Newman - Dean House & Barn
11 West Church Street, Fairport NY 14450
This article was written in 2011 and does not include any changes occurring since that time.

The Newman-Dean House & Barn at 11 West Church Street were designated landmarks by the Fairport Historic Preservation Commission (FHPC) in 2011. The building at 11 West Church is a beautiful Victorian home, a fine example of the Queen Anne style. William M. Newman built the Queen Anne portion of the home in 1893. Prominent Queen Anne features include the front-facing gable, one-story wraparound porch, various size windows, and the round turret or tower on the side. The property also has a large gambrel roofed barn.

wtchurch11v3phs2008jpg

History & Ownership

The original owner was likely David Hine(s) who used an early barn for his harness, saddle and trunk making business. In 1893, William M. Newman built the Queen Anne style home on the front of the original structure. In about 1900, George W. Cobb purchased it, but sold it in 1916. In 1937, the property was sold to Dr. and Mrs. George A. Dean. It became their home and his medical office. The family owned the property for over 70 years.

Queen Anne built by William Newman

William M. Newman (1826-1902) was a businessman and builder. He purchased and built the front section in the Queen Anne style. Newman worked at the DeLand Chemical Co., and was in the lumber business with Lewis Jones. In 1874, he purchased W. I. Ayers spice and baking powder business. The business was later called Newman & Sons and then Monroe County Chemical Co.

He was a Deacon of the First Baptist Church, Town Clerk, on the Board of Education and was active in the Prohibition movement. He lived in and built a number of homes in Fairport including: 155 South Main, 112 West Avenue, the Walter Parce home at 137 North Main and the planing mill of the Green and McAuliffe Lumberyard.

Family Home and Dr. Dean's Medical Office

George A. Dean M.D. (1904-1970) and wife Louise purchased 11 West Church in 1937, and used it as their home and the doctor's internal medicine and allergy practice. Dr. Dean was a part of the team that discovered cortisone. He held high-level positions at the Genesee Hospital, Strong Memorial, and the University of Rochester faculty. He was the Fairport School Physician for twenty-five years and Health Officer for fifteen years. The Dean's daughter, Barbara D. Stewart, bought the property from her mother's estate in 1996 and renovated the home extensively. It received the Historic Home Award from the Landmark Society of Western NY in 2002.

wtchurch11v5phs2008pr

Victorian Era – Queen Anne

Queen Anne style is one of six styles of the Victorian era, popular between 1880-1910. 11 West Church has a dominant front-facing gable, steeply pitched roof and a wraparound porch that echoes the curve of the round tower. The turret or tower has patterned shingles and raised decorative banding. It has a candle snuffer peaked roof with original slate* and finial. Decorative shingles can also be seen in the porch pediment.

The front gable has a triangle section extended forward with decorative brackets and a group of three windows with enframement. There are pent roofs enclosing gables on front and side. The home has windows of all shapes and sizes. Many have single large panes of glass in the center surrounded by small glass panes.

Post & Beam Barn

Documents indicate that the barn is post and beam with a gambrel roof. It is believed that David Hines used an earlier barn for his harness making in the 1830s. The current barn was used as an auto laundry, auto repair and storage for Hupp Motors. The barn has doorways on the north and the west side with loft doors. The loft and the original doors move on metal tracks. The barn has vertical siding with six-over-six double-hung windows.

Designation Landmarks

The home and barn at 11 West Church meets two of the five criteria for designation outlined in the Fairport Preservation Local Law, and was designated in 2011. It can be identified with historic personages: William M. Newman, a businessman and builder; George W. Cobb, who developed the Sanitary Can; and Dr. George A. Dean who practiced medicine here for forty years. It embodies the distinguishing characteristics of the Queen Anne architectural style: with steep cross-gabled pitched roof, wraparound porch with turret, patterned shingles and windows of various shapes and sizes. The extended gable in the peak and pent roofs are all features of this style.

* The original slate roof of the tower has been replaced with a new slate-like material.

 

For more information on the FHPC and designated landmarks, go to the village preservation page or the village website.

Search

WChurch11DunhamBonny2023
The Newman-Dean House in 2023.

wtchurch11v8ddfritsch2010pr
The front gable extends forward with decorative brackets under a pent roof.

wtchurch11v10ddfritsch2010 pr
*The tower has patterned shingles, raised decorative banding & slate roof.

wtchurch11v7ddfritsch2010pr 
The wraparound porch echoes the tower curve. 

wtchurch11v14ddfritsch2010
Post and beam barn with a gambrel roof

bottom5© Copyright 2004-2013