Ten

Penn Yan Area Buildings

The Penn Yan area is not unique or well known for the architecture of its buildings past and present, but there are many interesting structures worthy of note. The buildings presently in the historic district of downtown Penn Yan have been well documented in a survey of that neighborhood. Other buildings are presented here because of the interesting photographs in which they appear, or because photographs of them are rarely seen.

This photograph from a glass-plate negative depicts the oldest building in the area and the first white settlement in Yates County. The followers of Jemima Wilkinson, who came here ahead of her in 1788 to inspect the area for future settlement, constructed this small frame building for her upon her arrival in 1790. This first Friend’s house stood on City Hill in Torrey until the 1950s.

This 1930s Burnell photograph of the Garrett Chapel shows it as it cannot be seen today because of trees. “The Little Chapel on the Mount,” dedicated in 1931, was built by Paul Garrett as a memorial to his son Charles, who had died of tuberculosis at age twenty-six. Built in sixth-century style 700 feet above Keuka Lake, the chapel now belongs to the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester.

St. John’s Episcopal Church in Dresden was built in 1869. The ivy-covered brick church no longer stands, having been torn down in 1968. This turn-of-the-century photograph shows it as a beautiful little church.

The Congregationalists built this church in 1841 on the corner of Chapel and Main Streets. In 1856 the Methodist congregation acquired the building. By 1897 the Methodists had outgrown the building and replaced it with the current edifice, which has just undergone a major renovation.

The Presbyterian church shown in this c. 1899 postcard was built at the corner of Main and Clinton Streets in 1879. It was an imposing structure with its towering spire, which can be seen in photographs taken from many vantage points in Penn Yan around the turn of the century.

Certainly the most spectacular fire in Penn Yan in the 1950s was the Presbyterian church fire. Everything but the steeple and the front along Main Street were destroyed and had to be pulled down before traffic could once again proceed.

This 1880 vintage scene was captured on a glass plate. The Yates County Courthouse and Clerk’s Office were built in 1835 on land given by David Wagener to ensure that the county seat became Penn Yan and not rival contender Dresden. Note the small stone structure behind the clerk’s office.

The Yates County Clerk’s Office was built in 1889 and appears fairly new in this photograph taken from the original glass plate. The imposing Civil War monument had not yet been erected. The clerk’s office has been enlarged more than once since it was built and plans are now underway to expand the courthouse.

Birkett Mills was decorated with flags and bunting for what was probably a firemen’s parade in this 1890s print. It must have been a blazing hot day, judging from the number of umbrellas in the scene. Is the photographer on the roof taking the photograph that appears at the bottom of p. 16?

In 1832 Abraham Wagener sold most of his property in Penn Yan and built this mansion on the end of the bluff that forms the “Y” in Keuka Lake. The view of the lake and neighboring smaller lakes, Waneta and Lamoka, is beautiful from the porch or the front lawn. At the time of this photograph, the house was owned by blacksmith Thomas Scott. His daughter Jessee and Jenny are seen on the lower porch.

The General Store in Bellona was built in 1820, originally as a hotel. When the railroad bypassed the village, the business was relegated to serving local agricultural trade. The front, as seen in this photograph, was added in 1876 and the enterprise was converted to a store. The building looks very much the same today as it does here.

When this photograph was taken in 1902, the Penn Yan Post Office was housed in Struble’s Arcade. This building was built in the 1880s and is structurally unchanged today except for a coat of paint covering the bricks. Once again, the village is decorated for a firemen’s convention and parade.

The Hotel Wagner, shown in this 1950s photograph by Bill Potts, was operated by Howard Rose. It was a favorite place to dine for many Penn Yan area residents. The Yates County Public Safety Building is now on this Main Street site.

The Hotel Benham, built in 1861, was demolished in 1959 to make way for the Penn Yan office of the Lincoln Rochester Trust Company. Bill Potts took this 1950s photograph. The roof out over the sidewalk was a favorite vantage point of photographers.

The original Penn Yan Academy was built in 1859 and used until the 1960s. This school housed all the grades in one building until the district built the Chestnut Street School and Lake Street School in 1880. This c. 1890 photograph was taken from a stereoscopic print.

To people who graduated in Penn Yan prior to 1964, this is Penn Yan Academy, built in 1905 and razed in 1963. This Bill Potts photograph of the Main Street structure was hand-tinted, and a much-enlarged version hangs in the lobby of the current Penn Yan Academy.