Sonnenberg Gardens
Why it's listed
Sonnenberg Gardens is a 40-acre estate on the eastern edge of Canandaigua, New York, behind a thick masonry wall. It holds lawns, a deer park, a large stone-and-shingle house built in 1887, and eight distinct gardens: Italian, Rose, Sub-Rosa, Blue and White, Pansy, Old-Fashioned, Rock and Japanese. Frederick Ferris Thompson and Mary Clark Thompson bought the land in 1863. After his death in 1899, Mrs. Thompson had the grounds redesigned around 1900 by landscape architect Ernest Bowditch, and a Japanese designer, K. Wadamori, planned the Japanese Garden. The nomination values the estate for its architecture, landscape design and sculpture, and for the rare scale and preservation of its gardens. A Veterans Administration hospital bought the property in 1931 and kept up the gardens as part of patient rehabilitation. In 1972 the house and gardens passed to a non-profit corporation, and in 1973 they opened permanently to the public.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls the gardens a rare series of ornamental gardens, notable for their scale and for their remarkable preservation over about seventy years. They were designed around 1900 by landscape architect Ernest Bowditch for Mary Clark Thompson. They also survived decades of institutional ownership by a Veterans Administration hospital largely intact.
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 73001240, listed September 28, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 151 Charlotte St., Canandaigua |
|---|---|
| County | Ontario County |
| Listed | September 28, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73001240 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1887 (house), c. 1900 (gardens); 19th and 20th centuries |
| Architect / builder | Ernest Bowditch (landscape architect); Francis R. Allen (believed to have made additions to the house); K. Wadamori (Japanese Garden); John Handrahan (Rock Garden); original architect of the house unknown |
| Architectural style | Richardsonian house |
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition rated excellent to good. House and gardens were conveyed in 1972 to a non-profit corporation, Sonnenberg Gardens, and opened permanently to the public in spring 1973 while restoration was under way. |
| Acreage | 40 |
| Coordinates | 42.89845, -77.27238 (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 73001240.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q607584
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.