Main Street Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Also known as: Geneseo Historic District; See Also:Main Street Historic Dist
Why it's listed
Geneseo's historic district was enlarged to take in 235 more properties along ten residential streets east of Main Street, bringing the total to 308 properties on about 600 acres. The additions include Center, Chestnut, Elm, Oak, Prospect, Second and South Streets, along with the Hartford House, a second Wadsworth family estate at the north end of Main Street, and the nineteenth-century Temple Hill Cemetery. Buildings date from the 1810s to the 1930s, and wood frame houses predominate. Styles run from Federal and Greek Revival through Italianate, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival. Each street reflects a stage of the village's growth: South and Second Streets hold early Federal and Greek Revival homes, Center Street is the most varied in use, and Oak Street has the strongest grouping of Queen Anne houses. Other buildings include a cobblestone former schoolhouse, now a county museum, a library and two churches. The boundaries exclude heavily altered older houses and modern intrusions. Together, 414 contributing features show the village's early nineteenth to early twentieth century development.
Significance in brief: The expanded district contains the village's only concentration of substantially intact, contiguous historic properties. Its buildings, dating from the 1810s to the 1930s, show the village's development through a wide range of architectural styles. The additions are tied to the same history as the original district, including the prominent Wadsworth family.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 85000642, listed March 21, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by NY 39, Temple Hills Cemetery, South St. and Main, Geneseo |
|---|---|
| County | Livingston County |
| Listed | March 21, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85000642 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Italian Villa, Second Empire, Queen Anne/Eastlake and Colonial Revival, plus vernacular and eclectic variations |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | National, Local |
| National Historic Landmark | Yes, designated July 17, 1991 |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is listed as excellent, good and fair, with a mix of altered and unaltered buildings. Present uses include commercial, private residence, religious, museum, park and government. |
| Acreage | 555 |
| Within district | Geneseo Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.79858, -77.81437 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 85000642.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.