Medina Sandstone Society to induct 3 more sites into Hall of Fame

Heritage Award for Village of Medina, Western Orleans Senior Citizens for efforts maintaining railroad depot

Photos by Tom Rivers: Belhurst Castle in Geneva will be inducted into the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame on Oct. 22.

MEDINA – The Medina Sandstone Society will be inducting three more sites into its Hall of Fame on Oct. 22, bringing the total to 49 exceptional structures made of Medina Sandstone. The Hall of Fame started in 2013 and is located at City Hall in Medina.

The induction ceremony will be at 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 22 in the meeting chambers of City Hall at 600 Main St.

The new inductees include the Belhurst Castle in Geneva, the Genesee County Jail in Batavia and the Titusville Presbyterian Church in Titusville, Pa. The Sandstone Society also will be presenting a Heritage Award to the Medina Village Board and Western Orleans Senor Center for their ongoing commitment to maintain the New York Central railroad depot, a Medina Sandstone building constructed in 1908.

Belhurst Castle – Geneva, NY

The inside of Belhurst Castle has thick walls made of Medina Sandstone. The site offers lodging, dining and event spaces.

Belhurst Castle in Geneva was built as a private three-story, nine-bay-wide mansion over four years from 1885 to 1889. It sits along the shores of Seneca Lake.

It was built with a rich brown Medina Sandstone. The site was a speakeasy and illegal gambling casino during the 1930s.

It was converted into a hotel, winery and spa in 1952, and offers overnight lodgings, dining, and event spaces. It has two restaurants, including one named the Stonecutters Tavern.

This historic 3-story Romanesque Revival stone mansion now hosts weddings and other major events. It has been named a “World’s Best Wine Hotel” by Wine Enthusiast, voted number three in USA TODAY’s Top 10 Wine Country Hotels, and voted one of the “Most Romantic Places” in New York State.

Belhurst was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

Genesee County Jail – Batavia, NY

The Genesee County Jail in Batavia was built from 1902-1903 in a Victorian Gothic and fortress-like structure made of Medina Sandstone. In the early days it served as the sheriff’s residence. It later was the offices for the Sheriff’s Department.

The jail on West Main Street features five turrets, quoins, and rusticated sandstone. The building was designed by Poughkeepsie architect William J. Beardsley, who also designed Attica State Prison.

The Genesee County Jail sits as a focal point in the Genesee County Courthouse Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

The county sheriff and his family used to live in the front portion of the jail building until the 1970s. The jail originally had 10 to 15 cells. The county put a brick addition on the jail in 1985, increasing the capacity for 97 inmates.

The county built a new jail in 2024 at 3839 West Main Street Rd., but hasn’t neglected the sandstone site. The county in 2022-23 did a $2 million restoration on the old jail with lots of repointing and work on the sandstone and brick. The county repaired crumbling and deteriorated sandstone blocks, which were meticulously deconstructed, labeled and safely restored.

Workers then rebuilt the underlying foundation, concrete slab, and front porch walls before placing the historic sandstone back in position.

Titusville First Presbyterian Church – Titusville, Pennsylvania

Photo courtesy of David Miller

Titusville is the birthplace of modern American petroleum industry. Edwin Drake successfully struck oil on Aug. 27, 1859. The city’s population surged after the world’s first commercial oil well was drilled.

The earliest religious association in the Titus settlement was begun by the Presbyterians, and the congregation increased over the years, outgrowing four buildings before the current one was built of Medina red sandstone from 1887 to 1888 in the Richardsonian Romanesque style.

Rather than the conventional spire, the design called for a distinctive main tower topped by a belfry and dome. The wood of the interior is oak, and the pews are in a semicircular arrangement. The south-facing Emerson Chapel was added in 1907. The church contains a pipe organ and historic art glass windows designed by J & R Lamb Studios of New York City.

This church at 216 N. Franklin Street in Titusville is part of the Titusville Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

Heritage Award – Village of Medina, Western Orleans Senior Citizens

The Sandstone Society is honoring the Village of Medina and the Senior Citizens of Western Orleans for their stewardship of the NY Central Depot, a Medina Sandstone building constructed in 1908, a site that continues as a social hub for older adults and other community events.

The site has been used as the Senior Citizens of Western Orleans since 1968. It started when a group of seniors got to thinking there should be a place in Medina for seniors to gather and enjoy camaraderie.

The village was approached about using the New York Central railroad depot on West Avenue, and an agreement was reached to allow use of the building.

The group at one time had 600 members. The Senior Center of Western Orleans now has about 250 members, and the center is still very active with euchre games, pinochle and luncheons.

There also are exercise classes on Wednesday mornings and one can expect to find a jigsaw puzzle in the works any time.

The center has a gift shop which is always full of unique gift items, puzzles, clothing, jewelry and hand-knitted and crocheted items.

The building has seen recent improvements with a new air-conditioner, exterior painting, and other upgrades.