Stafford Village Four Corners Historic District
Encyclopedia
The Stafford Village Four Corners Historic District is located at the junction of New York state routes 5
and 237
in Stafford
, New York, United States. It is a collection of six buildings of various types from the 19th century, one of which is the oldest house in Genesee County
.
Stafford was the first European settlement
on the Holland Purchase
, continuously occupied since 1798. Together the buildings constitute a well-preserved 19th century Western New York
downtown. All the buildings are still used for their original purpose, save a store which was later converted to town hall. It was recognized as a historic district
and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1976.
and Le Roy
along Route 5. It is the southern terminus of Route 237, which leads to Morganville a short distance to the north. The area is a small hamlet of houses and commercial buildings amid a rural landscape of farm complexes and large worked fields, with a golf course to the north.
All four corners are within the boundaries of these 5.7 acres (2.3 ha). On the lots are six buildings. All are contributing
wood frame
structures built in the 19th century. They include two houses, two stores, a church and a seminary. A small park at the northeastern corner was the site of a hotel which burned down in the 1920s.
, most of present-day Western New York
, in 1798. He established a storehouse at the intersection of an old Iroquois
trail and his eastern transit. The settlement quickly earned the name Transit, and a post office was established.
The next year a survey crew working for Ellicott was boarded there. While waiting for work to start, its leader, James Dewey, cleared land for a small vegetable garden. This was the first agricultural use of the Holland lands.
Frederick Walther, who had established an inn at the junction, wrote to Ellicott that the garden's yield was good, reflecting the quality of soil in the region. An 1800 map of that portion of the Holland lands denotes intersection as "Walther", likely since he was the only resident. By 1804 he had built a Federal style inn just north of the Indian trail.
Five years later, in 1809, the Marvin-Radley-Diefendorf House was built in the same style on the southwest corner of the junction. Unlike the inn, it is extant, making it the oldest house in Genesee County
. In 1822, settlement had advanced enough that the Town of Stafford was established. The Greek Revival
Radley-Worthington House went up on the southeast corner in 1831.
St. Paul's Episcopal Church was built next door in the Carpenter Gothic
style in 1841. That year, the junction dropped its original name of Transit and began being known as Stafford Four Corners, since it was the center of the town. Seven years later, in 1848, the Greek Revival seminary, now used as a parish house
, was erected next to the church. Sanders Store came along two years afterward.
In 1890 the Odd Fellows Hall at the northwest corner, the newest contributing property, was built. Walther's hotel burned down in 1922. The site remained undeveloped, and is today a park with military memorials. No modern infill has been built within the district.
New York State Route 5
New York State Route 5 is a state highway that extends for across the state of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in the Chautauqua County town of Ripley and passes through Buffalo, Syracuse, Utica, Schenectady, and several other smaller cities and...
and 237
New York State Route 237
New York State Route 237 is a north–south state highway located in the western part of New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 5 in Stafford. Its northern terminus is at an interchange with the Lake Ontario State Parkway...
in Stafford
Stafford, New York
Stafford is a town in Genesee County, New York, United States. The population was 2,409 at the 2000 census. The town was named after a the town of the same name in England....
, New York, United States. It is a collection of six buildings of various types from the 19th century, one of which is the oldest house in Genesee County
Genesee County, New York
Genesee County is a county located in Western New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 60,079. Its name is from the Seneca Indian word Gen-nis'-hee-yo meaning "The Beautiful Valley." Its county seat is Batavia.- History :...
.
Stafford was the first European settlement
European colonization of the Americas
The start of the European colonization of the Americas is typically dated to 1492. The first Europeans to reach the Americas were the Vikings during the 11th century, who established several colonies in Greenland and one short-lived settlement in present day Newfoundland...
on the Holland Purchase
Holland Purchase
The Holland Purchase was a large tract of land in what is now the western portion of the U.S. state of New York. It consisted of about 3,250,000 acres of land from a line approximately 12 miles to the west of the Genesee River to the present western border and boundary of New York State.The land...
, continuously occupied since 1798. Together the buildings constitute a well-preserved 19th century Western New York
Western New York
Western New York is the westernmost region of the state of New York. It includes the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Niagara Falls, the surrounding suburbs, as well as the outlying rural areas of the Great Lakes lowlands, the Genesee Valley, and the Southern Tier. Some historians, scholars and others...
downtown. All the buildings are still used for their original purpose, save a store which was later converted to town hall. It was recognized as a historic district
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1976.
Geography
The district is located at the intersection of the two highways, roughly midway between the larger communities of BataviaBatavia (city), New York
Batavia is a city in Genesee County, Western New York, USA, located near the middle of Genesee County, entirely within the Town of Batavia. Its population as of the 2000 census was 16,256...
and Le Roy
Le Roy (village), New York
Le Roy is a village in Genesee County, New York, United States. The population was 4,462 at the 2000 census.The Village of Le Roy lies in the center of the Town of Le Roy at the intersection of Routes 5 and 19.- History :...
along Route 5. It is the southern terminus of Route 237, which leads to Morganville a short distance to the north. The area is a small hamlet of houses and commercial buildings amid a rural landscape of farm complexes and large worked fields, with a golf course to the north.
All four corners are within the boundaries of these 5.7 acres (2.3 ha). On the lots are six buildings. All are contributing
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
wood frame
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
structures built in the 19th century. They include two houses, two stores, a church and a seminary. A small park at the northeastern corner was the site of a hotel which burned down in the 1920s.
History
Joseph Ellicott began his survey of the Holland PurchaseHolland Purchase
The Holland Purchase was a large tract of land in what is now the western portion of the U.S. state of New York. It consisted of about 3,250,000 acres of land from a line approximately 12 miles to the west of the Genesee River to the present western border and boundary of New York State.The land...
, most of present-day Western New York
Western New York
Western New York is the westernmost region of the state of New York. It includes the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Niagara Falls, the surrounding suburbs, as well as the outlying rural areas of the Great Lakes lowlands, the Genesee Valley, and the Southern Tier. Some historians, scholars and others...
, in 1798. He established a storehouse at the intersection of an old Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
trail and his eastern transit. The settlement quickly earned the name Transit, and a post office was established.
The next year a survey crew working for Ellicott was boarded there. While waiting for work to start, its leader, James Dewey, cleared land for a small vegetable garden. This was the first agricultural use of the Holland lands.
Frederick Walther, who had established an inn at the junction, wrote to Ellicott that the garden's yield was good, reflecting the quality of soil in the region. An 1800 map of that portion of the Holland lands denotes intersection as "Walther", likely since he was the only resident. By 1804 he had built a Federal style inn just north of the Indian trail.
Five years later, in 1809, the Marvin-Radley-Diefendorf House was built in the same style on the southwest corner of the junction. Unlike the inn, it is extant, making it the oldest house in Genesee County
Genesee County, New York
Genesee County is a county located in Western New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 60,079. Its name is from the Seneca Indian word Gen-nis'-hee-yo meaning "The Beautiful Valley." Its county seat is Batavia.- History :...
. In 1822, settlement had advanced enough that the Town of Stafford was established. The Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
Radley-Worthington House went up on the southeast corner in 1831.
St. Paul's Episcopal Church was built next door in the Carpenter Gothic
Carpenter Gothic
Carpenter Gothic, also sometimes called Carpenter's Gothic, and Rural Gothic, is a North American architectural style-designation for an application of Gothic Revival architectural detailing and picturesque massing applied to wooden structures built by house-carpenters...
style in 1841. That year, the junction dropped its original name of Transit and began being known as Stafford Four Corners, since it was the center of the town. Seven years later, in 1848, the Greek Revival seminary, now used as a parish house
Church hall
A church hall is a room or building associated with a church, general for community and charitable use . It is normally located near the church, typically in smaller and village communities. Activities in the hall are not necessarily religious, but are typically an important part of local community...
, was erected next to the church. Sanders Store came along two years afterward.
In 1890 the Odd Fellows Hall at the northwest corner, the newest contributing property, was built. Walther's hotel burned down in 1922. The site remained undeveloped, and is today a park with military memorials. No modern infill has been built within the district.
Buildings
- International Order of Odd Fellows Lodge #222, on the northwest corner. This two-story 1890 building with a hipped roofHip roofA hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
, front gableGableA gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d pedimentPedimentA pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
and twin pyramidal towers was enlarged in the late 1910s. The south (front) facadeFacadeA facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
has a metal canopy running the length of the first story and an unusual assortment of single and paired windows on the second. It still serves as a lodge, with stores on the lower level. - Marvin-Radley-Diefendorf House, southwest of the Sanders Store on the southwest corner. The oldest portion of this two-story five-bayBay (architecture)A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
hip-roofed brick house dates to 1809. A central Palladian window tops a full-length porch on the north (front) elevation. - Radley-Worthington House, southeast corner. An imposing front porticoPorticoA portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
provides the entrance to this clapboardClapboard (architecture)Clapboard, also known as bevel siding or lap siding or weather-board , is a board used typically for exterior horizontal siding that has one edge thicker than the other and where the board above laps over the one below...
-sided one-story Greek Revival house built in 1831. FlutedFluting (architecture)Fluting in architecture refers to the shallow grooves running vertically along a surface.It typically refers to the grooves running on a column shaft or a pilaster, but need not necessarily be restricted to those two applications...
IonicIonic orderThe Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
columns support a dentilled architraveArchitraveAn architrave is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of the columns. It is an architectural element in Classical architecture.-Classical architecture:...
and large pedimentPedimentA pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
, and a dentilled corniceCorniceCornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
with blank friezeFriezethumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
runs the length of the house. Inside, the hallways have fluted engaged pilasterPilasterA pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s supporting an entablatureEntablatureAn entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
and heavy flat cornice. One archway has a moldedMolding (decorative)Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
architrave with keystoneKeystone (architecture)A keystone is the wedge-shaped stone piece at the apex of a masonry vault or arch, which is the final piece placed during construction and locks all the stones into position, allowing the arch to bear weight. This makes a keystone very important structurally...
. No architect is known, and it is likely that the owner, the Rev. Richard Radley, ordered these pieces from a catalog. - St. Paul's Episcopal Church, east of the Radley House. This 1841 clapboard-sided house of worship combines a Greek Revival architrave and pediment with pointed Gothic windows. The three-stage square front tower is topped by a balustrade with small turretTurretIn architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
s at the corners. - St. Paul's Seminary, next to the church. Now the parish houseChurch hallA church hall is a room or building associated with a church, general for community and charitable use . It is normally located near the church, typically in smaller and village communities. Activities in the hall are not necessarily religious, but are typically an important part of local community...
, this small Greek Revival building was originally a schoolhouse for the church. It became a seminary in 1852. - Sanders Store, southwest corner. Originally it was built in 1850 for a general storeGeneral storeA general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
. In 1907 it began several years of renovations to convert it to its later use as Stafford's town hall (it has been vacant since the town moved to a newer building a short distance to the north on Route 237). Its combination of hip and gabled roof is one feature that reflects a combination of Greek Revival and vernacularVernacular architectureVernacular architecture is a term used to categorize methods of construction which use locally available resources and traditions to address local needs and circumstances. Vernacular architecture tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural and historical context in which it...
influences. Other decorative touches include a cornice with pilasters supporting a large architrave, fan window with leaded glassLeaded glassLeaded glass may refer to:*Lead glass, potassium silicate glass which has been impregnated with a small amount of lead oxide in its fabrication...
in the north (front) gable field, and hip-roofed dormer window with diagonally muntined windows on the east elevation. An open-belfryBell towerA bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
tower with pyramidal roof on the northeast corner supports a modern fire siren.