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The Landmark Society is working with a dedicated group of local citizens in the Town of Clarendon (Orleans County), to save the former Stone Store in the small hamlet of Clarendon. This unique Medina sandstone commercial building was constructed in 1836 and served as a general store and social gathering spot in the hamlet for almost 140 years before closing in 1975. The building was subsequently divided into apartment units. It has sat vacant since 2007 and is now owned by the Town. After considering demolition, on July 19, 2011 the Town Board granted The Landmark Society and the Old Stone Store Preservation Committee (OSSPC) one year to find a new owner who will rehabilitate this rare Federal style commercial building and bring it back on the tax rolls.

Together Landmark Society staff and members of the OSSPC have begun the process of getting the Stone Store listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This honorary designation will allow future owners to take advantage of the Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit program as well as the New York State Commercial Tax Credit program. This will mean that a future owner can potentially take advantage of tax credits worth up to 40% of qualified rehabilitation costs. (The NY State Historic Preservation Office administers these tax credit programs—visit their website to learn more).

With a $500 donation from The Landmark Society to kickstart the project, the OSSPC raised sufficient funds from generous local donors to hire Bero Architecture PLLC of Rochester to conduct a site visit and prepare a brief report describing the condition of the building, suggested remedial work, potential restoration work and priorities. The report, prepared by John Bero, will be vital to the marketing of the property as it will give prospective buyers an objective evaluation of the current condition of the building and potential costs for rehabilitation.

Donors who have helped fund this service include: local businessman, Joe Sidonio; the Clarendon Historical Society; Clarendon-born Dr. Daniel Schiavone, who practices dentistry in Holley; and Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Ward, formerly of Clarendon. The Clarendon Fire Department has also assisted by pumping out the basement prior to Bero’s inspection and by providing use of the ladder truck to allow inspection of the roof. A most heartfelt Thank You goes out to everyone who has helped so far by donations of cash, time and expertise.

Stay tuned to our website and Facebook page for updates on the Clarendon Stone Store!

Photo Courtesy of City of Rochester

Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester is one of the City’s most unique and treasured historic resources. Encompassing historic landscape features (trees, pathways, iron fencing) and historic structures (mausoleums, a chapel, tombstones, and a gazebo to name a few) and covering more than 110 acres, Mount Hope is also an extremely complex resource. Stewardship by the City of Rochester and the Friends of Mount Hope Cemetery over the last few years illustrates the diverse strategies and funding sources that coalesce to make preservation on such a large scale successful.

Read on to learn more about Mount Hope and recent and ongoing efforts by the City and the Friends to preserve this incomparable resource for the continued enjoyment of Rochester’s residents and visitors alike. And, next time you walk the dog or head out for a leisurely stroll, think about exploring the beautiful landscape, architecture, and recent rehabilitation projects at Mount Hope Cemetery.

Dedicated in 1838, and listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1974, Mount Hope Cemetery is the oldest municipally operated Victorian cemetery in the United States. Mount Hope is a rare example of rural Victorian cemetery design, a uniquely preserved urban park, a year round recreational resource and arboretum, a historic outdoor museum and, often most notably, the final resting place of Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony. Of its 110 total acres, 86 represent the earliest land acquisition history of the Cemetery, reflecting the rural cemetery style. The geology of Mount Hope is complemented by the original forest in which Mount Hope’s design carefully took shape. In 2009, more than 20% of the trees in Mount Hope were characterized as historic, reflecting 250 year old oak trees, as well as rare specimen trees gifted to the Cemetery in 1848 by famed 19th-century horticulturists George Ellwanger and Patrick Barry.

The Friends of Mount Hope Cemetery, established in 1980, have served alongside the City of Rochester, as stewards of Mount Hope Cemetery. The Friends have advocated and lobbied for New York State and Federal investment in Mount Hope, as well as leveraged private support. Grants, obtained by both partners, include support from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund, the Preservation League of New York State, the Rochester Area Community Foundation, the Davenport Hatch Foundation, Eastman Kodak Charitable Trust, the New York State Quality Communities Program, the federal Save America’s Treasures program.

Much of the recent rehabilitation work in Mount Hope was implemented as a result of recommendations from a 2009 Cultural Landscape Report completed by Heritage Landscapes LLC, Preservation Landscape Architects & Planners and Wendel Duchscherer Architects & Engineers,PC.

Since 2000, the City of Rochester under the auspices of the New York State Historic Preservation Office, has dedicated more than $1,000,000 to preservation and rehabilitation projects within Mount Hope. The Friends contribute thousands of volunteer hours through educational tours, adopt-a-plot efforts, and annual clean-up projects.

Major initiatives in the Cemetery have included: the repair and replacement of the 1874 Cemetery Gatehouse slate roof, 1862 Chapel roof stabilization, 1912 Chapel roof replacement and exterior rehabilitation, ADA improvements & front porch replacement to the Cemetery’s 19th century farmhouse which functions as the Cemetery office, hosting of the Historic Cemeteries Summit, microfilming and preservation of historic internment records, restoration of significant monuments and completion of historic road and wrought iron fencing assessments, a Cultural Landscape Report and Tree Inventory in 2009, and most recently a Save America’s Treasures funded initiative intended to highlight Mount Hope’s period of significance within the Cemetery’s northern and oldest section. The Save America’s Treasures initiative included façade and stair masonry repair and rehabilitation for the 1862 Cemetery chapel designed by Henry Searle, the ca. 1867 Gould Mausoleum, and the ca. 1911 Rau Mausoleum, as well as significant repair work on the stone wall and iron fence that surround the ca. 1930 Yaky Family burial plot located near the north Gatehouse.

On average, 3,000 visitors annually participate in guided tours of Mount Hope offered May through October. Many thousands more utilize the self-guided tour materials and enjoy the Cemetery as an historic recreational resource or outdoor museum year round.