Fernwood Park Historic District
Why it's listed
Fernwood Park is a 1947 garden apartment complex on a triangular 10-acre plot in northeast Rochester. It holds 38 two-story brick and vinyl-clad buildings with four units each, 152 apartments in all, arranged in three clusters around lawns, walkways and a children's play area. Each apartment has its own entrance, and the buildings are offset so that rooms receive light and air. The complex was the first of three projects under the Rochester Plan, a postwar effort in which eight local banks formed a non-profit corporation to build low-rent housing for veterans on city-provided land, financed by an FHA-insured mortgage. Architect C. Storrs Barrows designed the vernacular Colonial Revival buildings, and landscape architect Francis Hastings Gott planned the grounds. Buildings and landscaping take up roughly 30 percent of the site, leaving 70 percent as green space. Its design reflects Garden City Movement ideas and the federal garden apartment model, which is why it is recognized for both its planning and its architecture.
Significance in brief: It is an intact post-World War II veterans' garden apartment complex and the first of three projects built under the Rochester Plan, in which local banks and the city provided low-rent housing for veterans. It illustrates Garden City Movement principles and the Federal Housing Administration's leading garden apartment model. It is also a vernacular Colonial Revival design by architect C. Storrs Barrows with landscaping by Francis Hastings Gott.
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 10000360, listed June 21, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Bounded by Fernwood Ave, Woodman Park, Culver Rd, and Waring Rd, Rochester |
|---|---|
| County | Monroe County |
| Listed | June 21, 2010 |
| Reference number | 10000360 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1947 |
| Architect / builder | C. Storrs Barrows (architect, Carpenter and Barrows); Francis Hastings Gott (landscape architect) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as multiple dwellings; the windows are replacements, much of the siding is now vinyl, and a community center was added in 2008. |
| Acreage | 10 |
| Coordinates | 43.18001, -77.56214 (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 10000360.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5445159
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.