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The
Patrick Barry House
The
booming frontier city of Rochester wasn’t even a decade
old when the Erie Canal helped bring two hard working immigrants
named George Ellwanger and Patrick Barry. They discovered
a climate perfect for starting what would become the largest
tree and plant nursery in North America. As that nursery
grew, both men built stately homes that served as signposts
of their success. Patrick Barry’s would also house
a family that would grow to 10 children. When the last of
those died in 1951, the newest generation of Barrys donated
Patrick’s home to the University of Rochester. The
university took the greatest care and hired the most gifted
of restoration experts to bring the century old structure
back to life. Its 13 foot ceilings and 11 foot doors now
gleam next to ornate woodwork and period furniture. The
home has since served as the residence of several U of R
provosts and presidents.
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The
Harris House
Like Ellwanger and Barry, Edward Harris brought little other
than a quick intelligence and a love of hard work with him
to Rochester. He arrived as a dirt farmer but after a year
of night school, he passed the bar and opened his own practice.
It would become one of the signature law firms in upstate
New York. By 1865, Harris built an elegant Italian villa
on several acres of farmland that lay well to the east of
a growing Rochester. Later, other equally regal mansions
would be built on the road that passed by Harris’ front
door, East Avenue. Harris sold the home in 1892 when he
mistakenly thought his wife wanted something newer, more
modern. Subsequent owners included the wife and daughter
of Western Union co-founder Don Alonzo Watson, socialite
and rose scholar Harriet Hollister Spencer, and current
Harris-Beach partner Beth Wilkens. Now, a new generation
has moved in. Mark and Kathy Cleary bring with them at least
one important link to the generations previous: a determination
to use their new home as a home and not a museum.
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