Century Homes & Landmarks

The Anderson-Herring home at 8 Bloomingdale Avenue is a two and a half story Queen Anne Victorian frame house built between 1890 and 1900.

It was built by Louis Belger (an Akron builder) for John Anderson, a merchant tailor who also owned the barn behind it, which was converted to use as his tailor shop and is now a home.

Mr. Anderson was a native of Sweden who came to the United States as a journeyman at age 22 and first settled in Franklinville, N.Y. and then Churchville, New York where he married. He progressed in his profession to the point where he successfully bought out the business his boss owned and then moved to Akron in 1890.

In later years the house was sold to a succession of doctors-Dr. Pringle, Dr. Quinby and finally Dr. Stanbury.

Dr. Stanbury was a native of Canada who graduated from the University of Toronto in 1928. He practiced medicine at Buffalo City Hospital from 1928-1936 when he moved to Akron. In 1941 he married a Newstead native, Marjorie Beeman.

From 1936 (until his retirement in 1971), in addition to his regular practice he served as the Tonawanda Reservation physician as well as the Akron Central School physician. This was interrupted by his service in the Army Medical Corps in World War II where he was discharged as a Major in 1946.

In the years following the sale of the house in 1971 the home has been owned by three subsequent owners who have highlighted and maintained its elegant Victorian features.

Historical Importance This Greek Revival farmhouse was built by George Butler in 1840. It features Doric pilasters and six upper windows with iron grills. It has a fieldstone foundation and a lot size of 9.72 acres. For over 30 years it was owned by the Wende family.

Type & Style
Greek Revival farm house

Year Built
1838

Original Owner
George Butler

Notable Features
Doric pilasters and six upper windows filled with ornate iron grills

130 Main Street

The Hoag-Bernhardt home at 130 Main Street began as the business and residence of W. N. Hoag’s lumberyard which was established in 1878. The lumberyard supplied builders with Victorian trim, moldings, sashes, blinds and doors as well as hemlock and pine lumber.

Mr. Hoag began his career as a boot and shoe salesman. In 1860 he moved to Akron from Medina, New York and worked for three years as a carpenter and joiner. He later became a freight agent for the New York Central Railroad, as well as an insurance agent.

In 1866 he built what is now known as the Hoag Building at 67-71 Main Street, in the village business district.

His civic life included several terms as a Village Trustee and a term as Mayor from 1881-1882. He was also President of the Maple Lawn Cemetery Association and helped organize Akron Lodge #527 of the Masons, which still exists today. He served on the school board in 1884. He died in 1896, age 63.

The next owner of the home was Henry Steiner.  Mr. Steiner was a lawyer who earned his degree in Indiana, later coming to Akron and being admitted to the New York state bar. He was Town Clerk from 1889-1894, Town Supervisor from 1895-1896 and was Town Justice from 1924-1926. He also served in the state assembly for two terms.

During his tenure as Town Clerk in 1890 there was a disastrous fire. The town records were housed in the village at the time and he is credited with rescuing most of them.

The home at 130 Main Street served as both his law office and home. During his time of residency photos show a gazebo porch was added, a popular architectural feature of the time period.

In 1942 Hubert Bernhardt purchased the property for $3,000 and moved his funeral business from its former location (where the post office is now located) to its current site. In 1966 his son Dennis took over the business and did three sets of renovations to the property in 1975, 1992, and 2000.

The cupula and ornamental trim are original to the property, as well as the coal burning stove in the basement. Although the building has been aluminum sided and the porches altered the building still remains an outstanding example of Italianate design, very closely mirroring the original structure.

Historical Importance  This property features one of the oldest homes in the town of Newstead and was built in 1831 by “Squire “Howe.  The term squire is an old English term referring to people who were principal landowners in their town. The original Howe farm was 120 acres.  The home was in continuous ownership by the Howe family for over 150 years.

Type & Style
New England Farm House – plank house

Year built
1831

Original owner
Squire Howe

143 EAST AVENUE

The Newman-Zuba two story frame house and carriage barn first appears on the 1866 map of Akron in what was once called the hamlet of Falkirk.

The property was purchased in 1850 by Enos Newman, a pioneer in the cement industry in Akron, partnering with James Montgomery in the 1840’s. Enos raised five children at this location with his wife Thirza and died in 1864.

In the interim the business had expanded involving various other family members, transferring ownership several times and ultimately becoming H. L .and W.C. Newman, producers of both cement and flour. The street the home and business were on was called Cement Street.

In its heyday over 600 barrels of cement a day were produced employing 48 people. Ten employees worked in the flour mill increasing production to 150 barrels in 1878. Leroy, Enos brother was in charge of operations of both the mills and mines.

He became the eventual owner of the eleven-room home which remained in the family until 1910. To maintain its historical elegance the original main staircase and pocket doors have been retained. The stucco carriage house has two floors and a basement and appears with the house in the 1880 atlas of Erie County.

The Newman family originally had greenhouses on the 2.7-acre property as well.

During the ownership of Arthur Charles, he and his wife Nettie Preisach Charles continued on the tradition started by her family of running a wholesale/retail greenhouse business there selling cut flowers, plants and servicing cemetery floral needs upon request. The business was called Akron Greenhouses.

In 2004 the business and home were sold and the greenhouses were torn down and building lots to the east of the property were sold.

The lot the home is on is now 1.25 acres and the home has been extensively renovated by several different owners in recent years.

Historical Importance
On Sunday, June 29, 1952 a small group of Morgan (the First American Bred Horse) Horse owners got together in Akron and formed the “New York State Morgan Horse Club.” The National Morgan Club as well as the editor of the Morgan Horse Magazine enlisted their support. There has been a book published “Justin Morgan Had a Horse” which you must have heard of. A movie has been made and a TV story. The historical importance of this house is that the incorporation papers for the NYSM were signed in the dining room of the house.

Type& Style
2 story plank farmhouse

Year Built
circa 1846

Original Owner
Ogden Allen

Notable Features
hand hewn log joist, plank wall, field stone foundation

82 JOHN STREET

The Pratt-Campbell home at 82 John Street is listed by the town as being built in 1850 but first appears on an 1855 map of Akron as being owned by William Pratt.  Mr. Pratt was a Village Trustee from 1858-1859 and “President” (Mayor) of the “Corporation”, as Akron was known then, from 1859-1860.

The home is purported to have been built by Jonathan Russell, Akron’s founder and sits on 1.1 acres of land which Mr. Russell purchased in 1828 for $506.

In 1854 Mr. Pratt purchased it for $5400. Originally the frame home ran north and south but by 1866 an east-west addition was added.   At one time along the back border of the property was once a carriage house with a basement. From there down the driveway was a path for the horses to be walked.

The home is set back from the street and hosts many original trees of the property.  There is an extensive front porch. Several renovations have been done, including changing the home back from a two-family dwelling to a one family dwelling.

Despite this one of the windows in the living room still retains its original glass.  The attic windows have panes of colored glass with small cedar shake awnings over them and the house is trimmed in several places with fish scale wood trim. There still exists outside a slate sidewalk to the neighbors house.

It is said it was the third and final house Jonathan Russell lived in before moving west. In 1893 Elizabeth Edson Rich purchased the property. She was married to Charles Milton Rich, the son of the first owner of the Octagon House. Charles M. was a freight agent for the N.Y. Central Railroad.  Mrs. Rich was a music teacher. The home at one time had a music conservatory among its 12 rooms.

Mrs. Rich was Elizabeth Edson Rich-two of her brothers served in the Civil War-each dying at the age of 20, in 1862 and 1864 respectively. She and her brothers are buried in Evergreen Lawn Cemetery.

From 1939-1955 the house was owned by Harry D. Martin and his wife Irma. The Martin grandchildren are said to have put on plays in the attic, hanging curtains over the windows and using the east -west portion as their stage in scenes reminiscent of something from “Little Women”.

80 JOHN STREET

The Pratt-Smith home at 80 John Street was built in 1868, although earlier homes appear on the lot as far back as 1855.

The home at one time was the residence of Marshall Hommedieu, a Mayor of Akron from 1879-1880.

Mr. Hommedieu was involved in several business endeavors during his lifetime, the first being the owner of a general store at 37-39 Main Street in 1877. He sold groceries, “provisions”, paint, notions, drugs and medicines. “New goods, small profits”, was his slogan.

In addition to this he tried his hand at real estate-clearing what would become Marshall Ave. (named after himself) and selling it for building lots. He offered an annual payment plan, with a small deposit down and pitched them to apartment dwellers. There were seven lots 155 feet long and 72.5 feet wide and four lots 300 feet long and 50 feet wide.

According to Akron Breeze articles of the time he was the first to have kerosene street lamps on his property and offered to procure them at 25% off for Cedar Street, Main and John if the village fathers approved.

Mr. Hommedieu was also President of the newly formed Excelsior Cornet Band and hosted a phone concert of the band by taking his phone off the hook as the band performed on his front lawn. There were a limited number of people having a phone then and everyone was on the same party line. The Breeze said it was so good “even old Mozart would feast upon it.”

The next notable tenant was Frank Stage, who had an insurance agency at 43-45 Main Street in 1904 where the Fred Thomas Agency is located now. He was a stockholder in the Akron Gypsum Company and both Secretary and Town Supervisor of Newstead from 1912-1915. He was also Treasurer of the Akron Hook and Ladder Co. in 1891. He owned the first automobile in Akron.

In the 1940’s Dr. Trick made his home and office here, briefly interrupted by service as a Major in the Army Medical Corps in WWII.

Interestingly enough this building once served as St. Barnabas Episcopal Church .It was dedicated in 1953 and housed the congregation until their new church was completed on Crittenden Rd. in 1964.

The home has since resumed private ownership.

13212 Main Rd.

Historical Importance
One of the oldest homes on route 5 this is a post- colonial farmhouse built in 1830 of limestone blocks which are from the escarpment on which it was built. It features a Greek Revival doorway, flat arched window openings and 24-30-inch-thick stone walls.

The original acreage of the farm was 265 acres and included many sheds and barns. It is now owned by Don Kreher of Kreher Farms.

4354 South Newstead Road

In 1906 the original home and outbuildings served as a collection and holding site for area farmers to deliver their milk. The milk was then picked up to be taken to the Wheat’s Creamery plant in Akron.

Wheat’s Creamery was a company owned by Akron residents Louis and Ed Sutton. It manufactured ice cream, among other things.  It was sold to National Dairy in 1927. This later became known as Sealtest.

In the 1930’s after the creamery had closed the home was updated into a more modern home.