Historic Maplewood

 

The area which is now called Maplewood was first settled by Native Americans and eventually became the site of an important settlement of the Seneca Tribe. Though explored by the French in the 17th century, the area was not permanently settled by European-Americans until 1796 when Gideon King brought his and several other families from Connecticut. They established King's Landing (later to be known as Hanford's Landing) as a port on the Genesee River.

 

By 1830, Charlotte, at the mouth of the river, had eclipsed the settlement as a principal port. The area became a farming and industrial community, the latter centered around the west side of the Lower Falls. This cluster of mills and factories became known as McCrackenville after its developer, David McCracken, one of three brothers who first came to the area in 1805

The second half of the 19th century witnessed the development of elegant farming estates and palatial houses along Lake Avenue. The area became a popular recreational site with side-wheeled steamboat excursions up the Genesee to the Glen House (1870) situated on the west bank just north of the Lower Falls, a "Hydropathic" spa and resort (1852) on Lorimor (Burke) Hill, occupied today by Nazareth Academy, and the opening of the Driving Park Race Track (1874).

Elegant boulevards were laid out (Lakeview Park and Seneca Parkway) which would lead into newly designed parks (Maple Grove and Seneca Park West) according to a master plan by Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. and Company, landscape architects and the designers of New York City's Central Park. Wealthy Rochester business owners began to add their mansions and grand houses to those already towering over Lake Avenue. Coupled with the growth of Eastman Kodak and the development of Kodak Park, the area became the home of many of the company's officers and upper-level managerial staff.

By the turn of the century, while Rochester's wealthy continued to build large and elegant homes in Maplewood, many of the estates and farms were being subdivided into lots for high quality, gracious middle class housing and homes for factory workers. Many churches and schools were constructed and small businesses were established as residential construction exceeded several hundred homes per year. By 1930, Maplewood had become a substantial residential neighborhood called home by the families of thousands of tradesmen, businessmen, and professionals.

The houses of Maplewood clearly reflect its history with surviving examples spanning the period from the 1850s to the present. Most were constructed during the thirty year period between 1890 and 1920 and represent a broad range of architectural styles and economic levels, from Victorian, Tudor, Queen Anne, Arts and Crafts, Eclectic and Shingle to Colonial and Georgian Revival. Although each house in Maplewood is unique, features commonly found include chestnut, oak, walnut, mahogany, or gumwood trim, and hardwood floors. One may also find decorative, mahogany, and maple inlays, bay windows, stained or leaded glass, pocket or french doors, fireplaces with elaborate mantles, and spacious porches. Large shade trees which line the streets, mature hedges, foundation plantings and backyard gardens all add to the charm of Maplewood's housing