St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Brockport, St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Canandaigua also recognized

Photos courtesy of David Miller: Bent’s Opera House in Medina looks stunning after a three-year restoration effort.

MEDINA – Three new sandstone structures were inducted into the Sandstone Hall of Fame on Thursday, in a ceremony which also included recognition of five sandstone homes built by architect William Jackson between the 1820s and 1860s.

Inductees include the Bent’s Opera House in Medina, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Brockport and St. Mary’s RC Church in Canandaigua.

Jim Hancock, chairman of the Hall of Fame committee, said the first sandstone induction took place in 2013. Since then, including this year’s inductees, 32 buildings and monuments have been named to the Hall of Fame.

“Purpose of the Hall of Fame was to recognize beautiful structures made of our stone,” Hancock said. “Medina Sandstone can be found in buildings and roads across the United States, and from Cuba to Buckingham Palace.”

Hancock explained to be selected to the Sandstone Hall of Fame a nominee must fall into one of several classes – church, private residence, public building or any architecturally unique structure.

Criteria considered include its age, if it is still in use, it’s beauty and architectural uniqueness.

The 2021 class of inductees into the Sandstone Hall of Fame hold their plaques after the ceremony Thursday at City Hall. From left are Anthony DiPrima, director of finance and administration at St. Mary’s Church in Canandaigua, Karen Baase from Luke’s Harvest Kitchen at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Brockport and Justin Bruce, general manager of Bent’s Opera House in Medina.

Bent’s Opera House is one of the oldest surviving theaters in the entire nation, having been built at the height of the Civil War. From 1865 to the early 1920s, it was the cultural center of the Medina area. Its construction is of native Medina Sandstone, laid in a random ashlar pattern with a hammered finish.

The opera house was built by Don Carlos Bent, a wealthy local farmer, who secured the services of local sandstone builder Patrick O’Grady.

St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Canandaigua

The building was in danger of collapse in the early 21st century when it was donated by Bank of America to the Orleans Renaissance Group. They then sold it to Talis Equity, who took on one of the community’s most ambitious renovation projects in history, working more than three years to fortify the building and redesign it to include a restaurant, hotel and entertainment/lecture hall in the former opera house.

In accepting the plaque for Bent’s, Justin Bruce, general manager, said owners Roger and Heather Hungerford appreciated the honor, although they were unable to attend.

Anthony DiPrima, finance director at St. Mary’s Church, said the Sandstone Hall of Fame committee visited his church two years ago, but the church didn’t make the list for induction. Then the committee returned this year, and viewed extensive renovations which had been done to the interior of the building.

“We felt pretty confident our church would be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year,” DiPrima said. “This is the first honor I’m aware of that our church has received for its architecture, and with all our interior renovations, this is the cherry on the ice cream.”

St. Mary’s RC Church at 59 North Main St., Canandaigua, traces its parish back to 1843, when a small group of Catholic families began meeting. The first St. Mary’s Church was built in 1846, but by 1865 membership had grown, and a new church was needed. The old J. Albert Granger property was purchased in 1873, but construction was delayed to pay off the debt.

Construction of the current church was started in 1903. Architects were Gordon & Madden of Rochester. The building was dedicated Dec. 17, 1905.

The Building Committee was pleased with the use of pink Medina Sandstone and they got good terms for the sandstone and favorable railroad rates for the delivery of this beautiful stone.

In 2007, St. Benedict’s Parish was established when St. Mary’s in Canandaigua and St. Benedict’s in Bloomfield became clustered.

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Brockport

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church at 14 State St., Brockport, has been a dominant, soaring presence on Brockport’s Main Street since 1855.

The congregation paid $6,897 to have the church constructed of Medina Sandstone from 1854 to 1855 in a Gothic Revival style. In 1903, a parish hall was added in Medina sandstone with a Romanesque style. It has been used as a church school, meeting space, gymnasium in the basement, stage on the third floor and was even set up as a hospital at one time for a week-long clinic for tonsillectomies.

St. Luke’s continues to be used for many outreach programs, such as food, clothing, music and ministry. The church has hosted the Brockport Ecumenical Food Shelf since 1972.

The church features several Tiffany windows, including two groupings of three windows. Tiffany created a scene of “The Nativity” at the narthex. St. Luke’s was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990 and was declared a “Historic Landmark” by the Brockport Historic Preservation Board in 2000.

Several people attended the ceremony from St. Luke’s in Brockport, including the Rev. Elizabeth Harden and members Bill Henderson and Karen Baase.

The Rev. Harden said she is from Utah, so Medina Sandstone was all new to her.

“This is an honor, for sure,” she said. “St. Luke’s has been so well cared for. The building has been repurposed several times to meet the needs of the community, so this is a fitting tribute.”

“Getting this recognition is amazing considering the number of places to be considered,” Henderson said. “I knew the church was made of Medina Sandstone, but I didn’t know about the Hall of Fame and Sandstone Society.”

Baase, who lives near Barre, said she was part of the group which gave the Hall of Fame committee the grand tour when they visited.

“We are pleased and honored to be recognized, and are so fortunate to learn more about sandstone,” she said.

Dave Miller, president of the Sandstone Society, shared the history of sandstone in the Medina area.

He explained sandstone was first discovered when the canal was dug in 1825.

“If it wasn’t for the canal, Medina wouldn’t be here, and we wouldn’t know so much about Medina Sandstone,” he said.

At least 30 quarries existed at one time, and a few lasted until the 1950s, Miller said. Most of Medina’s sandstone was used for roads.

Homes built by William Jackson are, clockwise from top left, 10598 Ridge Rd., 10923 West Center St. Ext., 11986 Telegraph Rd. and 3531 Fruit Ave. In the center is the original Jackson homestead at 3669 Fruit Ave., which was stuccoed over about 75 years ago.

Following induction of these three structures, Miller explained their reason for including the five sandstone homes designed by Jackson.

“This is a departure from what we’ve done in the past,” Miller said. “It goes back to last year when we couldn’t travel due to the pandemic. We wondered if there wasn’t something we could do to recognize the two dozen sandstone homes in Medina and vicinity. They are simple, but have a beauty of their own.”

Miller explained many farmers came to Medina from Central New York in the

1800s, built log cabins and then brought their families here. William Jackson was one of these settlers, who came to the town of Ridgeway in 1826 and purchased 100 acres of land. One of the earliest settlers in the town, he was also one of the first to build homes from what would later become known as Medina sandstone.

Pioneer History of Orleans County reports that “In a short time, he purchased more land which he fitted and cultivated into one of the finest farms in the area.”

This was before any commercial sandstone quarry had been established, but the Erie Canal construction had revealed readily accessible sandstone in Medina, some of it very close to the ground.

The five homes acknowledged by the Sandstone Hall of Fame include the original Jackson homestead at 3669 Fruit Avenue, which was stuccoed over about 75 years ago; 10598 Ridge Rd., 10923 West Center St., 11986 Telegraph Rd., and 3531 Fruit Ave.

Miller noted the similarity in the homes Jackson built – all have a center door with two windows on each side and five windows in the second story.

The Sandstone Hall of Fame is located at City Hall on the corner of Main Street and Park Avenue.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – The bronze statue of a soldier, resembling a doughboy from pre-World War II, was mounted atop a monument today in front of the Orleans County YMCA. Cody Dix of the Medina DPW is at right.

That building has been a Y for more than three decades. But for 76 years it was the Medina Armory, a site used to train soldiers for battle.

The new statue looks to be right at home by the former Armory.

The statue is taken out of the YMCA, where it spent the winter inside. The statue was finished in November and made its public debut in the Parade of Lights on Nov. 24.

The Armory opened in 1901. In 1977, it was closed by the National Guard.

Bill Menz trained at the building in 1953, when he joined Company C of the 174th Armored Infantry. He was promoted to corporal before transferring to active duty in 1956 to the US Army National Guard. He would come back to Medina and work about 40 years in construction as a plasterer/mason.

The Menz family is pictured with the statue and monument after the installation today. Pictured include Menz’s wife Betty, second from left, and their four children, from left: Timothy Menz, Mary Beth Germano, granddaughter Alyssa Germano, Lynne Menz (in back) and Tam Menz.

When the Armory closed, Bill Menz was on the committee that helped it find a new use as a YMCA. Menz, who died at age 86 on July 16 last year, wanted the community to know the building’s historical role in preparing soldiers to fight on behalf of the country. He teamed with his friend John Fuller to create a sandstone monument in front of the Y that listed 550 soldiers who trained at the Armory and were then deployed in wars. Menz and Fuller cut the stone and built the monument.

But it wasn’t done. Menz wanted a bronze statue of a soldier on top. He pushed for nearly a decade to raise the $65,000 for the statue. He was able to see it in pieces at the foundry before his death. His daughter, Lynne Menz, included some of her father’s ashes underneath the statue’s base, just before it was mounted today.

Mary Beth Germano, center, is one of Menz’s four children. She takes a photo of the statue being moved out of the former Armory, down Pearl Street and to the front lawn of the building.

Germano thanked the local residents and many veterans’ organizations for supporting the project with donations.

“It’s emotional seeing it,” she said after the installation this morning. “It’s a great community effort.”

Her father was unwavering in pushing the project in the community.

“When he had his mind set on something, it was full-speed ahead,” Germano said.

Ben Lacy, right, of the Medina DPW was off from work today but wanted to help with the statue installation. Lacy grew up next door to Menz. Lacy said he admired Menz’s determination in working on the monument and memorial for the local soldiers.

“Bill was dedicated to get this done and I wanted to help today to get this up and done,” Lacy said.

The statue was created by sculptor Brian Porter and the University of Buffalo’s foundry director Chris Serano.

Mayor Michael Sidari was among the onlookers watching the statue installation today. He said the statue is great addition to Medina.

“It’s a great tribute to the members that served our country out of the Armory,” Sidari said. “Many came back and many did not. Those that did continued to serve their community.”

Medina next month will also welcome the return of a World War I cannon. It had been a fixture at State Street Park for about 80 years. It has been gone since March 2018 while the cannon has been refurbished in Altoona, Pa. at Seed Artillery Reproduction and Restoration. It is coming back to Medina on May 1 and will be rededicated on Memorial Day.

The statue is expected to be formally dedicated during a ceremony in September. That will give time for landscaping work and some changes to be made to the plaques on the monument. Some lights may also be added to the site.

For more on the statue and monument, click here.

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Photos by Tom Rivers: The top of St. Louis Catholic Church in Buffalo is an open work lattice spire that reaches 245 feet high. It is the tallest open-work spire ever built completely of stone in the United States, and it is also believed to be the only remaining open-work or pierced spire in the U.S.

MEDINA – The 2019 Medina Sandstone Society’s bus tour is headed to Buffalo to see some of the city’s landmark structures that are made of local sandstone.

The Sandstone Tourism Committee – consisting of chair Sue Holland, Gabrielle Barone, Peggy Schreck and Rob Klino – have put together an exciting day on May 8, which will include several structures previously inducted into the Sandstone Hall of Fame and lunch at the historic Hotel Henry’s 100 Acres Restaurant.

The first tour sponsored by the Medina Sandstone Society took place in 2008 and was an idea of the late Bob Waters, who came up with the idea of a walking tour of Medina’s Main Street. Forty-five people took part in the tour, led by then County Historian Bill Lattin.

The next year, Lattin led another tour of Medina’s downtown, ending at the Medina Historical Society, in which 61 participated.

The year 2010 saw 68 people take part in the tour of three Medina churches – St. Mary’s, First Baptist and St. John’s, each made of different colors of Medina sandstone.

In 2011, Lattin included Todd Bensley of the Medina Historical Society in a canal walk to Medina Falls, in which 60 people participated.

The following year, 71 people signed up for a tour of Boxwood Cemetery, led by Lattin and Bensley.

After a tour of Main Street which focused on the newly installed historical panels, the Sandstone Society took a four-year break.

St. Paul’s Cathedral was built by the Episcopal Church from 1849-1851. The church used stone from a quarry in Hulberton. This church was Buffalo’s first major architectural landmark. It was designed by Richard Upjohn after he earned a national reputation for his design of the Trinity Episcopal Church in New York City.

Last year, Holland came up with the idea of an Orleans County Hall of Fame bus tour, which Lattin agreed to narrate. It included sites in Orleans County that are in the Medina sandstone Hall of Fame. In Medina the stops included Holy Trinity Parish (St. Mary’s Catholic Church), the former Armory (now the Orleans County YMCA) and then St. John’s Episcopal Church. The tour went to Albion and included the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church, First Presbyterian Church and Mount Albion Cemetery. The group then went to Holley to see St. Mary’s Catholic Church and Hillside Cemetery, where the chapel has the only flying buttress in the county.

“That was so successful, we decided to branch out,” Holland said.

For the first time, this year’s tour will take participants on a bus tour to Buffalo , to view and tour interiors of historic Medina sandstone structures.

After gathering at 8:30 a.m. at Medina City Hall and viewing the Sandstone Hall of Fame on the second floor, the bus will depart for Buffalo .

One of the most anticipated stops will be the Hotel Henry, an elegant hotel in the Richardson Olmsted Complex. Construction on the 147-year-old Richardson Olmsted Campus began in 1872 and opened in 1880 as the state-of-the-art Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane.

It closed a century later, to reopen after a $100 million renovation as the new Hotel Henry. The hotel is named after its designer, Henry Hobson Richardson, who worked alongside landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who also laid out nearby Delaware Park .

After the Richardson Complex fell into disrepair, a group of local preservationists in the early 2000s sued the state, forcing them to fix it up. The extensive renovation took 15 years and millions of taxpayer dollars.

The Hotel Henry has become one of Buffalo’s premier destinations for weddings and special occasions. The second floor houses the 100 Acres Restaurant, which was named for the 100 acres set aside for patient farmland when the hospital first opened. Eighty-eight guestrooms and suites are located in the two buildings flanking the towers.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Sue Holland, a director with the Medina Sandstone Society and chair of the Tourism Committee, stands before the Sandstone Wall of Fame in Medina ’s City Hall. On May 8, the Medina Sandstone Society will sponsor a day-long bus tour to several sandstone structures in Buffalo, including lunch at the historic Hotel Henry at the Richardson Olmsted Complex, which is in the Medina Sandstone Society’s Hall of Fame.

The bus will drive by Lafayette Lofts, a luxurious residential complex created by the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church; Buffalo Connecticut Street Armory; First Presbyterian Church, across from Kleinhans Music Hall; and Ashbury Hall/Babeville. All have been inducted into the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame.

Participants will disembark and tour St. Louis Church and St. Paul’s Cathedral, both of which are also in the Sandstone Hall of Fame.

On the bus ride to Buffalo, two videos by Channel 2 will be shown – the first when Bob Waters and Todd Bensley were interviewed and the second where Lattin discussed the origin of sandstone quarries.

“The chance to see these videos is a real plus,” Holland said.

Holland also said the Sandstone Society is having booklets made of all the sites, and these will be given to riders.

“They will definitely get their money’s worth,” she said.

Anyone wishing more information may contact Holland at shollan2@rochester.rr.com, by calling (585) 721-3809 or by clicking here for the Sandstone Society website.

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