters and carved caps. These support a wide transom bar which is divided into a frieze and cornice. Above the door is ;"-narrow transom sash the full width of the open­ ing. Between the pilaster mullions and the large plain pilasters which frame the opening there are narrow solid wood panels in place of sidelights. There is a simple three­ member entablature above the large pilasters, with a carved moulding in the bed mould of the cornice, and with elab­ orate! y carved acroteria, above the cornice, at both· ends and in the center. ·In the interior, the door and window openings of the first floor are flanked with pilasters. In the parlors, the paneled pilasters have carved capitals and moulded bases. The interior cornices of the various rooms do hot follow classic precedent, but consist of two members, a plain frieze about seven inches high and a moulded member about seven inches high, all formed in plaster. The ceilings are deeply recessed with moulded panels.

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'RO>.Nl!.L UN'O£'R, ~lt>f. I.IC.HT. I I J_ "f'AN~ - ~ ,;;·-~ ~ WI N-OOW T1LI M- PILA.$TB.'R.., -PA'ILLOR.., N°''"61 o..­ tiToo.a... ' ~ ,, 'f!OINE.L.. MOULD IN DOO'R... ~ rULL .SlZE ~R,OflLE:J Of MOULDlNG:S r''R..OM Tttt HOYT HOU5E ~LYMOUT~ AVL. :50UTH 1 5C.ALf. O'F fRO"fU.'E.S Fi H • Bi" ~,· 'R.O C 1-t E.. 5 TE. 'R., /-1 E.W YO'R. K... 11!-R..L.C..TLD Ae.ou,- le,.iU, ~,ef~~ HOYT-POND HOUSE This house at 13 J Plymouth Avenue South is said to have been built by David Hoyt in the middle 1820's. It was occupied by Isaac Hills, one of Rochester's pioneer lawyers, until 1828. lvlr. Hills lived in this Greek Revival house while he was building his home on the lot to the south in the Post-Colonial style.

Mr. Pond lived in this house more than eighty years. He was able to recall the days when the house was' re­ modeled in the 1850's by Isaac Loomis. According to Mr. Pond the house was originally built by Captain Daniel Loomis. The Hoyt-Pond house was one of the first examples of the Greek Revival in Rochester. It is a two-story frame building with a wide pilaster at each corner and two nar­ row pilasters between, farming three vertical divisions. A three-member entablature extends across the front above the pilasters with a frieze window over each second floor window. The wall space between the pilasters is covered with flush siding and the sides of the house are covered with clapboards. The design of the entrance at one side of the f rant is very similar to the one later used in the Nathaniel T. Rochester House.

The one-story porch across the f rorit, which appears to be one of the "improvements" in the remodeling of the 18 5O's, cuts the two-story pilasters of the front of the house in half, destroying the original design of the f rant. The porch has four square paneled posts with moulded caps which support a heavy three-member entablature. The panels have a carved palmette at the top, on each side of the post.

110 HOYT-POTTER HOUSE It was about 1840 that David Hoyt built his house at 13 3 South Fitzhugh Street. He was one of the first book sellers in Rochester, his store being for many years at six State Street. In 18 50 he sold his home to Henry S Potter. In the following year Mr. Potter became one of the or­ ganizers of the New York and Mississippi Printing Tele­ graph Company of which he ,vas made president. During 185 6 this Company changed its name to the Western Union Telegraph Company and Mr. Potter was succeeded by Hiram Sibley as president. This two-story brick house has an "L"-shaped plan, the front or main part being nearly square. A three-member wood entablature with grilled frieze windows extends around the house. At the top of the hipped roof is a flat deck which is surrounded by a balustrade. Across the front of the ~ouse is a one-story .porch with five fluted columns and a heavy entablature with a low balustrade. The entrance is on the -side, as in a number of Roch- . . . ester houses, in the form of a projecting porch with col- umns, entablature, and low railing around the top. The moulding profiles in this house are crude and heavy, being no doubt the work of one of the many new amateur ;builders in the rapidly growing city.

INGERSOLL-KLINCK HOUSE This house was built near Cobb's Hill at 1145 Monroe Avenue in the 1830's by Mr. Ingersoll of LeRoy. Later it came into the possession of Stephen Otis, an uncle of General Elwell S. Otis. After the civil war it was bought by Colonel John G. Klinck. It is a two-story frame house,

111 with a rectangular plan, the narrow end of which is toward the street. A two-story Ionic portico of four columns faces the street; with· a three-member entablature and pedi­ ment. The walls of the house are covered with narrow clapboards with one-half-inch-thick butts. The entrance centers in the space bet~een the two right-end columns of the portico and leads into. the long stair hall along the right side of the house. The entrance is made up of the typical units-door, pilaster mullions between door and sidelights, a wide transom bar, and narrow transom sash. The two .parlors on the left side of th~ house are separated by a wide elliptical arch. Each parlor has a gray marble mantelpiece.

THE JEROME HOUSES In the late 1840's there were several of the narrow front three-story houses built on South Fitzhugh Street. This type of house was very popular in the larger east­ coast cities, but it never found favor in Rochester. The two houses at numbers 88 and 90 were built in 1848 for '\ Lawrence and Leonard Jerome, publishers of the Roch- ester American, a daily and weekly newspaper. Their newspaper, which was established on December 23, 1844, became the organ of the "Know Nothing" party in Roch­ ester. The Lawrence Jerome House at 88 Fitzhugh Street is a three-story house with the entrance on one side of the narrow front and two windows to one side of the entrance. The entrance has the typical pilasters and three-member cornice in cut stone. The cornice has a very wide projec­ tion and is Victorian in design. The hipped roof is crowned with a large lantern pierced with windows.

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NUMBER 80 SOUTH FITZHUGH STREET This is another example of the narrow-front three­ story brick house. It has the simple pilastered entrance with a three-member cornice across the top, and the two windows on one side of the entrance. The floors above have three windows across the front. A simple two­ member cornice of Greek design extends across the front only.

LIVINGSTON PARK -SEMINARY The original two-story building of the Livingston Park Seminary was built in the 1820's a~d is a beautiful example of Post-Colonial architecture. We are interested however, in the one-story _extension of nine feet on the north side,

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C.OR. t-1 I CE.. OVt:'R. .:E.NTR..ANCe:. t>001v ~I.I..A6T£.'1L TO TH[ LlVL/\JGeJTON :PK.2>LMINA'R-Y 5E...C..TIOl'-I "/¥ LIVING:STOJ\l -PK. AND ~PRING 5T 'R.OCtt,E.,>TI::R..,NY ~J~ .. which lengthened the original living room and thus per­ mitted· the construction of two parlors in place of the living room. A new entrance, as well as a north porch were also added in the alteration of 18 3 8. The north porch is only six feet wide with four one-story Ionic columns and a three-member entablature which is too heavy for the slender columns. The entrance consists of a door with a single panel which has two carved mouldings around it; narrow mul­ lions with caps, wide transom bar, a narrow transom sash, and sidelights. The opening is framed with narrow pilas­ ters thirteen diameters high, with a two-member ~ntabla­ ture. The frieze and cornice of the entablature are only fifteen inches high. The proportions and profiles of_ the mouldings in this work are the most refined and delicate to be found in the Greek Revival work and were never taken from any car­ penter's handbook. We have been unable to discover the name of the architect, but from indications, it appears to be the work of the Loomises. They had a tendency to keep their mouldings small in scale and sharp in profile.

MONTGOMERY HOUSE

The Montgomery House, now destroyed, was located at 160 Spring Street. The lot, which was part of the orig­ inal one hundred-acre tract purchased by Rochester, Car­ roll, and Fitzhugh, became the property of Harvey i\1ont­ gomery in 18 32. He sold it to Dr. Maltby Strong in 18 3-5 who built. the house but never lived in it. Strong resold it to Harvey i\1ontgomery in 18 38. The plan of the house was nearly square. Across the

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LINLEY M. MOORE HOUSE When Lindley M. Moore came to Rochester in 1829, he purchased 170 acres of land in the region of Lake Avenue and Lake View Park for which he paid $30.00 per acre. He was a man of scholarly attainments. His family, consisting of his wife and five children, first lived in a log cabin. In 18 31 he built the two-story brick house still standing at 16 Lake View Park. It is now used as a convent home by the Sisters of Nazareth Academy. When this house was built in 18 31, on top of a knoll, called by Mr.. Moore Pomona Hill, a virgin forest extended in all directions except for the road which was cut through from Rochesterville to Hanford' s Landing and the Lake. In 18 35

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~~~ O t• 2• 3• SCALe. op DLTAIL-S he sold his home and moved to a house on Elizabeth Street and for a tim~, lat~r in life, he was principal of No. 5 school. The two-story red brick house is rectangular in plan with the long side p4rallel to the street. It is the typical Colonial plan with a center entrance flanked by two win­ dows on each side. A one-story porch extends part way across the front of the house. The horizontal three-member entablature which surrounds the house has small frieze win­ dows over each of the second-floor windows. A low paneled railing above the cornice hides the flat-pitched hip roof. · The center entrance, which includes the typical door, sidelights, and transom, is unusual. The architrave consists of a wide plain member with a moulding at the outer edge, with projecting "ears" or crossettes at the top. The wide flat member of the architrave is ornamented with a series of carved rosettes. This type of entrance feature was in­ spired by the Erechtheum door. The mass and general proportions of this house are very charming, but the details and profiles of the mouldings are rather crude and heavy.

MUDGETT HOUSE This house, built in the early 1830's at 71 South Fitz­ hugh Street, is illustrated in "O'Reilly's sketches of Roch­ ester" published in 18 38, and has always been known as the "Mudgett House." . . Although the house has been remodeled several times, the front portico and front elevation are in the original state. The front or main portion is a two-story brick structure with a rectangular plan. The narrow portico-end

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£.AST AVE.t-lU'E. LLE.VATION LL"II.MV Cf' MA'Mt'IU"I..& J' C: A1.Lo 1°-0" .L•• TPIL MA.IH WAJ.,1..:S ~!, OT :&'RIC.k.,.!Jr.1'" ON A !Yl"oNL 21M0<.t<. ~-+ Y'OUNPATION WAJ.L, 1H.OC~ H"'-Vt. A ~H "f'INl!>H, A-.OUr G"• 11'.' THL l.lNTLL6 OV&ll. THL WIHOOW& AM. CA.ST llt.ONI """INTl:0 WHITL, I\Ll.. ILJ1Ta1t,.1elll, WOOD 'r"-IP+.,,AI, CO ..MIC.L&,W!t,\OOW-. COLUMN& A1l.C...... INTl.'D WHITL. ~HVTn.11..• AND tJamt.a AlL& 'P'AINTLO A 'l>A•M. '&1..0& (il--•&1". THI WINDOW a11.,a..e ANO e.NT ..... ~all!,. .STL.f".S ...... oTOML,

TYPICA.a.. 'L'KA,.....,..L.&. OP' THL G&'ftLLtt..- 1UVIVA&., IN 'R.OCHl.&'T&.1'.., NLW YOIU(. T t-tE. :E..'R.IC K50N--P.ERKI N5 HOUSE. HOW ,01o4c_ Q&NL4'L& VAL.L.LY CI.UJ') ~~~ a..,?! . ------.t..8..-: faces the street. This beautiful portico of four fluted Ionic columns with ~he typical Ionic base, finished at the top with beautiful Ionic capitals modeled after those found on the Portico of the Temple of Minerva Polias, extends across the front. The cqlumns support a complete three­ member entablature with a pediment. The three-member entablature continues around the house with a carved member in the cornice, the bed moulding, and the top member of the frieze. The four columns divide the front into three divisions. In the center of the right division is the entrance. A full height window is located on the axis of the other two divisions. The entrance consists of the usual door, sidelights, and transom sash. The mullions flanking the door are faced with pilasters and caps supporting a wide transom bar which is divided into architrave and cornice. The entrance recess is framed with antae and a two-member entabla­ ture consisting of a frieze and cornice. Above the cornice, at the corners and in the center, are located acroteria. The antae and frieze are paneled, and at each end of the panels are carved palmettes. An interesting detail is that the architect or master builder did not use a pilaster to support the soffit of the porch cornice at the corners of the house. Instead, he built in small cut-stone quoins from the grade to the archi­ trave of the entablature.

ERICKSON-PERKINS HOUSE This stately old mansion at 421 East Avenue was built by Aaron Erickson in 1842. Later it became the home of

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o I" 2.• 3" SCALI!. OF "f'R.OFILII.~ -m..~,IZ...d~~ c-1 f. ,a~ Gilman Perkins and is now the home of the Genesee Val­ ley Club. Mr. A_aron Erickson was born February, 1806, in Allentown, N. J., and came to Rochester in 1823. He first went to work for C. H. Bicknell as a worker in the manufacture of axles a119 ,similar iron work. He often re­ f erred with pride to the fact that he made the iron yoke that swung the bell in the old St. Luke's Church.

The house has been altered and additions have been added on several occasions. We know that the east wing was a later addition, and from indications, the west wing was also added at a later date. The original rectangular cen­ ter-block is a dignified two-story brick structure with a cen­ ter entrance flanked on each side by two windows. A simple three-member entablature extends around the build­ ing, the frieze and architrave of which are plain boards. The line or break between the frieze and architrave is the r_esult of beveling the face of the architrave. The flat­ pitched hip roof ends in a flat deck which is surrounded by a solid-paneled balustrade. The windows have louvred blinds, gray limestone sills, and cast-iron lintels painted to look like stone. The lintels are paneled with a raised palmette between scrolls cast in relief in the center.

The entrance porch is a handsome and dignified design, with paired Doric columns setting on wide stone piers, on each side of the partially recessed steps. The channeled columns, and capitals, as well as the three-member entabla­ ture are made of wood. Although the profiles of the mould- · ings and the various details are rather heavy and crude, the relationship benveen these various parts and the entire mass is excellent.

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TH'REL 'R...OCHE.STE.R MA-NTE.L5 s"~•w .zt.o•• ~I'' .Sc AL-.E.- E.~E.VAT'I ONS M I -Pl!.TAIL.:!> I=+ I • WILLIAM PITKIN, HOUSE This house .at 474 East Avenue, now the home of Mr. and Mrs. Gilman Perkins, was built in 1840 by William Pitkin. He came to Rochester in 1814 and engaged in the wholesale and retail druggist trade at 14 Buffalo Street. In 1845, Mr. Pitkin was appointed mayor of the city of Rochester by the Common Council. His appointment was the result of an unusual election in which Rufus Keeler, the Locofoco candidate and John Allen, the Whig, received within two votes of each other. It became neces­ sa~y to select a third man for the post and Pitkin was chosen. This house, originally a two-story brick structure, has been remodeled since it was built. The entrance is im­ posing; it has a projecting porch with paired wood Doric columns on rather high cut-stone Jjlatforms with the stairs extending up between them. A three-member entablature closely follows the classic proportions complete with mu­ tules and guttae, or drops. Triglyphs were omitted; but there is a continuous row of guttae or drops under the taenia which is the upper moulding on the architrave.

NATHANIEL T. ROCHESTER HOUSE The house ,which stood at 36 South Washington Street was built in 1838 on the north end of Colonel Nathaniel Rochester's lot for the Colonel's son, Nathaniel Thrift Rochester. It was designed by Captain Daniel Loomis. In 1869, this house was purchased by Dr. Maltby Strong, who died there in 187 8. He was a Yale graduate and first practiced medicine in Boston. After coming to Rochester in 18 32, he devoted himself to business for several years,

126 Entrance, Nathaniel T. Rochester House, Rochester, N. Y.

127 operating a flour mill and a cotton mill. He later returned to the practic~ of medicine.

The Nathaniel T. Rochester house which stood just opposite the Child H9u_se, one of the most pretentious in the Genesee Valley, was plain and simple in comparison. It is interesting to compare the designs, plans and details of these two houses, because they clearly show how- Roch­ ester's first two architects interpreted the Greek Revival style. Although the work of Loomis is rather severe, it is nevertheless a very interesting and dignified type of Greek Revival. He used the typical rectangular plan with the narrow end toward the street. The entrance was lo­ cated at one side of the front with two windows to one side. At each of the two front corners of the house was a two-story corner pilaster with a simple Roman Doric capital. It supported a simple three-member entablature and pediment, the slope of which determined the pitch of the roof.

The walls of the house were of painted brick; the win­ dow sills and lintels, of cut stone. The entrance was the usual Loomis design, a door with two vertical panels, flanked by wide mullions and narrow sidelights, with half mullions at the ends. The wide mullions flanking the door, and the half mullions at the ends, wer~ faced with paneled pilasters with simple moulded caps and bases. They sup­ ported a wide moulded transom bar and narrow transom sash. The entrance was set in a masonry recess with cut­ stone lintel and sill without any enframement.

The mouldings were simple and small in scale compared to classic proportions, but they were unquestionably de­ rived from one of Asher Benjamin's hand books.

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F-4 E3 I ONa. INC:.H Ca.t(~ ~uH. THE EPAPHRAS WOLCOTT HOUSE The Wolcott House was built on the corner of Mount Hope Avenue and Clarissa Street, about 1830, by Epaphras Wolcott who came to Rochester from Connecticut in the middle twenties. He founded the Wolcott Distillery in 18 27. For a time the house was also used as a tavern.

It is a frame house with clapboards on the exterior walls. The narrow end is toward the street, with the entrance at one side and two windows to the left of it. The entrance door, narrow mullions, sidelights, and transom are set u~der a projecting porch. A fluted Doric column set in front of a pilaster on each side of the entrance, supports the three-member entablature of the porch. A solid wood paneled balustrade is located above the cornice. The so flit of the cornice is embellished with mutules, and the taenia, or moulding across the top of the architrave, has groups of guttae or drops.

LYON-CHAPIN HOUSE The Lyon-Chapin House, on the northeast corner of Troup and South Fitzhugh Streets, was built for Edmond Lyon in 1832. He was a wool manufacturer whose mills played a prominent part in the development of the com­ mercial prosperity of Rochester in its early days. The house was purchased in 1886 by W. E. Chapin from Ed­ mond Lyon, Junior, and is now the property of the Greek Orthodox Church.

The house has been much altered. The various additions make it very difficult to .Picture its original appearance. However, it has many characteristics from both the Greek Revival and Post-Colonial styles. The stepped brick end

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THE ~ONATHAN CHILD HOU5L "R.O CH 'E..STE."R- ~ N.Y. 'e>U ILT 1es7-1a:3e, H'AST IN GiS A'R..CHITE..C.T, '11tuu,.~~ ~/f.S gables with elliptical windows are Post-Colonial. The original entrance p.as been removed, but the two-story Ionic columns and entablature of the side portico remain. The beautiful wood fence surrounding the grounds was added later by Isaac Loomis.

ROCHESTER FEMALE SEMINARY This house at 81 South Fitzhugh Street is one of the first buildings erected in the city of Rochester for private school purposes. Although alterations have completely changed it, the front portico and facade remain as they were when originally built. It is a typical transition type of architecture with many features in either the Greek Revival or Post-Colonial styles. The plan is rectangular in shape with the narrow end facing the street. A portico of four Doric columns with a three-member entablature ex­ tends across the narrow street end. Above the portico, the gable end of the roof is finished to form a pediment. The three-member entablature of the portico continues around the building. In this instance, the simply designed entrance is in the center of the front and is located on the axis of the center division of the portico. It consists of a door flanked by sidelights with a transom sash across the top. The enframe­ ment consists of a narrow architrave· moulding with cor­ ner blocks. A stone. lintel across the top of the entrance is the only decorative feature. The lintel is of the "Stepped" type; that is, the middle third of the length of the stone lintel is higher or wider than the end thirds. A moulding is formed across the top, breaking around the higher center section, and a carved panel is located in the center third with narrow sunken panels on each side. It was a favorite

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The Seminary was built" in 18 35 by a group of citizens who, desiring to establish a school for their daughters, sub­ scribed $4,000 for the- purpose. The site was purchased for $300.00 and a contract for the building was given to Nehemiah Osburn for $2,809.00. It was used for a private school for girls until 190 3, and was known for years as the "Nichols School." Now it is a part of an apartment building.

SHAW HOUSE

A charming little brick house at 17 Atkinson Street was built by Henry Shaw of St. Louis for his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Shaw, about 18 37. The plan is "L"-shaped and the main part of the house is nearly square with a one­ story wing extending to the rear. It has a three-member entablature across the front and a gable roof the ridge of which is parallel to the street. The architrave and frieze do not continue all the way across the front but return on themselves before reaching the corners. The cornice only projects beyond the front wall and continues up the sides to form a rake cornice. This is another Post-Colonial feature adapted by the Greek Revival builders.

The entrance feature, on one side of the front, is re­ cessed in the brick opening. It consists· of a paneled door with mullions and sidelights. The mullions and wide frieze are not moulded, but have a series of recessed panels with quarter-round mouldings and fillet across the top of the frieze.

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DETAIL5 TROM HOU:3E AT 75 SOUTH' :r1TZHUGH- .ST. 'R-OCH-E..5TE.'R., N,Y

135 SEW ARD FEMALE SEMINARY The Seward Female Seminary, now at 240 Alexander Street, was originally erected on top of a hill where the Genesee Hospital now_stands. It was moved in 185 6, when it was purchased by Freeman Clark. Miss Seward's Female Seminary was one of the early schools in the city for the education of young women, having been completed in 1835. The school was conducted until 1855 by Miss Sarah T. Seward, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Abram Seward of New Lebanon, N. Y . . The two-story frame building, still standing, originally had wings at right angles to its axis, according to a print in "O'Reilly's History of Rochester" published in 18 37. The wings were removed when the house was moved. All that remains is the middle two-story section, the design of which has been ruined by the addition of a one-story porch and a modern entrance. The narrow end of the house faces the street. It is di­ vided into three panels by four two-story-high wood pilasters which support a three-member entablature and pediment. Instead of the usual flat-pitched roof, the roof was made rather steep because height was needed for the dormitories on the third floor . • When the Seminary was built the grounds consisted of five acres of land devoted to gardens and recreation areas. At that time the site was beyond .the city limit of Roch­ ester which was at Union Street.

SMITH-WILLARD HOUSE This dignified and interesting three-story brick house, now the home of the Rochester Historical Society, was

136 built during the year 1838-1841 by Silas 0. Smith. The place was called "Woodside" because it was located in a. grove of trees. Its plan is nearly square, with a frontage of fifty-four feet, and a depth of fifty feet. On each side of the center entrance there are two windows with five windows in the second floor over the openings below. A heavy three-· member entablature, with frieze windows and cast-iron grilles, continues around the house. Extending around the house above the cornice is a wooden balustrade. Partially hidden by the balustrade is a hipped roof which ends in a square platform surrounded with a similar balustrade and a beautiful lantern. -The lantern is octagonal in plan, with applied pilasters which support a circular entablature and railing. The entrance porch is about eighteen feet wide with only one Doric column at each en~ supporting a three­ member entablatrire and balustrade. The space between the columns is too wide, and the builders of the Pitkin and Erickson-Perkins houses profited by this mistake. The main stairs, with its semi-circular ends, curves from the ground floor up into the lantern on the roof without . . 1nterrupt1on. Windows and doors on the interior of the first floor are flanked with paneled pilasters eleven inches wide with carved caps, above which is a heavy three-member entabla­ ture twenty-six inches high. The pilaster capitals are similar to the capitals on the "Tower of the Winds" at Athens. First-fl9or ceilings are twelve feet high and are deeply paneled and decorated with center-flowers whose detail is not Greek, but Gothic in character. Interesting ~antels of black and gold marble with simple

137 but refined mouldings are to be found in each of the four principal first-floor rooms.

THOMAS- WEDDLE HOUSE It was in the 1830's that Mr. Thomas Weddle built his house at the corner of Exchange and Glasgow Streets. Exchange Street at that time was a fashionable neighbor­ hood where the ground on the opposite side of the street sloped down to the river in pl~asant tree-shaded lawns and gardens. That was before the Erie Railroad tracks were laid in 185 2. The main two-story portion is a rectangular-shaped plan, the narrow end of which faces Exchange Street. It is covered with a low-pitched gable roof, the ridge of which is parallel with the front wall of the house. A three­ member entablature extends across the front, the archi­ trave and frieze of which returns about three feet on th~ side elevations, while the cornice follows up the slope of the roof to form a rake cornice. A simple entrance, consisting of a door with transom sash framed with pilasters and entablature, is located at the south end of the front with two full-length parlor windows to the north of it. Second-story windows are located above the three first-floor openings. A one-story service wing extends to the south, at right angles to the main part of the house. It has a porch along the street front which at one time overlooked the gardens and river.

SAMUEL F. WITHERSPOON HOUSE The small story-and-a-half house at 25 Clarissa Street

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139 was built about 1832 of gray rubble stone walls. The name of the original owner has been lost. It was purchased in 1846 by Sam·uel Witherspoon w_ho lived in it until 1901. The plan is rectangular with the long side parallel to the street. The entrance·, is in the center, four feet above the grade, which with the aid of shallow areas permitted the building of large windows in the basement of the house. The simple entrance of pilasters and entablature is flanked by a single window on each side. The house has a flat-gable roof and three-member entablature. Although the proportions and the profiles of the mouldings are not as refined as they might be, they are in good scale with the stone walls and have a distinct and individual character.

NUMBER 75 SOUTH FITZHUGH STREET Built before 1840, this two-story brick house without pilasters and columns, is a typical example of the plain but dignified and refined architecture of that period. Usually unobserved by the passerby because of its closeness to the grand portico of the Mudgett House, its details are very simple and refined in comparison. It has a gable roof with the ridge parallel to the street, a three-member en­ tablature across the front, and beautiful wrought-iron grilles in the frieze windows. The original entrance has been replaced with one of Victorian ,design, but the stone surround to the entrance recess is still in place, consisting of cut-stone pilasters with caps and a modified three-member stone entablature. · The interior details in this house are some of the best found in this area. The pilasters, caps, cornice and other details are refined, conform to interior scale, and possess the character of having been cut from wood.

140 21 ATKINSON STREET The name of the original owner of the house at 21 Atkinson Street has been lost but the house must be in­ cluded in this list because of its simple charm. and dignity. It is a two-story brick building with a gable roof, the ridge of which is parallel to the street. The entrance is on the right side with two windows to the left and three windows across the front at the second floor. The en­ tablature has three members, cornice, frieze, and archi­ trave, with small grilled windows in the frieze. The entrance door, pilaster mullions, sidelights, transom bar, and sash are deeply recessed, with a paneled wood jamb and narrow beaded casing around the entire opening.

141 GREEK REVIVAL ARCHITECTURE IN THE VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER

O study Greek -Revival Architecture in something T like the atmosphere existing when these houses were built and to gain an understanding of the spirit of the style, we must visit a few of the villages near Rochester. There is also something more than mere buildings required if we are to become imbued with the atmosphere prevailing when they were built. The buildings and houses of the Greek Revival were not built on paved streets enclosed with straight lines of curbstones; nor were there sidewalks of hard gray concrete. In some of the villages we can still find winding sun-flecked roadways lined with spreading trees arching overhead. The straight lines of the cornices, columns, and pilasters of the houses are relieved by the play of light and shadow. In the large cities great changes have taken place. Generally the scattered Greek Revival houses are now a part of a conglomerated mass of un­ interesting buildings without trees or shaded lawns. There­ fore let us retrace our steps and visit a few of the villages where the ravages of our machine age are not so apparent and where the houses are still surrounded by tree-shaded lawns and often by the original white-painted fences. Frequently we can stand in one spot.and see two or three Greek Revival examples in settings just as they were a century ago. ADAMS BASIN Three miles west of Spencerport on the Erie Canal lies the canal port of Adams Basin, named after the Adams brothers who built a slip or inlet along the canal where

142 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES·NEAR ROCHESTER

boats could unload and take on cargos. These inlets or slips were called basins.

i\1arcus Adams built a very interesting and dignified Greek Revival house on the corner of Washington Street and Lyell Road sometime after 1852. The main two-story frame house is rectangular in plan, and the narrow gable end, which faces the highway, is finished in the form of a pediment. Corner pilasters were omitted and the narrow clapboards terminate against narrow corner boards. A two­ story wing, lower than the main house, extends to the south at right angles to the axis of the main building. This wing has a two-story portico along the highway front with square posts and a three-member entablature.

The entrance is at one side of the narrow front. It con­ sists of the usual door flanked by sidelights and a narrow transom sash above. It sets in a d~ep recess which has antae at the co~rners with simple moulded caps and bases and a three-member entablature. The details of this house, although simple, are refined and in excellent wood scale. The contrast of surfaces between the broad, plain wood surfaces of the antae, friezes, architraves, and posts, against the horizontal lines of the very narrow clapboards on the­ house, is very appealing.

After l\1arcus Adams died, in 1858, the house was owned for a short time by J. Pettingill who sold it to Joel P. Milliner. Milliner was a boat builder and lumber . dealer who came from Rothester. His father, Alexander l\1illiner, who lived with him in this house was born in 1760, served as drummer boy in Washington's body guard during the Revolutionary War. lVlr. Joel P. Milliner was a member of the State Legislature and one of the founders of the Rochester Savings Bank.

143 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER

AVON This village, first called Hartford, after Hartford, Con­ necticut, by its first set!_lers, was later called West Avon, but in 1808 the name was changed to Avon. The village grew up on the Indian trail that led from the Hudson River to the Niagara, and the springs around Avon had long been known to the Indians because of their "healing waters." During the thirties and forties of the Nineteenth Century, when the Greek Revival style was at its height, Avon was a great health resort. There were a number of the "Spa" type hotels similar to those developed in Saratoga Springs and the Catskills. Time and fires have dealt harshly with them. There is only one remaining and that has been altered and changed, but some of the atmosphere of those days remains. These "Spa" hotels were long narrow buildings, two or three stories in height, with porches at e~ch floor level and a continuous colonnade along the street front.

W. H. C. Hosmer, author of various poems about Indian traditions of the Genesee Valley, was born in Avon village in 1814. He has often been referred to as the "Bard of Avon."

CARY HOUSE (Avon Inn) This large mansion. was bu~lt as a private home in 1820 by a Mr. Cary but has been altered and added to several times. It required three years to build, and in those days carpenters worked ten or twelve hours a day for a dollar a day.

The original plan was near Iy square ,vith a two-story Ionic portico across the front and extending along the west side of the house. There arc five columns across the front, two very close together in front of the center entrance, and one opposite each pilaster at the corners of

144 Presbyterian Church, Brockport, N. Y.

145 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER the house. The spaces between the center columns and the columns opposite the corner pilasters are twice that of the space between the two center columns. The fifth column is located in line with-the portico columns which extend along the west side of the house, and this space is about the same as the narrow space between the two center columns. A sin1ple but massive threc-n1crnber entablature above the portico continues around the entire house. The entrance, consisting of door, sidelights and transom sash is deeply recessed. In front of the mullions on each side of the door, and in line with the pilasters which frame the recess, are f rec-standing, fluted columns with Ionic capitals. Acro­ teria, or carved ornaments above the center and ends of the cornice, are the n1ost elaborate carvings of their kind in this area.

65 MAIN STREET, Avon This two-story frame house, terminating in a hip roof, has wide pilasters \Vith moulded capitals at the corners and a thrcc-n1en1ber cntablature extending around the house.­ In the frieze over the second-story windows are frieze windows. The entrance at one side of the front has been ruined by the addition of a modern porch. It consists of a door with sidelights flanked by wide pilasters. On each of the small panes of glass in the sidelights is an individual painting on glass.

BROCKPORT After the location of the Erie Canal was determined in 181 7; the point where it was to cross the Lake Road soon becan1e a busy place. Enterprising men who saw its value, bought out the early settlers. That portion of the village lying ,vest of the Lake Road was purchased by Hiel Brock­ way fro111 John Phelps for thirteen dollars per acre, and,

146 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER

since Brockway was the largest owner of village land, his name was given to the village by common consent. Brock­ port was incorporated a village in 18 2 3.

ROGERS-SEYMOUR HOUSE This house, at twenty-nine State Street, was built in 1825-26 by Pelatiah Rogers who came to Brockport with his family from Colun1bia County. It is a two-story brick building that has been much altered, and is now known as the Seymour Library. In 1846 the house was transferred to William Seymour who ljved in it for many years. Julie P. Smith, who wrote novels in the vein of Mary J. Holmes, referred to the house in one of her novels as "Rogers Folly." It was completely remodeled in 1865 by Henry Searle, an architect from Rochester. He was responsible for the man­ sard roof and advised that the red_ brick walls should be painted gray, and gray they have been since. The entrance door was changed to a pair of Victorian doors, but the projecting porch remains as it was originally built. Two be~utiful Doric colun1ns support a three-member entabla­ ture. The large porch at the side of the house <>verlooking the gardens is an interesting solution of the ever difficult porch problem. An interesting local detail in Brockport is a wide "V"-shaped channel cut vertically through the center of the pilasters nearly as deep as the projection of the pilaster. It occurs on the pilasters under the porch in this house, as well as in a number of other houses, and on the pilasters in the belfry of the Presbyterian Church.

26 ERIE STREET, Brockport This house is typical of the sn1aller type of Greek Re­ vival houses in Brockport. The plan is rectangular in shape with the narrow end toward the street. A simple three­ men1ber entablature extends along the sides of the house

147 ARCI-IITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER and the frieze and architrave return about three feet on the front and reat elevations, while the cornice follows the slope of the roof to f orn1 the rake-cornice of the gable ends. The entrance is at one s1de of the narrow front. A project­ ing porch is built in front of the usual entrance consisting of door, sidelights, and transon1 sash. Two well-designed Doric colun1ns setting on low wood pedestals support a three-men1ber entablature. The pilasters against the house have the vertical "V" channel in the center. The wall sur­ f ace appears to be a series of nar~o\v horizontal bands 1nade by the narrow clapboards and their highlights and shadows, arid which n1akes a very appealing contrast to the broad, plain surfaces of the Greek Revival details. The bottom edges of the clapboards arc often one-half inch or more in thickness.

THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

The Presbyterian Church, built in 1851-185 3 at a cost of $12,000, is a rectangular brick structure with a gable roof. A three-me1nber wood cornice extends around the build­ ing, and at the narrow front and rear ends, forms a pedi­ n1ent with flush wood hoards in the tympanum. On the roof is a large square base on which is built the belfry. This base has paired, plain, vertical bJocks at the corners on all sides and heavy belt-n1otdding around the top. The well-proportioned belfry which sets on this base has a solidly designed pilaster ,vith the vertical "V" channel and carved cap at each corner. These pilasters support the usual entablature upon \vhich rests the base f orn1ing the transi­ tion fro1n the square belfry to the graceful octagonal spire. It is ren1arkable hcnv the Greek Revival builders achieved the feeling of strength and solidity in the various church to,vers. There ,vcre no classical Greek exan1ples for them to follo,v. The builders took the n1otif of the tovver, belfry,

148 Entrance 56 South Main Street, Churchville, N. Y.

149 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER

and spire from the Colonial and Post-Colonial churches and applied to these forms, proportions and n1ouldings taken from Greek Revival handbooks. They designed pilasters, entablaturcs, and __ ,details in such a manner and spirit that they are in harn1ony with the Greek Revival architecture of the building. Starting upon a solid, strong base or platform the details and n1ouldings decrease in strength and scale as they ascend through belfry and spire. They not only express the wood n1aterial of which the towers were built, but create a f celing of strength and solidity as \Veil. When the church was built in 1851 there was a recessed porch with colun1ns, and stone steps in front of the recess, but in the nineties, unfortunately, the en­ trance was re1noved and the present projecting porch was built. CHURCHVILLE Churchville was named in honor of Samuel Church who in 1808 built the first saw mill in _the town of Riga just opposite the present village of Churchville. At one time he owned the land where Churchville is now located.

UNION CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH The present Greek Revival structure was built in 185 2- 185 3 and dedicated l\1ay 18, 185 3. It is typical of many found in this area. The plan is rectangular in shape, the narrow end facing the street and the building is covered with a flat pitched gable roof. A· simply designed three­ n1en1ber entablature continues around the entire building and f orn1s a pediment at the narrow gable ends. At the corners are wide paneled pilasters with n1oulded caps and a plain base. On the roof is a square base upon which is built a square belfry. The belfry has paired pilasters on each side of a louvered opening and a three-member entablature above. Above the entablature is built a smaller square base

150 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER with a domical top. There arc two separate entrances of simple design on each side of the front, the doors of which are enfran1ed with paneled pilasters, moulded caps, and a three-n1cmber entablature. The crown moulding of the cornice and the cchinus moulding on the capitals are a large cyn1a re eta, shaped something like the letter "S." It appears also in several other houses in Churchville.

l\1oses Dole is said to have been the master builder in charge of building this church. It is very likely he also built the other Greek Revival houses in Churchville because of the similarity of the peculiar mouldings which we find on these houses.

_22 NORTH MAIN STREET, Churchville This Greek Revival example is typical of this village. The main story-and-a-half frame house is rectangular in plan and is finished with a gable roof. The narrow end, facing the street, has narrow paneled pilasters at the corners. Both the frieze and architrave of the three-member entab­ lature return on the front elevation only twice the width of the corner pilaster. A one-story wing extends to the south at right angles to the axis of the main house, and has a sn1all porch on the street side. This narrow porch is divided into two bays by two square posts and a pilaster against the house. On the center lines of the two bays are located the entrance door and a ,vindow. Exterior wall surfaces of the church as well as the houses in Churchville are faced with medium-width clapboards with rather thick bottom edges.

56 SOUTH MAIN STREET, Churchville On South l\:Jain Str~et, ad joining the railroad tracks, there is a two-story f ran1c house which has the typical nar­ r6w facade facing the street and the entrance on one side

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The Bowman-Furnald House, Clarkson, N. Y. ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER of the front. This entrance is very interesting and unusual in design. The· mullions between the door and sidelights and between the sidelights and the jamb of the deep recess are very wide. In front of the mullions are free-standing attenuated Greek Doric columns. These columns support a small-scale three-member entablature. The entablature returns or breaks back between the columns in front of the mullions a distance equal to the diameter of the neck of the columns. Above the entablature in the space usually given to the transom sash are three horizontal wood panels. The complete entrance is surrounded with a six-inch-wide architrave moulding. In this entrance the builder combined the various parts and members into an unusual and inter­ esting frontispiece.

CLARKSON Clarkson is a very quaint little village about twenty miles west of Rochester on the Ridge Road. At first it was called Murray Corners, but the nan1e was later changed to Clark­ son after Mathew Clarkson. Its beginning dates back to 1804, about two years after the Lake Road from LeRoy was cut through to Lake Ontario. Clarkson was a very important point on the Ridge Road west of Rochester until the Eric Canal came; then Brockport superseded Clarkson. l\1ost of the beautiful examples of early archi­ tecture are still standing, because business moved to Brock­ port and Clarkson remained a small village.

BOWMAN-FURNALD HOUSE The Bowman-Furnald House was built by John Bow­ man, but he never lived in it. After its completion it was purchased by Captain W arrcn, a canal boat captain, inter­ ested in a canal transport line. He resided in the house until 1880. It is a two-story brick house with a flat hip-roof

154 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER crowned with a very large square cupola. The long side of the house, facing the highway, is divided in five units by six pilasters; three of the center units arc assigned to the projecting portico. In front of these four center pilasters are located four Corinthian columns supporting a three­ member entablature and pediment. The two units or bays, at each end of the front, have a window in the center. A three-member entablature continues around the house and is very heavy in proportion, although the bed moulding of the cornice has a

HASKELL-DURKEE HOUSE This house was built about 1841 by Lemuel Haskell, one of the two Haskell brothers, who were Clarkson's most prominent builders. It is said that most of the houses built · in Clarkson between 1840 and 1860 were the work of the Haskell brothers. The plan is the typical rectangular Post­ Colonial center-entrance type. It is a broad two-story brick house with a gable roof, the ridge of which is parallel to the street. A projecting porch with two free-standing Doric columns supporting a three-member entablature and pediment is flanked on each side by two windows. The main cornice across the front of the house is built up of the three usual divisions; cornice, frieze, and architrave. The few Greek Revival characteristics indicate that the builder was m·aking one of his early attempts to master the

155 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER new Greek Revival style. He was still under the influence of Post-Colonial proportions which he was "dressing up" with Greek Revival details.

LEE-DURYEA HOUSE This narrow-front, two-story house, was built about 184 3 bv David Lee. l"'he entrance is at one side of the front " with two windows to the south of it. It consists of the usual door, n1tdlions, sidelights and transom sash, enframed by two paneled pilasters with delic~tely moulded caps. They support a three-mcn1bcr cntablaturc, the mouldings of which arc interesting and in good scale. Under the taenia moulding of the architrave there is a continuous row of very small guttae or drops. The entablature is divided into three parts; cornice, f riczc, and architrave. They are of rather delicate scale for Greek Revival details. The bed moulding of the cornice is in the form of a "beak" mould­ ing. The architrave member is only about five inches wide, and is divided into two parts, a "beak" moulding and a facia.

BALDWIN-MAW HOUSE Dr. Abel Baldwin built his new brick house in 1819 on the site of a previous frame tavern. In this house the first town meeting was held in 1820 and Clarkson became an incorporated village. Dr. Baldwin also built the Selden House, on the lot to the west, for his qaughter Laura who married Henry R. Selden. The Seldens had twelve chil­ dren, one of them being George B., who held the auto­ mobile patent.

It is a rather large two-story brick structure with a rectangular plan and a gable roof. The narrow, gable-end of the house, faces Ridge Road. ·Along both sides of the house the cornice is designed like an entablature, with cornice, frieze, and architrave; but at the ends the archi-

156 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER trave and frieze return only about two feet and the cornice follows up the slope of the gable roof to form the rake­ cornice. At one side of the narrow front is located the main entrance which has been mutilated by the addition of a modern porch which covers the original entablature. The­ entrance door is flanked by narrow mullions and sidelights. In this case the mullions extend through the transom bar to the soffit of the entrance opening with carved brackets on the face of the mullions of the same height as the tran­ som sash. The transom bar is very narrow and is recessed between the mullions. Large pilasters flank the entrance, with well-designed capitals, the mouldings of which break around the pilasters and continue across the top of the entrance under the architrave moulding of the entablature. In the first- and second-floor hall of this house the walls are covered with the original paper, imported from Hol­ land for Dr. Baldwin more than one hundred years ago.

4 The interiors of the houses in Clarkson are very plain. The halls and parlors have heavy paneled doors with archi­ traves which have battered sides and the projecting "ears," or crossettes, at the top. In several of the houses the wall between the two parlors has a large op~ning with double sliding doors surrounded by similar architraves. The base moulding is from ten to twelve inches high, and the walls are finished with a smooth plaster without wainscot mould­ ing or paneling of any kind.

FAIRPORT The first log cabin on the site which is now Fairport was built by Jesse Handford on what is known as the Solomon l\1allett farm. l\1r. Isaac Beers built the first frame house in Fairport in 181 7. Early in the year 18 2 2 the Erie Canal was completed through the settlement to Bushnell's Basin, and the· completion of this water-highway inaugu-

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Entrance, King-Vanderhoof House, Fairport, N. Y.

158 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER

rated trade and communications with the east. It established the hamlet consisting of seven log cabins and l\1r. Beer's frame house. Time has dealt harshly with the Greek Revival houses of Fairport. Many of them have been destroyed to make room for business buildings, or have been mutilated by alterations and so-called improvements.

KING-VANDERHOOF HOUSE This is a two-story frame house built in 1815 by Chaun­ cey King, at 62 West Avenue. The main entrance consists of the usual door, sidelights, and transom sash ,vhich are deeply recessed to permit ~omplete antae at the corners of the recess. A simple three-member entablature over the antae completes the entrance enframement. Mr. Ramson Vanderhoof, who lived in this house from 18 56 to 189 3, was a canal forwarder.

JERMIAH CHADWICK; HOUSE

~ Mr. Chadwick, who with Mr. Beardsly, owned much of the land west of Main Street, built his house about 1849, at 79 West Avenue. It is a rectangular two-story frame house with its narow end facing the street. The sides of the. house have a full three-member entablature, the architrave and frieze of which return about two feet at the front and rear ends. The cornice, only, follows the line of the gable roof and forms the raking cornice. At the corners of the house are narrow ten-inch-wide pilasters with simple moulded caps. The entrance at one side of the narrow front is under a projecting porch with square posts. These posts have moulded caps and a three-member entablature above, as well as a low, solid paneled balustrade. The manner in which the builder continued the moulding of the pilaster caps across the transom bar of the entrance and located the transon1 .sash above the soffit of the entablature is a very interesting detail.

159 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER

MARTIN WOOD HOUSE l\1r. Wood built his home at 42 West Street in 1851. It is sin1ilar to the other GTe,ek Revival houses of Fairport with a rectangular-shaped plan, the narrow end of which faces West Street, and the entrance located at one side of the front. This entrance consists of a door flanked bv side- ~ lights, with a transon1 bar and sash across the top. The n1ullions have sin1ple n1oulded caps. A sin1ple architrave moulding surrounds the entrance opening instead of the usual pilasters and entablature. .

HEINES-ROWELL HOUSE l\1r. Roswell B. Heines bought this land on West Church Street in 184 7 and ~nost likely built this house soon there­ after. Sarah Wilcox, a daughter of Roswell Heines, trans­ ferred the property to l\1artin Austin in 1884, and he moved the h

160 'A• "A" L _l .. -- r-- "f" ' w n"e," ~ 9 "PRO.JE.CTI ON ~'r_' I _,_ _J_ ' ',::=:- lrnD .:; R.A.'( M.._'R.P..1-.R- ., ~ ". (0 F r .H. j 't . -~ 'e•• ''<=i .. r'Ji •~II 3~" .==t= ,E¥), . - ~ D t ELEVATION Of" 'PA"R..L01L MANTEL "-H,," ,___. ,___. °' i . I "C" A/(2.. ' 1 ~ ;::=:: j"

~K• - d" .._ -.===. DETA}L.5 "'f''R.OM THE VANCE. HOU.SE., Gt'E. NE...50, N.Y. ,,~ o 1!..o11 ,:l./·o" .. SCAL~ O'F E.LE..VATI ON 5 H A I i o 111 ;z.11 " I SC.ALE. CF DE.TAI.L5 E3 E3 I I 51 aa I .. . I I -:PAR.LO'R.... "DOO'R....,. c~ r;z:: ~ ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER two n1en. We know that Abel Judson and B. Haines were carpenters and joiners in Fairport during this tin1e and they probably were the builders of these houses. I

GENESEO It was in 1790 that the brothers, James and William Wadsworth, arrived in the Genesee country and built their log cabin just below the present village of Geneseo. They came to act as agents in developing the lands for their uncle, Jermiah Wadsworth of Hartford, Connecticut. Shortly after they arrived they added to their holdings two thou­ sand acres of the Big T rec Tract which they purchased at eight cents an acre. In 1806 Major William Spencer was persuaded by James Wadsworth to open a store in Gen­ eseo. He also established i:he first post office, that year, and was its first postmaster. l\1ost of the early settlers came from Connecticut. Later however, after Captain William­ son opened the road from the south, many settlers came from Pennsylvania. By 1813 the settlement consisted of thirty houses, but in the next decade growth was more rapid and Geneseo became a thriving village.

AYRAULT HOUSE This house at the corner of Center Street and Highland Road is said to have been built by Mr. ·Ayrault about 1826, but during the years has been much altered and the porches have been added. It is a two-story frame house, nearly square in plan, with wide corner pilasters and narrow clap­ boards. The corner pilasters have moulded capitals and bases. In the center of the f rant facade is the main entrance consisting of the usual door, sidelights, transom and pilaster enframement. The caps were omitted from the mullions, but the face was paneled and a fillet added which ended in the squared loop at the top.

162 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER

DOTY HOUSE

The Doty House, located at 35 Second Street, is typical of the several houses in this locality. The gable-end faces the street and the three-member entablature extending along the sides of the house returns only about three feet at the front and rear ends. :Five-inch-wide clapboards butt against narrow corner boards at the corners of the house. The entrance, located on one side of the narrow front, consists of the usual door flanked by sidelights all set in a deep recess. In this case the transom sash was omitted and a narrow moulding consisting of a series of fillets with corner blocks at the intersections was used to frame or sur­ round the door and sidelights. The recess was in turn en­ framed with plain pilasters with moulded capitals, and a three-member entablature across the top. A pair of narrow doors with louver panels protect the entrance door in winter and give yentilation on hot summer days.

CHARLES VANCE HOUSE This is a transition type of house, located a_t 57 Second Street. It contains many details and features of both the Greek Revival and Post-Colonial Styles. It is a two-story brick house with a two-story Ionic portico across the front. The gable roof, the ridge of which is parallel with the front of the house, extends out over the portico. The large wood pillars of the portico are of solid wood an~ were floated down the River to be used on "Big Tree Inn." For some reason they were rejected and Mr. Vance used them on his house. Since the house was built about 18 2 3 and the columns are still in good condition, time has proved that lVlr. Vance made no mistake in selecting them.

The interior details are very simple. Although derived from Classic Greek sources, the builders rarely made use of

163 . ~,~-- e,~~--

Vance House, Geneseo, N. y.

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Elihu Kirby House, Henrietta, N. Y. ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER

Classic Greek profiles, but they achieved a dignified classic interior design. The doors have four vertical panels, the two upper ones being twice as long as the two lower ones. The moulding or trim which -enf rames the door openings is battered, or slopes out at the sides, so that the plain member of the trim is one inch wider at the bottom than at the top_ of the door._ On each side, near the top of the door, are the usual "ears" or crossettes which are fifteen inches long and pro­ ject about one inch from the edge of the trim line. The trim moulding across the top of the door also slopes, so that the plain member of the trim is one-and-one-quarter inches wider in the center than at the ends. The fireplace mantel has paneled pilasters seven inches wide with caps and bases supporting a narrow architrave, a six-inch-wide plain f ri~ze, and a shelf with a bed moulding.

HENRIETTA Henrietta was formed from Pittsford, March 27, 1818, and was ·named after Henrietta Laura, .Countess of Bath, daughter of Sir William Pulteney, an Englishman, who had bought a large tract of the Phelps and Gorham's pur­ chase in Western New York. The village of Henrietta takes its name from the town and at one time was called East Henrietta. Its location was determined by the new road cut through from the falls of the -Genesee River about 1815. The first store was opened by Stephen Cody in 1813, who had settled here the year before. In 1824-1825 Ben­ jamin Baldwin built a store on the site of Cody's frame building. Elihu Kirby purchased this store in 1827-1828.

ELIHU KIRBY HOUSE Mr. K,irby must have prospered in his store because in 1840 he erected the beautiful Greek Revival mansion on the corner of East Henrietta Road and Lehigh Station

166 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER

Road. It is a one-story fran1c house, nearly square in plan, with an entrance on each of the four sides. The front and side entrances have projecting porches with four Doric columns. The rear entrance is located in a recessed porch which has two square posts set between antae. At each corner of the house are pilasters, and the three-member entablaturc extends entirely around the house, as well as around the projecting porches. At ea~h side of the pro­ jecting porches are two "'indows, the casings of which extend to the watcrtablc and enclose a wood panel below the window. Blinds extend the full height of the window to the watcrtablc. Beautiful cast-iron grilles arc located in the sn1all frieze windows over each first-floor window. All the exterior and interior trin1 of the doors and windows have the "projecting cars" or crosscttes. The clapboards arc very narrow, about three inches to the weather, and are thick at the bottom so as to cast a definite shadow. The narrow horizontal bands· of highlights and shadows of the clap­ boarded wall surfaces make a most interesting -contrast with the broad, plain surfaces of the pilasters, architraves, and f riezc. The dutch oven and large fireplace in the old kitchen arc interesting cxan1plcs of these f ca tu res ir~ Greek Revival work. Over the front portico,. SC:tting independ­ ently on the roof and a little less in width than the project­ ing portico, is a flat triangular gable with a flush tympanum without n1otildings. In this example critics of the Greek Revival would say that the builder did not know how to build a correct pcdin1cnt. This is certainly an incorrect assun1ption. This builder developed an individual plan and the four elevations arc unusual and harmonious composi­ tions. The details and n1ouldings indicate that he was well­ versed with the Classic Greek. From these indications we can assun1c that had he \vished, he could have designed a classic pcdimei1t. To n1any this flat-triangular gable is

167 Entrance, LeRoy House, LeRoy, N. Y.

168 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER

preferable, because it does not interrupt the continuity of the long horizontal roof lines.

LEROY LeRoy is at the apex of a triangular-shaped tract of land which was purchased by a land company in 1801 from Robert l\1orris. LeRoy, Bayard, and l\1cEvers, members of the land company, offered land for sale at two dollars, and two dollars-and-fifty cents per acre, and settlements were soon started. A l\1r. Wolcott came from Geneva in 1802 and settled upon the present library site. He was a builder and cabinet maker, and erected a house for Samuel B. Walley. John Hay was another early builder. Martin Coe and Uni Hurburt operated early brickyards.

LEROY HOUSE The small land o~ce, built before 181 .2 at 2 3 East Main Street, for Egbert Benson, was incorporated in this spacious house of Jacob LeRoy. What was once the land office is now the section to the left of the entrance and the stair­ way. The house was enlarged after 1826 by Jacob LeRoy, the son of Herman LeRoy, after whom the town was named. Here also lived Caroline, sister of Jacob LeRoy, before her marriage to Daniel Webster. It is a two-story masonry structure finished with stucco. The center entrance is flanked on each side with a group of triple windows. Over each first-floor window, as well as over the entrance, is a similar group of three windows. These groups consist of a wide window with a narrower window or sidelight at each side.

Although this house has certain Post-Colonial character­ istics and details, it is predominate! y a Greek Revival ex­ ample. The entrance has a pair of Doric columns on each

169 ...... ,

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Entrance in Mendon, N. Y.

170 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER side of a rather ,vidc entrance porch. They support a thrcc­ n1cn1bcr cntablaturc with son1c rather strange n1ouldings which clearly indicate the builder was not f a111iliar ,vith the Greek Revival style.

HILL-PRATT HOUSE

This house, built bv., l\1r. Hill at 109 East l\1ain Street about 185 3, has a very peculiar plan. The narrow front of the t,vo-story n1ain part faces the street. It has a gable roof, the ridge of which is at right angles to the street, and the front is finished in the forn1 of a pedin1ent. The story-and­ a-half wings arc at right angles to the n1ain axis of the house and the ridges of their roofs arc parallel to the street. The front walls of the wings arc set ncarl y half the depth of the wings in front of the 111ain part of the house, and this space between the vvings, and in front of the narrow two-story section, is filled in with a one-story porch.

WASHINGTON WARD HOUSE This house, located at 14 l\1ain Street, was built by ,v ashington Ward, who, with his brother Shern1an, built a nun1ber of lJeRoy's old houses. It is a rectangular-shaped two-story clapboarded house, the long si.dc of which faces the street. A balustrade above the cornice hides the flat­ pitched roof. At each corner of the house arc "'ide pilasters with 111oulded caps. A sin1ple .three-111en1ber cntablature extends across the front. The bed n1oulding consists of a s111all beak 111oulding and the taenia n1oulding of the archi­ trave is 111erelv., a series of three fillets .

31 MYRTLE STREET The house at 31 l\1yrtle Street is an interesting exan1ple of the sn1all story-and-a-half fran1e cottage of the Greek Revival style. It has a rectangular-shaped plan, the long

171 A Simple Entrance With A Two-Member Entablature in

Penfield, N. Y.

172 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER side parallel with the highway, ·and a gable roof. Across the front we find the typical three-meIJ?.ber entablature, with small windows in the frieze, and wrought-iron grilles. The entrance is not in the center of the front facade, but is flanked by one window on one side and two windows on the other. A narrow projecting porch in f rant of the entrance door has square paneled posts with caps and bases. Both sides of the porch are enclosed but have large rectan­ gular openings filled with wide louvers similar to those on the rear porch of the LeRoy House. The walls of the house are covered with medium-width clapboards and very wide corner boards at each corner. of the house.

HOUSE AT 48 WEST MAIN STREET At 48 West Main Street is another interesting· type, a two-story double house, with two entrances under a single porch. It h~s the typical rectangular ph1n, the long side of which faces the highway, and a gable roof. The wide en­ trance porch of four fluted columns supporting a horizon­ tal entablature of three n1cn1bers is flanked on each side b~ two windows. The long, low horizontal entablature, and the fluted colun1ns of the porch are in harmony with the long facade of flush siding. In this house we also find many peculiar n1oulding profiles, .. which arc the invention of some early builder in LeRoy, since we find no precedent for them in any of the builders' handbooks.

LIMA Asahel and l\1athcw Warner, who were an1ong the early settlers of the town of Lin1a, owned, in 1797, the greater part of the land which is now the site of the village of Lin1a. They were the sons of William Warner, a soldier in the Revolutionary War. When Adolphus Watkins came

173 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER to Lima, in 1799, Lima Village consisted of a f e\\' log houses and a n1uddy lane leading to a grist 1nill in Honeoye. In a few years the road vybi~h led to the Niagara f ronticr was built and a steady strcan1 of en1igrants passed through the village. Lin1a rapidly becan1e an in1portant village on this highway.

LIMA SEMINARY The two large brick buildings of Lin1a Sen1inary arc an1ong the n1ost beautiful exan1ples of Greek Revival archi­ tecture in this locality. Their location on top of a hill, in a grove of trees, is ideal. The soft saln1011-colored brick, the white painted cohnnns, and cornices, set against a back­ ground of green, arc tonal effects that thrill the heart of the artist. In 1832, when the to\vn had scarcely emerged from the stern realities of pioneer lifc, the i\1ethodist Episcopal Church Conference erected the first building of the Gen­ esee Wesleyan Sen1inary. It was destroyed by fire ten years later, but in1n1ediatel y afterward a new building was built and opened January 12, 1841, at a .cost of· twenty-four thousa1~_d dollars. It is a sin1ple and dignified structure of stone and brick with \vood cornices and cupola. It is four stories high, with a long, narrow rectangular-shaped plan and slightly pr<>jecting vvings at each end. The projecting wings have flat pcdin1ents and arc connected by the long, horizontal cntablaturc of the 111ain structure. On the roof in the center of the building, is a beautiful circular cupold. ·1~ consists of eight Doric colun1ns setting on a circular drum, supporting a circular entablature and dome. Clencsce College ,vas founded in 1849 and College Hall vvas built in that year. It is a large two-story structure, rectangular in plan, \Vith a beautiful Ionic portico at the narrow street end. The six slender wood columns, with carved Ionic capitals, support a sin1ple three-member en­ tablature and pediment. The entablaturc extends around

174 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER

the entire building. Its n1otildings, though sin1ple, are well­ proportioned and in good scale.

THAYER-WEMETT HOUSE This house is said to have been built by Reuben Thayer, in 1793, and \Vas the first of a series of inns built on the old stage coach road fron1 Canandaigua to LeRoy. It n1ust have been extensively re111odelcd and added to, because the front entrance and 1nanv. of its details arc decidedly. Greek Re- vival in character vvhich con.Id :not have been a part of the original house. The plan is typical of a nun1ber of Lin1a houses. The n1ain two-story part is rectangular with the narrow end facing the highway, and a one-story wing at right angles to the axis of the n1ain house. A narrow porch, facing the highway, extends across the wing and is included under the gable roof. The walls of the house are brick and covered vvith a smooth plaster which is scored or marked off to indicate joints of large stones. The entrance is inter­ esting and different from others in this area. It is deeply recessed and the door is flanked by sidelights with a tran­ son1 sash across the top. The n1ullions and trans<;>m bar are plain wood n1en1bers, but in front of the.mullions are free­ standing,·-1attcnuated Doric colu111ns. These columns extend the full height of the n1asonry recess without n1aking use of an entablature or architrave n1oulding.

PECK-KLITGORD HOUSE 1\1r. Peck built this house in 185 3 and conducted his wool business in the large vvell-built roon1s in the basement. The house is a two-story frame structure, nearly square in plan, with a very flat-pitched hip roof hidden behind a paneled balustrade. It has a center entrance with a stair hall through the center of the house and rooms on each side of the hall. At the -exterior corners are wide pilasters with

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Church at Piffard, N. Y.

li6 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER moulded caps supporting a three-member cornice which extends around the house. The walls are covered with nar­ row clapboards. In the frieze, over each of the second-floor windows, are sn1all window openings with ornamental cast­ iron grilles. An interesting center entrance, hidden by a later porch, consists of the typical six-panel door flanked by sidelights and transom sash. The mullions at each side of the door, as well as the pilasters and transom bar, have the usual Greek Revival n1ouldings.

VARY-MADIGAN HOUSE The Vary-i\,1adigan House is an interesting Greek Re­ vival house built by i\1r. Vary in 185 5 in front of an older house which was built in 18 31. The main part of the house is two stories high, nearly square in plan, with a one-story wing at right angles to the axis of the n1ain part. On the front of the wing is a porch· with small Doric columns and a three-men1ber c<>rnice. A stair hall extends the full length of the house on the wing side and is flanked on the other by the front and rear parlors. The front entrance has the usual door, flanked by sidelights, with a transom sash across the top. _In this case the mullions between the door and side­ lights, the transom bar, and sub-jambs .are faced with a mq:q.lded member consisting of a series of fillets and beads instead of the usual pilasters. At the corners and at the intersections of the mullions and the transon1 bar, square \Vood blocks were inserted to avoid intersections of the n1oulded facings. The enframement consists of paneled antae with a separate fillet f orn1ing a squared loop at the top and bottom of the panel. A three-n1cmber entablature across the top is unusual because the proportions vary con­ siderably f ron1 Classic n1odels. The profiles of the n1ould­ ings of the various details arc very interesting and we find that they arc n1uch sn1allcr in scale although derived from

177 Entrance Of House In Mendon, N. Y.

178 179 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER

Classic precedent. This would indicate that the builder had been in the habit. of \1/0rking in the Post-Colonial style . HOUSE ON EAST MAIN STREET This fran1e house· to the west of the Vary-l\1adigan House on East l\1ain Street was built in 1855-1856. The plan of the main two-story part is nearI y square and it has a one-story wing at right angles to the axis of the two-story part of the house. In front of the wing is a porch with square posts instead of columns. Wide, two-story pilasters at the corners of the house are ~uilt up of three vertical boards and are finished with well-designed capitals. A three-men1ber entablature continues entirely around the house upon which is built a hip roof. In the frieze over each second-story window are sn1all frieze windows with orna­ mental cast-iron grilles. The front entrance which is deeply· recessed is at one side of the front and consists of the usual door, sidelights, and transon1. On the entrance pilasters the flutes continue straight through from the base to the capital without the usual eliptical or semi-circular endings below the neck and above the base. The entablature consists only of two n1e111bcrs, the f ricze and cornice. RIGA CENTER Four years before the first log cabin was built in Roch­ ester, Tho111son and Tuttle opened their store in Riga Center, and in 1808 Joseph Thon1son erected a fran1e house and opened it as a tavern. Soon after, a line of stage coaches used his tavern as one of their stopping places and it also became the first post office in Riga. Although the village · of Riga Center had an early start, it ren1ains today much as it \vas about a century ago.

MOULE-BUELL HOUSE This house on the corner of the Riga-Churchville Road

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Moule-Buell House, Riga Center, N. Y.

181 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER in the village of Riga Center is a fine exan1ple of the Greek Revival. The center _section is about eighteen feet wide and is two stories high with__ a-portico in front. The paneled posts, twenty inches. square, are set between an tac, and have moulded caps and plain wood bases. They support a three­ member entablature and a pediment, the slope of which determines the roof lines. The portico is very shallow arid the entrance door centers in the space between the two square posts of the po:14tico. One-story wings on each side of the two-story center section start about one foot back of the face of the portico antae .and extend to the rear the fuJI length of the center section. The roofs on the side wings are hipped, permitting a continuous horizontal cor­ nice around the one-story wings. Narrow clapboards about three inches wide cover the side walls of the house, except under the portico where the builder used six-inch-wide flush boards. In this house the mouldings are of very simple design. The builder made extensive use of channels, fillets, sink ages, and beveled surfaces instead of curved contours of mouldings, but the re~ult is a most pleasing example of American classic.

CHURCH HOUSE On the main highway opposite Fitch Road is another interesting Greek Revival type. It is_ a two-story frame house, rectangular in plan, with the long side parallel to the highway. Two-story pilasters at the corners support a three-member entablature. Although the front facade is a continuous plane, the builder erected a pediment on the east half of the facade. Under the pediment there are the usual three units, entrance door, and two windows. Sturdy mul­ lions between the door and sidelights have moulded caps and the wide face of the transom bar is moulded at the upper edge. The entrance surround consists of a slightly

182 Detail of Two-Story Portico, Walter Ferra! House, Scottsville, N. Y.

183 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER battered architrave moulding with the projecting "ears" or crossettes at each side n~ar the top. The second-story windows break through-bbth the architrave and frieze of the entablature. Flush boards were used in the tympanum of the pedin1ent, and regular clapboards cover the remain­ ing exterior walls. The one-story porch, across the east half under the pcdin1ent, is a later addition and detracts from the original design.

SCOTTSVILLE Scottsville, with its elm-shaded streets and time-mellowed f rarne and brick houses, still retains much of the atmosphere of a New England village of a century ago. It was named after Isaac Scott who came from New Hampshire about 1790, and built a good hewed log cabin on the site now occupied by the Slocum Hardware Store. Although the town was named after Scott, he had been preceded by Peter Sheffer and his two sons in 1789. Sheffer purchased Indian Allen's farm and cabin which was located on the north bank of the Oatka Creek between Scottsville and the Genesee River. Fortunately, most of the beautiful old houses of early Scottsville remain. They may be simple and austere, but there is real charm and character in most of the work. The houses were the 1"'1"ork of master carpenters who were unsophisticated craftsmen compared with some of the better-trained men in the larger cities. However, their work indicates a feeling for material and a fine sense of harmony and restraint. The same is true of the details which are very interesting. We are conscious of the Classic origin, but never of any imitation.

EDSON-SKIVINGTON HOUSE This beautiful example of the Greek Revival was built by Dr. Freeman Edson in 1816 at number seven Rochester

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Side Entrance, Dorr-Scott House, Scottsville, N. Y.

185 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER

Street. He altered the house in the early forties and added the f rant entrance, corner pilasters, and main cornice. It is a two-story frame clapbo~rded house with a rectangular­ shaped plan, an extended ell, and gable roof. The long side of the house and the ridge are parallel to the highway. A simple, but charming entrance is located in the center of the­ long street-front with two windows on each side. Two­ story paneled pilasters support a three-member entablature with beautiful carved wood frieze windows over each of the five second-story windows. At each end of the house the entablature and gable end is fi1iished as a pediment with flush siding in the tympanum. The entrance door is flanked by sidelights and transom sash. Wide, plain mullions between the door and sidelights have moulded caps and support the wide transom bar which has a series of mould­ ings at its upper edge. The entrance surround consists of the typical pilasters and three-member entablature, the mouldings of which are simple, but in excellent scale and proportion to the mass.

DORR-SCOTT HOUSE It was in the l 840's that l\1r. John Dorr built his home on Church Street. He was one of Scottsville's early law­ yers. It is a two-story frame house with a gable roof, the ridge of which is parallel to the street. The entrance is at one side of the narrow front and leads into a narrovv stair hall. Two windovvs to one· side of the entrance open into the front parlor, and three windows arc located over the first-story openings. All exterior walls are covered with five-and-one-half-inch-wide clapboards which butt against narrow corner boards instead of pilasters at the corners of the house. The entrance n1otif consists of the typical door, · sidelights, and transon1 sash enframed vvith pilasters and threc-n1en1ber cntablature. The door consists of a single

186 ~

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TW.O 5 COTT.SV i LLL MA.NTEL5 ~~~ ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER panel which is elaborately moulded with a carved egg-and­ dart moulding an~ a very interesting carved palmette with scrolls at the top and botto_111: of the panel. At the side of the house, entering into the kitchen, is a very interesting type of projecting vestibule. It has simple pilasters at the corners and a three-member entablature around the top. Toward the front of the house is a simple door of six vertical panels. In the space between the pilasters on the side of the vestibule there is a large rectangular­ shaped opening filled with louvers. The only other example of this type of protective enclosure in this area is found in LeRoy, at 31 Myrtle Street, and in a house at the west end of the village of Scottsville, where the builders made excellent use of the idea for front-entrance vestibules.

MOOREHOUSE-RAFFERTY-SA WYER HOUSE This is a pleasing little frame house built by Mr. Moore­ house in 18 34. Although the interior of this house has been completely remodeled, the exterior remains very much as it ,was when built. It is a simple story-and-a-half house, rectangular in plan, with the long side parallel to the street. Across the front of the house a three-member entablature has the typical frieze windows with wrought-iron grilles. Two-story pilasters at the corners are very narrow with simple cap mouldings. The entrance do_or, without side­ light or transom, is flanked by pilasters and a horizontal three-member entablature. The narrow horizontal lines of the clapboards and their shadows make a most interesting contrast to the wide plain surfaces of the Greek Revival details.

WALTER FARREL HOUSE Of an entirely different composition is the Walter Farrel House, located about one mile south of the village on the

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189 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER

River Road. It has the only two-storied porch in this local~ ity. The narrow end-of the _middle two-story section faces the highway with porches-at both the first and second floor levels. One-story wings, at right angles to the axis of the two-story section, extend to the north and south resulting in the popular "T"-shaped plan. Square posts, which sup­ port entablatures, at both the first- and second-floor levels, are paneled on four sides and finished at the top with moulded capitals. The entablatures above the first- and second-story posts have the usual three members, and above the second floor entablature is ·a pedin1ent, the roof of which extends over the rest of the two-story section in a continuous line. A row of four posts across the front results in a division of three bays or spaces. The entrance to the house is on the axis of the north end b'av..,, Windows center in the other two. At the second floor the door to the porch is on the axis of the center bay, and windows center on the axis of the north and south bays. The exterior walls of the house under the porches, and the front walls of the wings are finished with flush siding. All other exterior side walls of the house and wings are finished with clapboards or lapped siding. The wings have horizontal three-men1ber entablatures with pilasters at the corners. Cornice soffits of the wings are decorated with mutules and guttae or drops; but this decora­ tion was not used on the main porch cornices, which are very plain in comparison. The mouldings of the post and pilaster caps, as well as the cornices, are very interesting. and in good scale. Carved wood grilles in the frieze win­ dows of the wings are of unusual and original design.

McAMMOND HOUSE The McAmmond House located at 25 Rochester Street was once the home of Dr. J. F. 1\1cAn1n1ond. It is a t,vo-

190 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER story f ramc house with a one-story wing on the south side at right angles to the axis of the two-story structure. The narrow front, facing the highway, has wide two-story pilasters at the corners and a three-men1ber entablature and pedin1ent. The one-story wing has a porch along the front on the street side with square posts which are included under the gable roof. The porch posts have paneled sides and moulded caps and support a three-member entablature. COX HOUSE A charming little house on the corner of Rochester and Genesee Streets, is representative of the best type of small house work done in the Greek Revival period. It is a "T"- shaped· plan with a two-story central section and two one­ story wings on the same plane with the front wall of the central section. The entrance is in the center of the front, flanked by two windows on each side and two windows above the entrance. All the exterior walls are faced with lapped clapboards~ with narrow plain corner boards at each corner. The simple but charming entrance consists of the door flanked by plain mullions and narrow sidelights which are enframed by antae, or_ pilasters, and a three-member en­ tablature. Like so many other houses of '"the Greek Revival period, the builder had only a simple entrance motif and the mai.n cornice which he could embellish with mouldings. lnvaria6ly he succeeded in creating_ a structure that gives a feeling of solidity and dignity. It is these qualities that give the structures their classical feeling and not the cold reproduction of classic Greek details. . . - ~ The carpenters in the village during the Greek Revival era were Samuel Welch, l\1oses Doane, John Botsford, and David Nettleton. Since these few men did most of the work there is a certain similarity in some of the details, but the variety of designs and compositions they did achieve

191 Entrance, Anna Corning House; Webster, N. Y.

192 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER have won the admiration of 1nodern architects. gable roof. The gable end facing the highway is finished in the form of a modified pediment. Ten-inch-wide corner SPENCERPORT Spencerport is one of the several towns in the Rochester area which were made by the Erie Canal. It is an1ong the old buildings around the canal that our in1agination can take us back to the canal days when the Greek Revival was at its height. The town was name in honor of Daniel Spencer, who, in 1804 bought one hundred acres of land upon which the village is located. Unfortunately, n1any of the Greek Revival exan1ples have been destroyed or modernized beyond recognition.

HOUSE AT 23 NORTH UNION STREET

The house on.,, 23 North Union Street. is a two-storv.. rectangular structu~e with gable ends and a service wing to one side. It contains son1e very interesting Greek Revival details such as the carved egg-and-dart, and bead-a11d-reel mouldings. The entrance, although hidden under a Vic­ torian porch, has a fine door of two .. vertical panels ,vith carved egg-and-dart n1ouldings. A sitnple enfran1en1ent with battered sides and projecting "cars" is cro,vncd ,vith a narrow cornice n1oulding.

HOUSE AT 57 NORTH UNION STREET The house at 57 North Union Street is a storv-and-a-half cottage with the broad front and ridge of the roof parallel to the street. A plain entrance door in the center of the front is flanked on each side by t\vo ,vindo,vs. Over the first floor openings there arc tiny louvered ,vindo,vs in the frieze of the thrcc-n1en1hcr entablature. The entrance-sur­ round consists of a ,vidc architrave 111ot~lding ,vith the projecting "cars" on each side at the top.

193 West Entrance, Turner House, Mendon Center, N. Y.

194 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER

WEBSTER About 1812 when Ridge Road was fast becoming a prominent highw·ay for the settlers who were leaving the security of the Eastern States for the unknown West, the village of Webster had its beginning. In 1840 the new town of W ebstcr was formed and named in honor of Daniel Webster, the great Whig statesman. Time has dealt harshly with the old houses of Webster; only a few examples of the Greek Revival ren1ain today.

CORNING HOUSE The Corning House, now altered into apartments, was the house of Anne Corning, one of seven children of Wil­ lian1 Corning of Rochester. It still re~ains its stately air despite the remodeling. It is a large two-story brick build­ ing with a rambling plan, the principaJ rooms being in the front part. The plan of the n1ain front, nearly square, is crowned with a heavy three-member entablature and a hip roof. A large cupola at the apex of the hip roof is of Vic­ torian design, not in harmony ,vith the rest of the house, btit it was built at the same tin1e as the.. house.

The entrance consists of a projecting porch with a pair of Doric columns supporting a three-member entablature, and a low balustrade around the top. This motif consists of the usual door with pilaster mullions and sidelights. The pilaster n1ullions support a wide n1oulded transom bar, and transo111 sash. On the side of the house at the second floor level is a large overhanging bay window vvith pilasters at the angles and a thrce-n1en1ber entablaturc with a clock above.

HAWLEY HOUSE The HaYvley House is a t,vo-story fran1e type with a

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196 ARCHITECTURE IN VILLAGES NEAR ROCHESTER boards arc finished with simple pilaster caps at the top and support a simple three-member entablature which extends entirely around the house. The tympanum of the pedin1ent has horizontal flush siding, and the rest of the walls of the hou~e arc finished with beveled clapboards. The entrance door, at one side of .the front, is flanked by four-inch-wide n1tdlio1is and sidelights. The entrance cnfran1ement consists of a wide architrave n1oulding with paneled blocks in the corners and a rectangular panel in the center over the door. The face of the n1ullions and the architrave n1oulding consists of a series of channel cuts.

BAPTIST CHURCH The Baptist Church on South Avenue was built in 1855 of Cobblestone walls, a type of local masonry. It has an exceptionally interesting octagonal c_upola consisting of eight Ionic columns supporting a delicately designed cntab­ laturc and dome.

197 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PHOTOGRAPHS PAGE The Hervey Ely House ...... Frontispiece Lindley 1\1. Moore House ...... 1 7 College Hall, Lima Seminary, Lima, N. Y. . . . . 24 Entrance, Pitkin House, Rochester, N. Y. . . . . 34 The Doric Order with a Continuous Row of Guttae Under the T aenia Moulding ...... 64 Detail of Side Entrance Porch, Bowman-Furnald House, Clarkson, N. Y...... 66 Porch with Louver Paneled Sides, Scottsville, N. Y. . 68 Opening between the Two Parlors in the Campbell-Whittlesey House . . . . . 71 A Paneled Post with the Familiar Squared-Loop at the Top of The Panel ...... 90 Presbyterian Church, Brockport, N. Y. . . . . 145 Entrance 56 South Main Street, Churchville, N. Y. . 149 The Bowman-Furnald House, Clarkson, N. Y. . . 15 3 Elihu Kirby House, Henrietta, N. Y...... 165 Entrance, LeRoy House, LeRoy, N. Y. . . . . 168 A Simple Entrance with a Two-Member Entablature in Penfield, N. Y...... 172 Church at Piffard, N. Y...... 17 6

Entrance of House in Mendon, N. Y. • • . . . 178 House at Riga Center, N. Y...... 179 Detail of T,vo-Story Portico, Walter Ferral House, Scottsville, N. Y...... 183 Entrance, Anna Corning House, \Vebster, N. Y. . . 192 West Entrance, Turner House, Mendon Center, N. Y. 194

198 SKETCHES PAGE North Entrance, Campbell-Whittlesey House,

Rochester, N. Y. . . . . A • • • • • 11 Gate Posts and Fence, Lyon-Chapin House, Rochester, N. Y...... 20 Entrance, Dorr-Scott House, Scottsville, N. Y. . . 28 Entrance, Cox House, Scottsville, N. Y. . . . . 38 Hoyt-Pond House, Rochester, N. Y...... 41 Entrance HoJ7t-Potter House, Rochester, N. Y. . . 43 Harvey Montgomery House, Rochester, N. Y. . . 47 Entrance, Thomas ,veddle House, Rochester, N. Y. 50 Entrance, Child House, Rochester, N. Y. . . . . 54 Entrance, Edson-Skivington House, Scottsville, N. Y. 56 Entrance, Lee".'"Duryea House, Clarkson, N. Y. . . 58 Entrance, Theyer-Wemett House, Lima, N. Y. . . 60 Entrance, Erickson-Perkins House, Rochester, N. Y.. 62 Entrance, Rochest~r Female Seminary, . Rochester, N. Y...... 95 South Entrance, Campbell-Whittlesey House, Rochester, N. Y...... 99 Entrance, Nathaniel T. Rochester House,

Rochester, N. Y...... • • . 127 Entrance; Witherspoon House, Rochester, N. Y. . 139 Entrance to House at Corner of Whittier Road and Churchville-Adams Basin Road . . . 152 Entrance, King-Vanderhoof House, Fairport, N. Y . . 158 Vance House, Geneseo, N. Y...... 164 Entrance to House in Mendon, N. Y...... 170 Moule-Buell House, Riga Center, N. Y. . . . . 181 Side Entrance, Dorr-Scott House, Scottsville, N. Y. . 185 Walter Ferral House, Scottsville, N. Y. . . . . 189 Entrance, Anna Corning House, Webster, N. Y. . 196

199 l\1EASURED DRAWINGS PAGE Interior Doors ...... 7 3 Door from Front Parlor to Hall 7 5 South Fitzhugh Street ...... 7 6 Details to Door, 75 South Fitzhugh Street . . . . 78 Profiles of Classic Greek l\1ouldings ...... 81 Main Cornice Details . . ·~· ...... 8 3 Plaster Cornices ...... 8 5 Mouldings Built Up of Cant or Oblique Surfaces . 87 Entrance, Jonathan Child House ...... 94 North Entrance, Campbell-Whittlesey House, · Rochester, N. Y...... 102 Plans of the Campbell-Whittlesey and the Jonathan Child Houses ...... 103 Entrance to the Hervey Ely House ...... 107 Mouldings from the Hoyt-Pond House . . . . . 109 Entrance and Window Details, Livingston Park Seminary ...... 11 3 Details from the Livingston Park Seminary . . . 115 Entrance to the Hoyt-Pond House ...... 117 East Parlor, Campbell-'-''hittlesey House . . . . 119 Elevation, Erickson-Perkins House ...... 12 1 Entrance, Erickson-Perkins House . . . • • . 12 3

Three Rochester Mantels . . . • • • • • • 125

Stair Details from Rochester Houses . . . . • • 129

Window Details, Jonathan Child House . . • • 131 Details from the East Parlor, Campbell-Whittlesey

House, Rochester, N. Y...... • • 133 Interior Door, 75 South Fitzhugh Street . . . . 135 Details from the Vance House, Genesco, N. Y. . . 161 Two Scottsville l\1antels ...... 187

200