Back | Index | Next

5.0 Community Facilities & Services

The quality, supply and variety of a community's services and facilities are important to the overall quality of life a community can offer its residents. Education, emergency services, recreational opportunities and cultural enrichment have a substantial impact on the appeal of a community as a place to live. This chapter explores the resources available to residents in the Village of Pittsford, including historic resources, educational facilities, libraries, emergency services, recreational facilities and social services.

5.1 Historic Resources

The National Parks Service administers the Register of Historic Places through the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The National Register serves to identify and protect historic resources that are important to American culture. The National Register consists of all historic areas in National Parks, National Historic Landmarks that have been designated for their significance and properties significant to the nation, state or community, which have been nominated by states, federal agencies and others and have been approved by the National Parks Service . The Village's National Historic District includes:

5.1.1 National and Local Register of Historic Places

The National Parks Service administers the Register of Historic Places through the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The National Register serves to identify and protect historic resources that are important to American culture. The National Register consists of all historic areas in National Parks, National Historic Landmarks that have been designated for their significance and properties significant to the nation, state or community, which have been nominated by states, federal agencies and others and have been approved by the National Parks Service . The Village's National Historic District includes:

• The area roughly bounded by the Erie Canal, Jefferson Road and Sutherland and South Streets.

• The largely residential district includes 131 properties that are mostly 19th and early 20th century residences in Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Eastlake and Colonial Revival Styles.

• The District includes three churches and a school.

• Notable buildings in the District include:
  
  • Federal Harous-Briggs House (1812)
  • Federal Little House (c.1819)
  • Federal/Greek Revival Steele House (c.1810)
  • Phoenix Hotel (individually listed)
  • Cobblestone District No. 6 Schoolhouse (1842)
  • Gothic Revival Dr. Hartwell Carver House (c. 1853)
  • Early Romanesque Revival Presbyterian Church (c. 1867)
  • High Victorian Gothic Christ Church (c. 1868)

Additional individual properties in the Village listed with the National Register include:

• Pittsford Farms (Hawley - Zornow Farm, 44 N. Main Street), This large Italianate house was originally built by Samuel Hildreth in 1814 with additions and remodeling done in the Italian Style by Jarvis Lord at the time of the Civil War. The development rights for a large portion of this 200-acre farm have been purchased by the Town of Pittsford to assure their preservation as agricultural open space.

• Adolph Lomb House - (Sutherland Street and W. Jefferson Road). This property was the estate of Adolph Lomb the son of the co-founder of Bausch & Lomb Optical Company.

• Village Hall, known as the Wiltsie Memorial Building, was built in 1855. In 1937, the building was donated by Mary Emily Wiltsie Field as a library in memorial to her father who grew up in the home. The building was used as a library until 1974 when the library was relocated to State Street. The structure now houses the Village offices. Recommendations from the Comprehensive Planning Committee based on the charrette find that the Village Hall has space available for community groups; however, the building is currently underutilized for such purposes. Charrette participants have also suggested that there are no designated public restrooms in the Village and that the accessible restrooms located in the Village Hall could be designated for this purpose if made accessible.

The entire Village has been surveyed utilizing the NYS Building/Structure Inventory Forms and has been designated a Local Historic Preservation District. This district notifies property owners, planners and developers to the existence of significant historic properties and sites that need to be taken into consideration in both public and private endeavors. The local district contains many historic structures not included in the National Register District, which encompasses the Village Central Business District and surrounding areas, such as the Flour Mills, the Depot and the "Little Dublin" neighborhood. This district recognizes the architecturally and historically significant structures that are important to the Village character and through preservation and restoration of these structures along with addressing potential problems such as parking and traffic the historic character can be maintained.

5.1.2 The Erie Canal

The Erie Canal, running through the Village of Pittsford, makes the Village a unique destination. Today, as commercial use of the Canal has declined, it has become a recreational resource as well as drawing tourists to the historic structures in the Village that exist from the era when Canal trade was thriving. The Village of Pittsford has implemented adaptive reuse efforts of the Canal warehouses that exist along Schoen Place. These warehouses have been transformed into shops and restaurants that provide an attractive and thriving area for tourists as well as residents.

The Canal is owned and operated by the New York State Canal Corporation. The Canal Corporation must be involved in all decisions that directly impact the Canal lands. The Canal Corporation reviews and approves the design for any facilities proposed on Canal lands.

The Genesee Transportation Council also funded the "Canalway Trail Realignment Study" in the Spring of 1999 to look at realignment alternatives of the portion of the Canal along old Monroe Avenue and Brook Road in the Town of Pittsford. The realignment of the Canal is designed to improve the safety, operations and aesthetics of the trail. In response to residents' issues regarding this section of the Canal the Town of Pittsford requested the Canal Corporation improve the Canalway Trail at this location. The Canal Corporation in turn requested planning assistance from the Genesee Transportation Council, therefore resulting in the Canalway Trail Realignment Study.

Back | Index | Next