Landmark Society announces annual preservation awards

Five Genesee County homeowners and their architecturally significant homes will be honored Saturday by the Landmark Society with a dinner at St. James Episcopal Church in Batavia.

The awards range from praise for restoration work to just doing a good job of maintaining a beautiful, older house.

“Looking around Genesee County for buildings to recognize, we were pleased to find an abundance of candidates for recognition. Our committee had a tough time narrowing down the initial list of nominees," said Lucine Kauffman, awards committee chairwoman, in a statement. "Ultimately, we chose a group of homes that is varied in styles of architecture, geographic location, age, and building materials."

Kauffman said with most of the committee members owning older homes, they had a real appreciation for what the home owners did to turn their homes into gems.

"We know that you really have to be devoted and patient to endure the endless maintenance that an old home requires," Kauffman said. "This group of honorees serves as wonderful inspiration to their neighbors and our community.”  

Laurie Oltremari, president of the Landmark Society of Genesee County, said preservation isn't just about maintaining a nice looking house. It's also the green thing to do.

“Many of our award winners have used salvaged, old house parts in combination with new materials that are made from renewable natural sources such as bricks, wood and stone,"  Oltremari said. "Preservation techniques such as these fit into the growing ‘Green’ building movement.”   

By publicly thanking local historic building owners for their preservation accomplishments, the Landmark Society hopes to raise public awareness of the architectural gems we have right here in our backyard, Kauffman said.

The Landmark Society of Genesee County is a nonprofit, volunteer-operated organization. Since 1965, the Landmark Society has encouraged local communities and individuals to work together to preserve our architectural heritage. Preservation, protection and improvement of the landmarks located throughout Genesee County are the objectives of this organization.

On Saturday, there is a reception dinner at 6 p.m., immediately followed by dinner at 7 p.m. the presentation of awards.

After the jump are pictures and descriptions of the winners provided by the Landmark Society.

Christopher and Darlene Miller
61 E. Main St.
Corfu
Category: Renovation
Description: maintaining or recreating the original integrity of a building's exterior (perhaps even interior) architectural features, layout, materials, etc.

The Landmark Society of Genesee County is honored to present Christopher and Darlene Miller an award for the architecturally sensitive renovation of this lovely Italianate Style home. In 1863 John Tyrell purchased property from Charles Tyrell and built this house. It had several owners until John A. Mass purchased it in 1943.

It was a farm at the time. Alvin Miller, a real estate broker, obtained the farm from Mr. John Mass in 1952, moved the barn and started the Meadowbrook Drive Development. That year, Mrs. Brey became the owner and turned it into apartments. In 2006 Paul Miller purchased the property. It had been empty for three years and consequently there was much water damage, in fact the mayor of Corfu wanted to condemn the house and tear it down. In 2008 Christopher and Darlene purchased the house and began the arduous task of restoring to its original elegance. The house was surrounded by a porch with a foundation built by a blind carpenter. It obscured the architecture. The Millers’ work has increased the community’s awareness of the house’s architectural significance.

This house is unique in that it has a limestone foundation built with stones which were quarried from the area. The exterior clapboards made of pumpkin wood have been completely stripped of its original paint. With the help of a local paint company, Darlene was able to obtain the latest technology available for restoration and color, becoming to the original character of building.

It has a tapered brick chimney which was built sometime later after the house was built. The arched front door, commonly known as "Italian Romantic" design, is the house’s most unique feature. The Millers have also rehabilitated the interior. It still has all the original trim and moldings. The staircase has been totally stripped and refinished. They were very fortunate to find the original pocket doors in the attic. All the doors throughout the house are original. They have been restored and are functional. The interior has been the decorated with historically appropriate paint to approximate the home’s original appearance.

This charming, historic home is an asset to the village of Corfu. It gives the Landmark Society of Genesee County great pleasure to present this award to Christopher and Darlene Miller.

Elizabeth and Thomas Weis
3 East Ave.
Batavia
Category: Outstanding Exterior Paint Treatment
Description: building has been painted in an historically appropriate color scheme; using usually three or more colors.

Tom and Liz Weis purchased this Late Victorian Era home in 1991. Tom learned that this circa 1900 home was for sale and knew that Liz had a fondness for old houses. At the time they weren’t married yet, so you could say that he used this house to further their courtship. Liz was able to see past the peeling paint, rotting clapboards, linoleum floors and fake wood paneling to envision the gem that this house is today.

Built by the Brumstead family, Liz’s father remembers coming to play here when he was a child. The Weises found an 1876 Historic Atlas of Genesee County in the garage attic. Inside the cover is stamped “J.F. McCullough, The Pattern Shop, 3 East Avenue, Batavia.” So, they deduce that there was a business in this house at one time.

The Weises replaced all of the cedar clapboard on the east side of the house and replaced the deteriorated fish-scale shingles with new cedar “half cove” shakes on the front of the house. The front windows and storms are original but the rest were replaced with new windows in the exact style of the originals.

They added historically appropriate touches like this reproduction doorbell plate next to the original front door; and the trim embellishments on the bay window. Also note the stone foundation walls that are almost two feet thick.

They rebuilt the front porch deck with mahogany and were able to preserve the original posts and balustrades. When one of the lattices needed replacing, Liz found a carpenter who could build a duplicate of the surviving original. The front porch is a favorite sitting place for the Weises so Liz replaced the exterior light with charming reproduction fixtures that would provide more illumination.

When they were ready to paint, Liz chose a palette of earth-tone colors because she wanted the house to “blend with nature." Using Benjamin Moore paints, she coordinated Wheeling Wheat on the clapboards with Providence Olive, Crownsville Gray, and Cottage Red on the trim.

Joel and Carol D’Alba
3557 Drake St. Road
Oakfield
Category: Tender Loving Care
Description: owners have tended to the building for many years (perhaps completed the restoration themselves at one point) while keeping the original materials, and/or style of the building.

This classic Greek Revival home was built in 1838 in the “gable front and wing” style popular in the Northeastern United States during the early to mid 1800s. The classic features can be seen in the wide gable trim, discontinuous frieze band, single story entry porch with Doric fluted columns and small frieze band windows.

Approximately 14 years ago, the D’Albas purchased the house and property from the Popes who had farmed the land for years. The Popes horticultural skills were such that the home and its gardens were featured in Home and Garden magazine. The D’Albas have been careful to maintain many of the home’s original exterior features. They have painted the house, put on a new roof, and installed custom-sized six pane replacement windows in keeping with the style of the architecture. In the future, Joel hopes to replace the current siding with clapboard siding as originally intended.

The original barn, circa 1856, has been equally cared for. The old rotted wood siding was torn off and replaced with vertical hemlock boards. Also on the property is an extremely old, if not original, split-rail fence. The fence and the barn can be seen in some of the glass negatives the D’Albas discovered in the walls of the home when remodeling.

Some details of the home’s original design can also be seen on the inside. The window and door trim has been scraped and repainted and the original fireplace has been fitted with a wood-burning stove and new mantel.

John and Moira Glidden
5435 Paul Road, East Bethany
Categories: Tender Loving Care & Architecturally Sensitive Addition
Description: owners have tended to the building for many years (perhaps completed the restoration themselves at one point) while keeping the original materials, and/or style of the building.

The original portion of the house is a brick Federal style built by Charles Sprague in 1828. A garage addition added in the mid-1900’s was transformed in 1984 into an early 1800s period kitchen with a wood-burning stove and brick hearth. The fire screen painting is reminiscent of Edward Hick‘s “Peaceable Kingdom” series. As in the rest of the first floor, the kitchen is stenciled with patterns and colors commonly used in the early 1800s.

The stenciled walls throughout the home are meticulously maintained by the Gliddens. The living room has the original plaster walls which were stenciled by a previous owner. John takes care to work around them when he paints. Part of the original building, the living room has a brick fireplace and hearth.

Upstairs in the master bedroom, the floors are constructed of variable-width wide planks with hand-tooled nails. There are two bedrooms upstairs that are original to the house. Behind them, the Gliddens built an architecturally sensitive addition that sits above the kitchen. This room, appropriately named the "belvedere," offers a stunning view of Black Creek and the surrounding countryside, including the wildlife.

Richard Heyes
6963 Big Tree Road
Pavilion
Category: Tender Loving Care
Description: owners have tended to the building for many years (perhaps completed the restoration themselves at one point) while keeping the original materials, and/or style of the building.

In 1920, John Elliott built this Craftsman Style Bungalow in Pavilion for $3,260. It passed through just one more family before Richard Heyes purchased it in 1975. For 93 years, it has retained almost all of the original features characteristic of the style. The exterior is sided with stained wood shingles laid in unequal courses. The clustered windows have wide moldings. In the front of the house, the window transom is of leaded glass with a Frank Lloyd Wright influenced design.

The incised front porch is supported by large tapered square columns. A gabled roof with exposed rafter tails and triangular knee-brace supports are typical of the Craftsman style.

The dining room and living room are divided by a wide archway with oak columns. The walls have tall board-and-batten panel wainscoting. Original gas-light sconces are over the brick fireplace, as well as in the bedrooms. The same rich oak is used on the floors, walls, moldings and stairway.

Mr. Heyes is an accomplished gardener, and has added to the charm of his home with elegant original landscaping, featuring beautiful peony trees from Linwood Gardens, where he is a volunteer.