Geneseo, New York - A great place to visit, raise a family or retire

History of Geneseo | National Historic Landmark Village
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National Historic Landmark Village

With the Historic District’s designation in 1991 as a National Historic Landmark, the Village of Geneseo became one of only 20 (now 24) communities in the country to have its Historic District recognized as having national significance. Members of the Association for the Preservation of Geneseo worked diligently for 18 years to achieve this recognition for Geneseo.

1977 Geneseo’s Main Street (including the Courthouse, Hartford House and The Homestead) was approved for inclusion on the “National Register of Historic Places” by the U.S. National Park Service.
  Hartford House and The Homestead were also listed on the “National Register of Historic Places” on their own merits
1985 The National Park Service approved Main Street District enlargement to include Center Street, Oak Street, Second Street, Elm Street, South Street, Prospect Street, Temple Hill, Ward Place, Chestnut Street and part of HighlandRoad  (Cornerways and west side from Center to Oak) for listing on the “National  Register of Historic Places”.
1991 The enlarged Main Street Historic District was named a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior.
  The significance of Geneseo’s Historic District was summed up by the following observations:
 
One of the most remarkably preserved villages in northwestern New York, Geneseo is one of the best examples of “Picturesque” architecture and town planning as expounded by American landscape architect Andrew Jackson Downing.”
“The cohesive quality of the surviving town displays a textbook of styles and is almost unique in American architectural history.  The relatively sophisticated and imposing structures included in the district reflect the village’s early 19th century prosperity as a market place for the valley’s farming communities”
Note: A member of the Department of the Interior must recommend that the required material be submitted for nomination; a community cannot apply for this designation.

Background information: All National Historic Landmarks are included on the National Register of Historic Places, which is the official list of the nation’s historic properties considered worthy of preservation. Landmarks constitute about 2,000 of the more than 50,000 entries on the National Register. Of these 2005, only 24 are districts – others are buildings, sites, etc. Landmarks are considered of national interest. (Data supplied by the National Park Service.)