Historic and Architectural Design District Building Design Standards, Village of Pittsford

Zachman, Paul; Corby, Bob

From introduction: "The historic village that residents enjoy and visitors admire today is not an accident, but rather the product of decades of continuous community stewardship. This effort is a partnership of residents, property owners, business people, and the Village’s Architectural and Preservation Review Board (APRB). The Village of Pittsford was one of the first communities in upstate New York to adopt an historic preservation ordinance. The village contains an unusually well-preserved collection of historic homes, stores, public buildings, churches, mills, and barns. Pittsford is unique in New York State in that its entire corporate limits are designated as an historic district. Most of the village’s approximately 800 buildings are vernacular interpretations of popular nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century architectural styles. Unique resources include a concentration of Federal-era buildings, a mid nineteenth-century farm (still a working farm), a cobblestone school, and an Erie Canal warehouse district. The central section of the village and several individual properties are listed in the National and State Registers of Historic Places. During the 1960s, a number of the village’s important historic buildings were threatened, and several were demolished. To prevent further erosion of the village’s character, citizens lobbied Village officials to enact a historic preservation ordinance. Adoption of the ordinance in 1971 halted demolitions... The mission of the APRB is to manage change rather than prevent it. The APRB seeks to identify ways to adapt old buildings to changing needs while preserving their historic character. In recent years, significant change occurred along the Erie Canal, one of the village’s outstanding treasures. Despite the construction of additions, new buildings, and even parking lots, the charm and character of the village’s neighborhoods and commercial districts have been preserved." Funding was provided in part by a 2008 Historic Preservation Fund grant to the Village of Pittsford (project number NY-08-105) administered by the New York State Historic Preservation Office (grant number 36-08-21737) and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Historic and Architectural Design District Building Design Standards, Village of Pittsford

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