Watts, Ebenezer, House
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Why it's listed
Built between 1825 and 1827, this two-story brick house at 47 South Fitzhugh Street is the oldest surviving residence in downtown Rochester. Ebenezer Watts, who arrived in Rochester around 1810 and founded its first copper, tin and iron business, later the village's first hardware business, had it built. The house began as a Federal style home with a gabled roof and an elliptically arched entrance with sidelights. In the 1850s, Watts updated it in the Italianate manner, adding a hipped roof, a cupola and frieze windows with cast-iron grilles. Original stairs and trim survive inside. After World War II the neighboring houses were demolished for commercial and civic development, leaving this one amid office buildings and a parking garage. It was converted to offices, and a 1949 alteration replaced the Italianate porch with an entrance vestibule. Its survival preserves evidence of early canal-side residential life in Rochester.
Significance in brief: It is the oldest surviving residence in downtown Rochester and a rare surviving house within the Inner Loop Multiple Resource Area. It keeps features from both its original Federal style and an 1850s Italianate remodelling. It preserves evidence of early canal-area residential development and the nineteenth-century townhouse character of South Fitzhugh Street.
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 85003632, listed October 18, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 47 S. Fitzhugh St., Rochester |
|---|---|
| County | Monroe County |
| Listed | October 18, 1996 |
| Reference number | 85003632 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Federal, remodelled in the Italianate style in the 1850s |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as in good condition and used as offices; converted to office use after World War II. Alterations in 1949 removed the front porch and added an entrance vestibule. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 43.15363, -77.61369 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 85003632.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5331749
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.