Five well-preserved properties honored by the Landmark Society

On Saturday evening, the Landmark Society of Genesee County handed out its annual architecture and preservation awards.

This year's winners were: Ben and Diane Bonarigo, adaptive reuse, for St. Mary’s Rectory, 18 Ellicott St., Batavia; William Steininger and Joan Bird for stained-glass window restoration and interior renovation, 9244 Upton Road, Batavia; Jennifer Weaver, for outstanding exterior paint treatment, 7083 N. Bergen Road, Bergen; James and Jillian Patric, outstanding exterior paint treatment, for 317 Washington Ave., Batavia; and, UMMC, Jerome Senior Apts., 16 Bank St., Batavia.

Pictures of the winners and full write-ups after the jump:

Benjamin and Diane Bonarigo
18 Ellicott St., Batavia, New York
Adaptive Reuse Award

When the former St. Mary’s rectory became available for sale, Diane Bonarigo had a vision of this building as elegant law offices for her husband, Ben, and his partner Robert McCutcheon. At the start, the Bonarigos were committed to saving and restoring the surviving architectural elements of the rectory. 

They worked closely with the City of Batavia Historic Preservation Committee and City Historian Larry Barnes to retain the building’s integrity. 

The building is located in a city-designated historic overlay district.

Built in 1857 as a private, single-family residence, it remained a private home until it was sold to St. Mary’s Church in 1905. It was used as a temporary church until St. Mary’s construction next door was completed in 1906. 

From 1906 to 1919, the maps show a change in the footprint of the building from one or more additions to the rear of the building. The footprint of the building has remained unchanged since 1919. It was used as a rectory until Bonarigo purchased the property in 2009 from the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo. The purchase had to be approved by the Diocese.

Existing architectural details are highlighted with a four-color paint treatment.   Diane worked with Mossman’s to pick out an historically appropriate color scheme that would highlight the architectural details. The exterior displays elements of the Greek Revival style: a front-gabled low-pitched roof with a narrow band of cornice trim forming a closed triangular pediment. The tympanum is decorated with a semicircular sunburst ornament. This design is repeated on a smaller scale on the front porch roof. 

The building’s front and side porches have undergone alterations throughout the years. The latest changes to the front porch were made by the Bonarigos. They replaced the wrought iron supports with turned wooden posts and replaced the iron stair railing with wood shingled knee walls. There is a two-story bay window on the west side of the building.   

The Bonarigos added unobtrusive landscaping that would not distract focus from the building. 

On the rear of the building, the trim does not form a closed triangle. Rather, the returns give the illusion of a triangular shape at the gable end. A cantilevered second-story porch graces the east side of the building. To make the building handicapped accessible, a wheelchair lift was added to the existing side porch. A new entry door was installed to accommodate the width of a wheelchair. A handicapped accessible bathroom was added on the first floor.

Inside the building, there is a harmonious blend of old and new. In the front office, a desk hand-crafted by Ben blends in with the original style. On all of the new door openings, the Bonarigos matched the bull’s eye style of the existing trim. The rooms without wall-to-wall carpeting have beautiful parquet oak floors.

Another one of Ben’s projects was taking out all of the original brass door knobs, hand cleaning each one, then replacing them in the doors.

All of the cast iron radiators were in excellent condition and functional. With a fresh coat of paint, they add a decorative touch.

The conference room paneling had water damage from a leaky roof. Diane used a toothpaste concoction and elbow grease to restore the wood’s luster.

The front staircase has a walnut wood newel post, paneling and a decorative trim along the stringers. 

When the building was a rectory, the upstairs contained three suites to house the priests. The Bonarigos reconfigured the upper floor into offices, a private conference room, another waiting room, and file rooms.

Although not as elegant, the cellar is just as interesting. The staircase leading down has a bead board wall. 

Even with the record rainfall, the basement remained completely dry! The original tree trunk support beams remain intact. The Bonarigos jacked up the floors to correct the sagging and added structural supports.  

There is even a wine cellar in the basement. Thankfully, an interesting door there was not removed -- the pipes were plumbed through one of the windows.

This stained-glass window was removed from the original front door and replaced with the scales of justice motif — much more appropriate for a law firm.

The furniture is a stately blend of old and new. The new reproduction furniture is accented with pieces original to the rectory.  

Diane worked with Mossman’s to choose paint colors and wallpaper to complement the period and tasteful style of the building. She also picked out the window treatments. McCutcheon’s office is on the first floor.

With great pleasure, it is our honor to present Ben and Diane Bonarigo with a Historic Preservation Award for the Adaptive Reuse of the St. Mary’s Rectory.

James and Jillian Patric
317 Washington Ave.
Batavia, New York
Outstanding Exterior Paint Treatment Award

(Written by Laurie Oltramari)

James and Jillian Patric bought their house in November 2006. As I was told, Jillian liked the leaded glass windows so much, it was a major reason they bought the house.

The house was built in 1918. And although its sheer massing makes its mark on Washington Avenue, its painted details gave it the facelift that make passersby stop in their tracks. A rusticated stone foundation anchors the cross-gabled house. Although this is more likely a vernacular structure, meaning it was built by local crafts-persons, it certainly has Victorian Era elements such as the Palladian window in the front gable, the bay window at the stair landing, the interesting fretwork on the porch, and the leaded glass in the transom windows.

The house was built by McBride Steel as well as the adjacent house to the east, currently owned by Jay Gsell. The former owner was Kathy Horgan whose maiden name is McBride. So the Patrics are only the third owners of the house.

Mr. Patric received his first notification from the City of Batavia regarding the state of his house, specifically some broken pieces of wood. He disregarded the letter because honestly, when you’ve moved relatively recently, you have many other pending issues to address. His second notice stated that he was in a “delinquent category” and as such would face jail time of one day for every 15 days the owners did not paint the house.

Although he had every intention of painting it anyways, it was not efficient to paint the house without first fixing some of the clapboard siding. Luckily, he saw a house on Ellicott Avenue that had replaced some of their siding, and so Mr. Patric asked if he could take the old siding. He removed some of his siding and replaced it with the Ellicott Avenue’s.

After receiving estimates of upward $8,000, the Patric’s opted to paint the house themselves. He had Sparkle Wash, Rocco Della Penna, pressure-wash the house, scrape it, prime it and caulk it. He happened upon a 40 percent off sale at Sherwin Williams in August 2010. The paint would have cost nearly $1,300, but came out to be $700. James, with some help from family and friends, hand painted the front of the house, which included the trim and detail work. He sprayed the body of the house. He rented a lift from Skyworks.

In the end, he was able to paint the house over the course of 10 grueling days, for only $3,500 (which included the lift, work done by Sparkle Wash, and the paint)! James preferred blue and Jillian, a visual merchandiser with an eye for detail, chose the accent colors. The results are stunning.

James is a teacher at Oakfield Alabama and during the summer works in landscaping. As old houses go, there is always work to be done, but there is always so much potential. The Patrics have many ideas for the future of their home, but welcoming their first child in August will be their greatest pride.

The Landmark Society is pleased to present James and Jillian Patric with this Preservation Award for Outstanding Exterior Paint Treatment.

Jennifer Weaver and Dave Kuder
The Gifford Walker House
7083 N. Bergen Road, Bergen, New York
Outstanding Exterior Paint Treatment

(Written by Loren Pflaumer)

This two-story late carpenter Gothic home was built in 1870 by Aaron Gifford, the postmaster at the time, on his 100-acre farm in North Bergen. The unknown architect incorporated classic Gothic elements such as decorative hand-sawn verge boards, steep cross-gabled rooflines and vertical board-and-batten siding.  It has been written by the early architect Andrew Jackson Downing, that the use of vertical siding was considered more in keeping with the natural surroundings; the central reason Gothic style is generally found in rural settings and is sometimes referred to as Rural Gothic. It seems the designer also had an affinity for more uncommon elements when he incorporated the unusual ogee arches and 36-pane bay window. The home also boasts fluted Corinthian columns, and a second-floor balcony with a Gothic railing.

The Giffords sold the home and farm to the Walker family in 1891 in whose hands it remained until purchased at auction by William and Bonnie Perkins in 1986. The Walker family added two smaller rear wings to the home but did little else, and the structure fell into disrepair with shrubbery covering the main entrance. The last remaining Walker to occupy the home was Alice Walker who ran a foster home at the time. Alice loved and appreciated the historic property and spent many years trying to get it listed on the National Historic Register. The Gifford Walker Farm was designated and listed in 1986; unfortunately Alice was not living in the area when her goal was realized. To this day, Alice’s former foster children continue to revisit the home where they lived as children.

When the Perkins became the third family to own the home, it was with the intent of restoring and reselling or renting it. They spent many years updating the interior, resurrecting the overgrown front of the home and rebuilding the front steps. In 1991, the remainder of the restoration project was taken over by their daughter, Jennifer, when she moved in as a renter. When the house was finally finished in 2000, everyone was invested and attached.

Fortunately, Jennifer was able to purchase the property. She lived in the home for 10 years when it was clear the home was in need of a new paint job. In June of 2010, Jennifer and her fiancé Dave Kuder hired Paramount Painters to begin the tedious process of scraping, replacing boards and trim, priming and painting. As with many older homes, many of the wood and trim pieces had rotted and needed to be replaced.

Jennifer initially chose to paint the main body of the house green and white with a contrasting accent color, but midway through painting, decided the busyness of the carpenter Gothic style would be best presented in a monochromatic color scheme. Jennifer and Dave have also taken care to preserve the barn and remaining outbuildings. A barn restoration company was brought in to review the structure. The barn now has a new roof and has been freshly painted, with care taken to highlight the lettering indicating the previous owners.

Genesee County currently has only 19 listings on The National Register of Historic Places. The Landmark Society of Genesee County presents the Award for Outstanding Paint Treatment as well as our sincerest gratitude and thanks to Dave and Jennifer and her parents for rescuing and maintaining this important piece of local history.

United Memorial Medical Center Jerome Senior Apartments
16 Bank St., Batavia, New York
Adaptive Reuse 

(Written by Jill Babinski)

St. Jerome’s Hospital was constructed in the 1920s and operated as a hospital until 2000. On Jan. 1, 2000, St. Jerome’s Hospital and Genesee Memorial merged to form United Memorial Medical Center. Since the merger, the majority of the former St. Jerome’s hospital was underutilized. In 2007, United Memorial Medical Center opened the Jerome Center. The Jerome Center houses comprehensive outpatient diagnostic services, occupational medicine, as well as specialty and primary care services on the ground floor of the former hospital.

Noting that there was still a large portion of the former hospital that was not being used, as well as an anticipated increase in the senior population, United Memorial Medical Center began to explore the possibility of adapting the hospital to be reused as apartments for senior members of the community. This process began after a private company chose not to purchase the hospital for use as a nursing home and conversations soon took place with the Genesee County Economic Development Center with regard to development of housing for the needs of the senior population.

Conifer Development, a local development firm that specializes in adaptive reuse of old buildings such as hospital and schools, took on the project. Construction of the project began in October of 2009. Conifer Development renovated and adapted the top four floors of the former St. Jerome’s Hospital into a modern apartment building. As with any adaptive reuse project, surprises were many, but Conifer Development was able to keep the project on time and on budget.

Jerome Senior Apartments were remodeled to feature both one- and two-bedroom apartments for a total of 37 apartments. Amenities available include intercom access entry, fully equipped kitchens with energy efficient appliances, central air conditioning, elevator, community room, exercise room and a computer room. Support services are provided by United Memorial Medical Center. It should be noted that the apartments are within walking distance to the Senior Center, shopping, financial institutions and restaurants. 

For one walking by the Jerome Apartments, much appears to be the same as when the hospital was in full operation. One addition has been made to the south portion of the building. There is now an entrance way to the apartments near to the YMCA. 

Perhaps most importantly, the addition of senior housing in the community met a need both for living space and preservation and continuation of a neighborhood landmark.

Joan Bird and William Steininger
9244 Upton Road
Batavia, New York
Interior Renovation and Stained Glass Window Restoration Award

(Written by Cheryl Chmielowic)

Bill Steininger and Joan Bird purchased their home at 9244 Upton Road in the Town of Batavia in 2006. The original house was built in 1823 by Daniel and Electa Upton. The Upton’s daughter, Sarah Upton Edwards, updated the house in 1890 to the shingle style we now see.

As the story is told, Sarah didn’t want the railroad through her property and gave the New York Central a hard time about it. She finally agreed to hand over the land with the stipulation that they bring her trees she could plant. She ended up with quite a varied bunch including, Ginko, Katalba, Tulip, Chestnut, Kentucky Coffee, Sweet Gum, Tamerak and Austrian Pines.

The house changed ownership several times since, including a 78-year period in the Frink family. When Bill and Joan took ownership, the house was in a state of repair and restoration but had enough left to finish, keeping them busy for quite awhile!

Upon approaching the house, the hand carved wood panel on the front porch roof announces its name, Whitethorn, represented by the white thorn locust trees along the driveway. The carved wood panels appear in several locations around the exterior of the house and some that were removed have been assimilated into the newer construction of the workshop. The complex roof lines, multiple porches, porte-cocheres, and leaded and stained-glass windows give it a Victorian identity.

Details on the interior include a tin ceiling in the living room that is a reproduction of an 1890 pattern, installed by Bill. The dining room ceiling is a Bradbury & Bradbury design of hand-screened paper and in the center is a reproduction of a turn-of-the-century light fixture. Joan and Bill have restored the Eastlake style door hardware. Note the shape of the radiator -- it's round!

The absolute gems of this house are its windows. The beveled, clear leaded panes in the dining and living rooms were found out to be leaded crystal. These were still in good repair. Joan says that on a sunny day they shoot rainbows all around the room. There is a lovely stained-glass piece in the dining room with a quarter sawn oak hutch built around it. This window off the living room has also been restored.

The large stained-glass window in the foyer tells quite a story. The first winter Bill and Joan owned the house, Bill had to cover the entire window with Styrofoam insulation to keep the air from pouring in through the openings created by sinking panes. The wood had rotted and the caming had warped. There were no storm windows to protect it. Bill contacted Brennan Stained Glass Studio in Syracuse to see if they would be interested in the restoration. It just so happened that they were doing a job in Buffalo and could stop to look at it on their way back home.  They agreed to do the glass if Bill would take care of rebuilding the wood frame. 

The panes were taped to secure the glass and then laid on plywood doors for transport. All the glazing was removed with dental tools from the original lead caming. The bowed pieces were flattened. Everything was cleaned and re-glazed. 

The 12-light window is stunning in its shades of light golds, blues and pinks. Through force of will, skill, and quite a few dollars, Joan and Bill managed to do what many could not. The Landmark Society of Genesee County recognizes their efforts with an award for the Interior Renovation and Restoration of the Window, but the true reward comes every time they behold the beauty of leaded light.