Lower Mill
Why it's listed
Built around 1829 for Hirem Finch, the Lower Mill is a stone grist mill facing North Main Street in Honeoye Falls, with Honeoye Creek running behind it. From the street it reads as three stories, but the sloping land makes parts of the rear four and a half stories. The walls are said to be built of stone quarried from the creek bed, with finished quoins at the corners and plain stone sills and lintels. A fire in the 1890s destroyed the original gable roof and top story, leaving the present flat roof. Inside, rough stone walls, heavy timber beams and an old hoistway for carrying grain remain exposed. Milling continued through the 1890s, later resumed under steam power, and ended in the 1930s during the Depression. The building then served a creamery for aging cheese and an oil company. It is valued as a visual anchor of the village and a reminder of the mills that shaped its economy. The village owns it, and reuse as a library was under study.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the mill is a key visual element of the village streetscape and represents the milling economy that was the village's reason for being. It is also cited for its architecture and as an industrial site. Milling continued there until the 1930s.
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 73001200, listed May 17, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | N. Main St., Honeoye Falls |
|---|---|
| County | Monroe County |
| Listed | May 17, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73001200 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (c. 1829) |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as unoccupied and not in use, in fair condition and altered; rehabilitation for community use, possibly as a library, was being studied. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Honeoye Falls Village Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.95592, -77.58875 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 73001200.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6693620
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.