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We went to the Cornhill fest last weekend. It was packed, very good turnout and lots to do.
So whats the history with this section of town. Most of the buildings seem historic and older. But there is a mix of new housing with the old housing. Some of the older houses are so well upkept that I cannot tell the new from the old. Did the city re-develop the neighborhood at one point in time? Is the construction son the east side of the Genny supposed to tie in with Cornhill?
Well I did find some info myself:
http://www.cornhill.org/history_story_ralph_avery.htm (broken link)
Although the article states that Cornhill is the oldest neighborhood in Rochester, I thought I remember reading in another post, that the area where Xerox, Chase, and B&L stand are actually the oldest?
Good idea for a thread. I'm still hoping that someone will have some insight to post about this very historical neighborhood.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cheese9988
Although the article states that Cornhill is the oldest neighborhood in Rochester, I thought I remember reading in another post, that the area where Xerox, Chase, and B&L stand are actually the oldest?
Maybe it means that Corn Hill is the oldest residential neighborhood in Rochester that remains a residential neighborhood. That seems reasonable to me.
Corn Hill Landing is the largest residential development there in recent memory, correct? I remember the fanfare when it was built. Anyone live there or have any opinions on it?
Quote:
Originally Posted by cheese9988
I've got a few pics for you guys from the Arts Fest too.
RochesterCityLiving : Corn Hill (http://www.rochestercityliving.com/Neighborhoods/CornHill/ - broken link)
I've got a few pics for you guys from the Arts Fest too.
Corn Hill is the oldest active residential 'hood in the city, from what I remember. Another really old one is where the Susan B. Anthony house is (that area bordered the canal, back in the day). Yet another is over by the Public Market. If you were to walk or even just drive around Corn Hill (it's a nice walk), you'd see the historical markers and whatnot that kinda tell ya what's up (you probably saw a few at the 'fest).
Most of the houses date roughly from 1835 (after the canal was completed and Rochester became America's first "boom town") to maybe 1870 or so (most are very old). Most of the founders and successful business owners of the city lived there by the time it came into its own, and it was a wealthy neighborhood. Mt Hope Cemetary opened at the same time, at the then southern border of the city, and the houses around there are pretty old, too (Ellwanger and Barry both owned homes, there. The South Wedge had a 300 acre farm from ~Averill to the Ellwanger and Barry homes, until 1870 or so, which is when that neighborhood came up (I'm full of useless info. about that part of the city)). The small house at the corner of Averill and ? by the church and old seminary across the street, was the farmhouse. Just throwing this stuff in here for reference. Picture farmland where the South Wedge is now, and Mt. Hope being the boonies, with a few mansions just NORTH of the cemetery (they're still there), more farms south on Mt. Hope, and Highland Park was Ellwanger and Barry's property for their nurseries.
I think it's cool to see how the city spread out from downtown/Corn Hill to the cemetery, and all the way back over to Monroe/490 (the canal was where 490 is). That whole area boomed between ~1870-~1900 or so. Generally, the oldest neighborhoods in Rochester straddle what was the original Erie Canal, and the river downtown, and the areas around the old canal bed which benefited goes all the way past the soccer stadium. Next oldest would have been around the railroads, trolley lines, and industries which sprang up, and on and on.
I do know many (most?) of those homes in Corn Hill were vacant and/or in various states of disrepair during the 60's, and urban renewal and the 490 cut didn't help (one small part is on the other side of the highway; the original neighborhood kinda spread out to where the jail and Hall of Justice are, now, adjacent to the canal/today's Broad St. Many Corn Hill homes were lost during urban renewal.(probably 1/3 or so)), but 490 had to be built, somewhere. By the way-that curve through there is the only S curve in the entire U.S. Interstate system (more useless info.). Quite a few Corn Hill houses and a few buildings were condemned and thus demolished for 490 and the bridge, as well as the RIT skating rink. It was pretty rough in spots (think shady types and drug houses), according to folks I know who remember it in the 50's-60's. Preservationists stepped in, even though the Clarissa St. area started into a decline in the late-60's and into the 70's (where all the low income housing is near to Corn Hill. That was all very old houses at one time). By the 60's Clarissa street was a fairly quiet melting pot, but by the end of the decade people were leaving. One house in Corn Hill was used as a restaurant for many years (the yellow one behind the jail). I forget the name but the business was named after the original owner of the house, who was a founder of the city.
The area south of Corn Hill did not develop for years. Much of it was swamps and farmland, and for whatever reason the other side of the river got built up a little more, first. Oh, I just figured it out. Swillburg was on the canal, and that's where a lot of the commerce was (slightly south and generally east of downtown, along the canal), so by S. Plymouth and whatnot would have lagged, for a while, before the city spread out more, and the automobile came along. Bridges may have been crucial, too.
Where the jail/Hall of Justice are, and the War Memorial is, was a small industrial area which had a world-renowned casket company, and the Kimball cigar factory. Rochester looked very different, back then, from what I understand. That ugly urban renewal architecture, and the War Memorial, replaced some interesting buildings, but they were probably vacant and decayed by 1950 or so. The cigar factory had a turret on top, as I'll call it, with giant gargoyles sticking out of it (can't remember where I found the pics, online). That would have bordered the Corn Hill 'hood.
I'm familiar with several different parts of the city, to include the history and whatnot. I belonged to a neighborhood group in the South Wedge, and met a lot of folks who knew that area well, as well as the other side of the river (the area you were first inquired about). It's one thing for folks to do research, it's another to meet nice folks who grew up there.
Corn Hill Landing was a railroad freight yard for a major railroad, 'til it went out of business. I think the tracks were torn out in the 70's. I mention this because, again, it's hard to picture it. If you're a newbie, that whole area down Exchange to almost Ford Street was vacant, 'til recently. The city had the land for years, and the land across the street was vacant for years, too (where the apartments and townhouses are, between Nathaniel's and Ford). I'm sure others familiar with the area will confirm there was no reason to go to that area until the last several years, as there was nothing there, not even a place like Nathaniel's. We used to park in that area (for free), then walk to the Amerks games. There wasn't anything there until the 90's, and the strip along the river is just now getting built up (Corn Hill Landing). The rail line ran through Genesee Valley Park, crossed the river out by the airport/Scottsville Rd., and is now part of the Greenway that runs all the way down to Cuba, NY (more useless information-I'm full of it).
Here's another useless factoid-downtown flooded pretty much every year until the Mt. Morris dam was built (the Court St. dam might be part of this flood control scheme, too). So, stands to reason why the folks at Corn Hill liked the high ground. As I understand it, during some years the flooding was terrible, with 2++ feet of water in spots, downtown, until the dam in Mt. Morris was built.
As far as construction on Mt. Hope is concerned, that's great news. That's the South Wedge. There was government housing there for 35+ years, which cheesed off the neighbors for decades. The city wanted to tear down the buildings (did they keep the high rise?) for MANY YEARS, while the plan was to bring in private companies to build mixed housing, which adds to the tax base, and makes for some attractive joints along the river (sorely needed after all these years). While on jury duty a couple of years back I'd "walk the loop" at lunch time, which took me past the ghetto housing. It was mostly vacant, at the time, as it took years to get the residents out, secure funding for demolition, etc.. Some of the ugliest, Poland-circa-1975 architecture you're ever seen in your life. Horrid and run down. Looked like a Soviet propaganda film. A group of Somalis were the last folks allowed into that housing project, around 10 years ago.
I owned a house on Averill several years ago, and got to know long-time residents, down that way (very proud of their neighborhood). During the 80's and early 90's, the South Wedge had a rough area between South and the river, near to the ghetto housing, in fact Alexander was still bad when I lived over there, early 2000's (area near to Time Warner was bad). We were hoping the city would do something about the crack houses; I think I heard that area is being cleaned up. There were literally dozens of boarded up and vacant homes 20 years ago, throughout the 'Wedge, in fact there were at least a dozen on Averill between Mt. Hope and South. Private folks moved in, and cleaned it up, although parts of the South Wedge kinda have their ups and downs, through the years. I'm sure the key was to get folks to actually move in, rather than rent the places out. The long time residents were hoping I'd buy a few of the rental properties and fix 'em up (like they had), but I had other plans. I have to agree with those folks-some of the rental properties in that area are run down, and should be bought by folks wanting to live there (that was a hot 'hood for real estate, going back several years). Problem is, most of the homes that are run down have huge heat bills, and need many tens of thousands of $$$ put into them. Most of the houses were built in the 1870's.
One couple on Averill own like 4 or 5 properties on that street, all within the line of sight of their front porch. Gorgeous friggin' homes, let me tell ya, and they did all of their own back breaking work (I helped them with the farmhouse, as did their son and a couple of other folks). Very industrious people, in the South Wedge. Nice people. Right by what I call the "gay church" (I don't mean that in a nasty way, either, that's just what I call it). It's a gay friendly church.
I think you may have figured out by now I miss a lot about Rochester. South Wedge-wise, the German House (restored some years ago) and Beale St. are great. Cheesy Eddie's is over there, as well as many other long time established, and newer, businesses.
Corn Hill is the oldest active residential 'hood in the city, from what I remember. Another really old one is where the Susan B. Anthony house is (that area bordered the canal, back in the day). Yet another is over by the Public Market. If you were to walk or even just drive around Corn Hill (it's a nice walk), you'd see the historical markers and whatnot that kinda tell ya what's up (you probably saw a few at the 'fest).
Most of the houses date roughly from 1835 (after the canal was completed and Rochester became America's first "boom town") to maybe 1870 or so (most are very old). Most of the founders and successful business owners of the city lived there by the time it came into its own, and it was a wealthy neighborhood. Mt Hope Cemetary opened at the same time, at the then southern border of the city, and the houses around there are pretty old, too (Ellwanger and Barry both owned homes, there. The South Wedge had a 300 acre farm from ~Averill to the Ellwanger and Barry homes, until 1870 or so, which is when that neighborhood came up (I'm full of useless info. about that part of the city)). The small house at the corner of Averill and ? by the church and old seminary across the street, was the farmhouse. Just throwing this stuff in here for reference. Picture farmland where the South Wedge is now, and Mt. Hope being the boonies, with a few mansions just NORTH of the cemetery (they're still there), more farms south on Mt. Hope, and Highland Park was Ellwanger and Barry's property for their nurseries.
I think it's cool to see how the city spread out from downtown/Corn Hill to the cemetery, and all the way back over to Monroe/490 (the canal was where 490 is). That whole area boomed between ~1870-~1900 or so. Generally, the oldest neighborhoods in Rochester straddle what was the original Erie Canal, and the river downtown, and the areas around the old canal bed which benefited goes all the way past the soccer stadium. Next oldest would have been around the railroads, trolley lines, and industries which sprang up, and on and on.
I do know many (most?) of those homes in Corn Hill were vacant and/or in various states of disrepair during the 60's, and urban renewal and the 490 cut didn't help (one small part is on the other side of the highway; the original neighborhood kinda spread out to where the jail and Hall of Justice are, now, adjacent to the canal/today's Broad St. Many Corn Hill homes were lost during urban renewal.(probably 1/3 or so)), but 490 had to be built, somewhere. By the way-that curve through there is the only S curve in the entire U.S. Interstate system (more useless info.). Quite a few Corn Hill houses and a few buildings were condemned and thus demolished for 490 and the bridge, as well as the RIT skating rink. It was pretty rough in spots (think shady types and drug houses), according to folks I know who remember it in the 50's-60's. Preservationists stepped in, even though the Clarissa St. area started into a decline in the late-60's and into the 70's (where all the low income housing is near to Corn Hill. That was all very old houses at one time). By the 60's Clarissa street was a fairly quiet melting pot, but by the end of the decade people were leaving. One house in Corn Hill was used as a restaurant for many years (the yellow one behind the jail). I forget the name but the business was named after the original owner of the house, who was a founder of the city.
The area south of Corn Hill did not develop for years. Much of it was swamps and farmland, and for whatever reason the other side of the river got built up a little more, first. Oh, I just figured it out. Swillburg was on the canal, and that's where a lot of the commerce was (slightly south and generally east of downtown, along the canal), so by S. Plymouth and whatnot would have lagged, for a while, before the city spread out more, and the automobile came along. Bridges may have been crucial, too.
Where the jail/Hall of Justice are, and the War Memorial is, was a small industrial area which had a world-renowned casket company, and the Kimball cigar factory. Rochester looked very different, back then, from what I understand. That ugly urban renewal architecture, and the War Memorial, replaced some interesting buildings, but they were probably vacant and decayed by 1950 or so. The cigar factory had a turret on top, as I'll call it, with giant gargoyles sticking out of it (can't remember where I found the pics, online). That would have bordered the Corn Hill 'hood.
I'm familiar with several different parts of the city, to include the history and whatnot. I belonged to a neighborhood group in the South Wedge, and met a lot of folks who knew that area well, as well as the other side of the river (the area you were first inquired about). It's one thing for folks to do research, it's another to meet nice folks who grew up there.
Corn Hill Landing was a railroad freight yard for a major railroad, 'til it went out of business. I think the tracks were torn out in the 70's. I mention this because, again, it's hard to picture it. If you're a newbie, that whole area down Exchange to almost Ford Street was vacant, 'til recently. The city had the land for years, and the land across the street was vacant for years, too (where the apartments and townhouses are, between Nathaniel's and Ford). I'm sure others familiar with the area will confirm there was no reason to go to that area until the last several years, as there was nothing there, not even a place like Nathaniel's. We used to park in that area (for free), then walk to the Amerks games. There wasn't anything there until the 90's, and the strip along the river is just now getting built up (Corn Hill Landing). The rail line ran through Genesee Valley Park, crossed the river out by the airport/Scottsville Rd., and is now part of the Greenway that runs all the way down to Cuba, NY (more useless information-I'm full of it).
Here's another useless factoid-downtown flooded pretty much every year until the Mt. Morris dam was built (the Court St. dam might be part of this flood control scheme, too). So, stands to reason why the folks at Corn Hill liked the high ground. As I understand it, during some years the flooding was terrible, with 2++ feet of water in spots, downtown, until the dam in Mt. Morris was built.
As far as construction on Mt. Hope is concerned, that's great news. That's the South Wedge. There was government housing there for 35+ years, which cheesed off the neighbors for decades. The city wanted to tear down the buildings (did they keep the high rise?) for MANY YEARS, while the plan was to bring in private companies to build mixed housing, which adds to the tax base, and makes for some attractive joints along the river (sorely needed after all these years). While on jury duty a couple of years back I'd "walk the loop" at lunch time, which took me past the ghetto housing. It was mostly vacant, at the time, as it took years to get the residents out, secure funding for demolition, etc.. Some of the ugliest, Poland-circa-1975 architecture you're ever seen in your life. Horrid and run down. Looked like a Soviet propaganda film. A group of Somalis were the last folks allowed into that housing project, around 10 years ago.
I owned a house on Averill several years ago, and got to know long-time residents, down that way (very proud of their neighborhood). During the 80's and early 90's, the South Wedge had a rough area between South and the river, near to the ghetto housing, in fact Alexander was still bad when I lived over there, early 2000's (area near to Time Warner was bad). We were hoping the city would do something about the crack houses; I think I heard that area is being cleaned up. There were literally dozens of boarded up and vacant homes 20 years ago, throughout the 'Wedge, in fact there were at least a dozen on Averill between Mt. Hope and South. Private folks moved in, and cleaned it up, although parts of the South Wedge kinda have their ups and downs, through the years. I'm sure the key was to get folks to actually move in, rather than rent the places out. The long time residents were hoping I'd buy a few of the rental properties and fix 'em up (like they had), but I had other plans. I have to agree with those folks-some of the rental properties in that area are run down, and should be bought by folks wanting to live there (that was a hot 'hood for real estate, going back several years). Problem is, most of the homes that are run down have huge heat bills, and need many tens of thousands of $$$ put into them. Most of the houses were built in the 1870's.
One couple on Averill own like 4 or 5 properties on that street, all within the line of sight of their front porch. Gorgeous friggin' homes, let me tell ya, and they did all of their own back breaking work (I helped them with the farmhouse, as did their son and a couple of other folks). Very industrious people, in the South Wedge. Nice people. Right by what I call the "gay church" (I don't mean that in a nasty way, either, that's just what I call it). It's a gay friendly church.
I think you may have figured out by now I miss a lot about Rochester. South Wedge-wise, the German House (restored some years ago) and Beale St. are great. Cheesy Eddie's is over there, as well as many other long time established, and newer, businesses.
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I love reading about things like that. Are there any publications that you know of that describe the history of all the neighborhoods?
Corn Hill is the oldest active residential 'hood in the city, from what I remember. Another really old one is where the Susan B. Anthony house is (that area bordered the canal, back in the day). Yet another is over by the Public Market. If you were to walk or even just drive around Corn Hill (it's a nice walk), you'd see the historical markers and whatnot that kinda tell ya what's up (you probably saw a few at the 'fest).
Most of the houses date roughly from 1835 (after the canal was completed and Rochester became America's first "boom town") to maybe 1870 or so (most are very old). Most of the founders and successful business owners of the city lived there by the time it came into its own, and it was a wealthy neighborhood. Mt Hope Cemetary opened at the same time, at the then southern border of the city, and the houses around there are pretty old, too (Ellwanger and Barry both owned homes, there. The South Wedge had a 300 acre farm from ~Averill to the Ellwanger and Barry homes, until 1870 or so, which is when that neighborhood came up (I'm full of useless info. about that part of the city)). The small house at the corner of Averill and ? by the church and old seminary across the street, was the farmhouse. Just throwing this stuff in here for reference. Picture farmland where the South Wedge is now, and Mt. Hope being the boonies, with a few mansions just NORTH of the cemetery (they're still there), more farms south on Mt. Hope, and Highland Park was Ellwanger and Barry's property for their nurseries.
I think it's cool to see how the city spread out from downtown/Corn Hill to the cemetery, and all the way back over to Monroe/490 (the canal was where 490 is). That whole area boomed between ~1870-~1900 or so. Generally, the oldest neighborhoods in Rochester straddle what was the original Erie Canal, and the river downtown, and the areas around the old canal bed which benefited goes all the way past the soccer stadium. Next oldest would have been around the railroads, trolley lines, and industries which sprang up, and on and on.
I do know many (most?) of those homes in Corn Hill were vacant and/or in various states of disrepair during the 60's, and urban renewal and the 490 cut didn't help (one small part is on the other side of the highway; the original neighborhood kinda spread out to where the jail and Hall of Justice are, now, adjacent to the canal/today's Broad St. Many Corn Hill homes were lost during urban renewal.(probably 1/3 or so)), but 490 had to be built, somewhere. By the way-that curve through there is the only S curve in the entire U.S. Interstate system (more useless info.). Quite a few Corn Hill houses and a few buildings were condemned and thus demolished for 490 and the bridge, as well as the RIT skating rink. It was pretty rough in spots (think shady types and drug houses), according to folks I know who remember it in the 50's-60's. Preservationists stepped in, even though the Clarissa St. area started into a decline in the late-60's and into the 70's (where all the low income housing is near to Corn Hill. That was all very old houses at one time). By the 60's Clarissa street was a fairly quiet melting pot, but by the end of the decade people were leaving. One house in Corn Hill was used as a restaurant for many years (the yellow one behind the jail). I forget the name but the business was named after the original owner of the house, who was a founder of the city.
The area south of Corn Hill did not develop for years. Much of it was swamps and farmland, and for whatever reason the other side of the river got built up a little more, first. Oh, I just figured it out. Swillburg was on the canal, and that's where a lot of the commerce was (slightly south and generally east of downtown, along the canal), so by S. Plymouth and whatnot would have lagged, for a while, before the city spread out more, and the automobile came along. Bridges may have been crucial, too.
Where the jail/Hall of Justice are, and the War Memorial is, was a small industrial area which had a world-renowned casket company, and the Kimball cigar factory. Rochester looked very different, back then, from what I understand. That ugly urban renewal architecture, and the War Memorial, replaced some interesting buildings, but they were probably vacant and decayed by 1950 or so. The cigar factory had a turret on top, as I'll call it, with giant gargoyles sticking out of it (can't remember where I found the pics, online). That would have bordered the Corn Hill 'hood.
I'm familiar with several different parts of the city, to include the history and whatnot. I belonged to a neighborhood group in the South Wedge, and met a lot of folks who knew that area well, as well as the other side of the river (the area you were first inquired about). It's one thing for folks to do research, it's another to meet nice folks who grew up there.
Corn Hill Landing was a railroad freight yard for a major railroad, 'til it went out of business. I think the tracks were torn out in the 70's. I mention this because, again, it's hard to picture it. If you're a newbie, that whole area down Exchange to almost Ford Street was vacant, 'til recently. The city had the land for years, and the land across the street was vacant for years, too (where the apartments and townhouses are, between Nathaniel's and Ford). I'm sure others familiar with the area will confirm there was no reason to go to that area until the last several years, as there was nothing there, not even a place like Nathaniel's. We used to park in that area (for free), then walk to the Amerks games. There wasn't anything there until the 90's, and the strip along the river is just now getting built up (Corn Hill Landing). The rail line ran through Genesee Valley Park, crossed the river out by the airport/Scottsville Rd., and is now part of the Greenway that runs all the way down to Cuba, NY (more useless information-I'm full of it).
Here's another useless factoid-downtown flooded pretty much every year until the Mt. Morris dam was built (the Court St. dam might be part of this flood control scheme, too). So, stands to reason why the folks at Corn Hill liked the high ground. As I understand it, during some years the flooding was terrible, with 2++ feet of water in spots, downtown, until the dam in Mt. Morris was built.
As far as construction on Mt. Hope is concerned, that's great news. That's the South Wedge. There was government housing there for 35+ years, which cheesed off the neighbors for decades. The city wanted to tear down the buildings (did they keep the high rise?) for MANY YEARS, while the plan was to bring in private companies to build mixed housing, which adds to the tax base, and makes for some attractive joints along the river (sorely needed after all these years). While on jury duty a couple of years back I'd "walk the loop" at lunch time, which took me past the ghetto housing. It was mostly vacant, at the time, as it took years to get the residents out, secure funding for demolition, etc.. Some of the ugliest, Poland-circa-1975 architecture you're ever seen in your life. Horrid and run down. Looked like a Soviet propaganda film. A group of Somalis were the last folks allowed into that housing project, around 10 years ago.
I owned a house on Averill several years ago, and got to know long-time residents, down that way (very proud of their neighborhood). During the 80's and early 90's, the South Wedge had a rough area between South and the river, near to the ghetto housing, in fact Alexander was still bad when I lived over there, early 2000's (area near to Time Warner was bad). We were hoping the city would do something about the crack houses; I think I heard that area is being cleaned up. There were literally dozens of boarded up and vacant homes 20 years ago, throughout the 'Wedge, in fact there were at least a dozen on Averill between Mt. Hope and South. Private folks moved in, and cleaned it up, although parts of the South Wedge kinda have their ups and downs, through the years. I'm sure the key was to get folks to actually move in, rather than rent the places out. The long time residents were hoping I'd buy a few of the rental properties and fix 'em up (like they had), but I had other plans. I have to agree with those folks-some of the rental properties in that area are run down, and should be bought by folks wanting to live there (that was a hot 'hood for real estate, going back several years). Problem is, most of the homes that are run down have huge heat bills, and need many tens of thousands of $$$ put into them. Most of the houses were built in the 1870's.
One couple on Averill own like 4 or 5 properties on that street, all within the line of sight of their front porch. Gorgeous friggin' homes, let me tell ya, and they did all of their own back breaking work (I helped them with the farmhouse, as did their son and a couple of other folks). Very industrious people, in the South Wedge. Nice people. Right by what I call the "gay church" (I don't mean that in a nasty way, either, that's just what I call it). It's a gay friendly church.
I think you may have figured out by now I miss a lot about Rochester. South Wedge-wise, the German House (restored some years ago) and Beale St. are great. Cheesy Eddie's is over there, as well as many other long time established, and newer, businesses.
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WOW, very good information! Some of this kinda explains why Rochester's downtown looks a little bit newer than say Buffalo or Syracuse. (at least from the 490)
Your right about the neighbors too. One of my neighbors has been living in her house for almost 50 years. She can tell us almost everything about the neighborhood, the current/past owners, where the good/bad neighbors are. It almost seems like gossip at first, but she really knows the history. Small things like, people used to call the apartments in the neighborhood "railroad stations" because they were so big and long.
The folks I met on Averill, right around where the church is, explained a lot about the area. They bought that old farmhouse and fixed it up (it was vacant, for years). It looks completely out of place in a neighborhood of mostly 1870's 1.5 to 2.5 story wood frame houses. 77 Averill is next door, and that was one of the houses the neighbors were secretly hoping myself or somebody else would swoop in to salvage the place (it's in rough shape). There's a lot of that in the neighborhood-a block of nice, fixed up homes, then a so-so or bad rental, etc. Some of the rentals are nice, but, it's hit and miss, down there. Some are in such bad shape I remember hearing about $1,000+ heat bills during winter (77 Averill was one of them).
An old man had lived in the farmhouse for many years, and had worked at one of the railroads which ran through the city, probably at one of the three which came from the south, as their tracks straddled the river, mostly, near to the South Wedge, with the exception of the railroad which owned the Nick Tahou's building on W. Main.
The old man probably lived into his late 80's or even 90's, and everyone in that area knew him. The neighborhood went through some rough times, at one point in the 70's and another in the late 80's and into the early 90's, yet some folks hung on. The guy was a tinkerer and inventor, and used to entertain folks in the neighborhood with his inventions (they said he was always "working on stuff"). He built the cinder block garage behind the house with his own hands in 1940, and we fixed it up before moving on to the house, which fronts on Averill. I believe the windows in the house were original to 1835.
I've been inside several of the homes on Corn Hill, a few for tours, a few others friends of mine rented going back to the late-90's or so. The rentals looked to be in decent to good condition, in fact they still had the old school fixtures, etc., in them (bathrooms, jeweled door knobs on the doors, hardwoods, etc.), which is a lot like the South Wedge.
Corn Hill was saved by private citizens. Much (all?) of what you see there would have been lost if the city had gotten their way during the 60's.
Corn Hill was saved by private citizens. Much (all?) of what you see there would have been lost if the city had gotten their way during the 60's.
I assume your talking about the urban renewal projects that went on all over the nation.
Our house was built, I believe in 1912, closer to Merchants on Grand ave. We were lucky, as most of the house was kept original. The kitchen, bath and siding were slightly modernized, but were actually both the worst rooms in the house when we moved in. The rest of the house has the original oak floors, gumwood molding, leaded glass and crystal knobs. The front entranceway still has the original tile without a crack (knock on wood) with the marble thresholds at each inner door.
There is a antique store on South avenue that sell used and re manufactured house parts. Some dating back to the late 1800s. We saw a set of crystal doorknobs you described go for over $50! We have bought some of the re-manufactured push button switches and even those go for $20 a piece. So it must have taken alot of time and effort for the community to fix up Cornhill. I was really surprised to find a neighborhood like Cornhill. Most places normally have an older feel or a newer feel, but nothing so mixed and preserved over an entire neighborhood.
The houses may be older, but they were built very well and have much more character than most mid 1900 houses.
I love reading about things like that. Are there any publications that you know of that describe the history of all the neighborhoods?
garmin--Check out the Rochester History journal. All issues are avaialble online, all the way back to 1939. Lots of very detailed articles about the early days of the city. Google "Rochester History". Fascinating reading. I especially enjoy the issues from the 40s and 50s where the authors speculate on what the city would be like in the future.
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