Geneseo Historic District
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The Geneseo Historic District, previously known as the Main Street Historic District, is a
historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...
encompassing much of the village center of
Geneseo, New York Geneseo is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Livingston County, New York, Livingston County in the Finger Lakes region of New York (state), New York, United States. It is at the south end of the five-county Rochester metropol ...
. Geneseo has a remarkably well-preserved 19th-century streetscape, with Victorian architecture embodying a picturesque style advocated by architect
Andrew Jackson Downing Andrew Jackson Downing (October 31, 1815 – July 28, 1852) was an American landscape designer, horticulturist, and writer, a prominent advocate of the Gothic Revival in the United States, and editor of ''The Horticulturist'' magazine (1846–5 ...
. The district was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1977; an enlarged district was designated a
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
in 1991.


Description and history

Geneseo was founded in 1790 by William and James Wadsworth, whose descendants exerted a significant influence on the development of the community. In addition to their philanthropic and business contributions to the town, the Wadsworths planted many oak trees, with the result that the village now has a large number of mature trees approaching 200 years or more in age. The town served as a market center for the surrounding rural agricultural areas in the first half of the 19th century, and was boosted economically by the establishment of a state
normal school A normal school or normal college is an institution created to Teacher education, train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high s ...
(now
SUNY Geneseo The State University of New York College at Geneseo (SUNY Geneseo, Geneseo State College or, colloquially, "Geneseo") is a public liberal arts college in Geneseo, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. The colle ...
) on a campus west of the village's commercial district. The downtown suffered a devastating fire in 1864, but was rebuilt. The district includes Geneseo's historic commercial center and its most refined residential neighborhood, plus the estate of the Wadsworth family. That estate,
The Homestead (Geneseo) The Homestead in Geneseo, New York is a historic house that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. It is also a contributing property within the Geneseo Historic District, and is described in the district's National Hist ...
was already separately listed in 1974. The district consists of 312 properties, of which 288 are contributing. The district's buildings are stylistically somewhat diverse, with Italianate and Queen Anne Victorian styles of the second half of the 19th century dominating. Many older homes, originally built in the Federal style, were later renovated into these styles. and  


Properties

Properties included in the district include: *Temple Hill Cemetery *Avon Road, east side: **The Hartford House, c. 1836, another Wadsworth family property. *Avon Road, west side: **Soldiers Monument **St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church **St. Mary's Rectory *Center Street, north side: **Thirty residences and buildings, from 3 Center Street up to 81 Center Street **Central Presbyterian Church (c.1939) *Center Street, south side: ** ... *2nd St. **Wadsworth Library *Geneseo Baptist Church *Old Antheum Library (to be expanded)


See also

*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Livingston County, New York List of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Livingston County, New York This is intended to be a complete list of properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Livingston County, New York. T ...
*
List of National Historic Landmarks in New York This is a list of National Historic Landmarks and comparable other historic sites designated by the U.S. government in the U.S. state of New York. The United States National Historic Landmark (NHL) program operates under the auspices of the Nat ...


References


External links


Geneseo, New York, Historic Landmark Village
{{National Register of Historic Places in New York Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) National Historic Landmarks in New York (state) Historic districts in Livingston County, New York Houses in Livingston County, New York Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) National Register of Historic Places in Livingston County, New York