Historic Structure Committee
Catherine Angevine, Chair
Mission:
Serve as a resource to help identify significant local historic structures; to promote public awareness and education about local historic structures; and to provide assistance to citizens, government, and other groups seeking information about local historical structures.
Projects Underway:
The committee is currently working on several projects:
Landmark Surveys
One is to update the Landmark Survey of 1976 which was originally done for the Village of Fairport. This project requires photographing properties and filling out a survey (inventory) form with observations on the current condition of the property. The primary beneficiary for this effort is the Village of Fairport's Preservation Commission which was established in 2007.
The committee has finished amending the surveys of the properties ranked Red and Green and has summerized it's findings. We are also looking at the properties ranked Yellow to determine what percent of these properties have changed positively or negatively.
For the results of the Red and Green ranked properties.
Hitching Posts & Mounting Blocks
The committee is seeking to identify all the remaining hitching posts and horse mounts/carriage steps in the Village in an effort to preserve and educate residents about these artifacts of days gone by. (See sidebar article)
The committee has identified over 25 properties that have either hitching posts or mounting blocks, and some properties have both.
For more information, photos and a tour guide...
Carriage Houses & Barns of Fairport
In our quest to document the locations of historic artifacts we have observed many many other treasures of our community. The committee has begun to record the locations of carriage houses and barns much like we have done with our hitching posts and blocks.
This project is just getting started, so stay tuned.
Architectural Style Guide
The Committee is developing a style guide that will show the best examples of a style in the Perinton area.
There are many style guides available to help identify a structure's history and uniqueness. In 1988, Ruth Ewell developed an Architectural Style Guide based on Perinton history and architecture. The difference between this guide and others available is that you can walk down the street or drive through the country side to view and study real examples of Federal, Italianate and Gothic Revival architecture, to name a few.
The Structures Committee is taking this guide as a basis for a new on-line version. The new guide will have photographs, instead of line drawings and detailed shots of characteristics like; a mansard roof, pilasters, cupolas, cornices and vergeboards. We are also going to find examples of the Revivals; Colonial, Dutch Colonial, Tudors, as well as Capes, American Four Square and Craftsman styles, common after the turn of the century.
The mission of this project is to update the current guide and provide it digitally for research and education. Through education and building awareness of architectural styles in our area, we hope to encourage preservation and retain the charm and uniqueness of our community.
This project is just getting started.
Join the Committee:
We have a lot more projects in mind and could use more volunteers for the committee. If you have time to explore the community, a love of historic structures, a digital camera, comfort with computer programs for photo editing, MS Word and Excel we would welcome more members.
Maybe you have an idea for our next project. Give a call to the Museum or send a note via e-mail at info@perintonhistoricalsociety.org
We meet once a month on Thursday evenings at various coffee shops and the Museum. Join us - our meetings are casual, fun and interesting.
Hitching Posts & Mounting Block Sightings
Hey Edith! I am going to have that big stone block in the front yard hauled away. It is nothing but a nuisance and I am tired of trying to mow or plow around it, Fred hollered from the yard. Edith, horrified at such a suggestion went outside and threw herself across the big stone block, prepared to defend this 19th century artifact with her life.
Why is Edith so horrified? Because these big stone blocks are a unique part of our Village history. They, along with hitching posts, were an essential part of getting from here to there in years prior to the automobile.
Every horse drawn conveyance, carriages, sulkies, sleighs, buggies, etc. eventually came to stop and passengers needed a place to step out, and then tie down the horse. Or, the lone rider required a step to mount and dismount without falling off the horse or asking a passerby for assistance.
The Historic Structures Committee has embarked on another adventure in the Village and is seeking to identify all the remaining hitching posts and horse mounts/carriage steps in the Village of Fairport.
The Committee has identified 23 so far, the obvious ones...but needs the community's help in finding ones they may have missed. These are items perhaps lurking in your yard where they cannot be seen from the street, or buried in a garden. The Committee is also interested in any old village photographs a resident may have showing a hitching post or mount at a village residence, even if the mount or post no longer exists. Please call the Fairport Museum at 223-3989 and leave a message. Someone from the Historical Structures Committee will get back to you.
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