Tryon, Augustus S., House
Le Roy, New York
NR Reference Number: 13000074
Listed: 03/13/2013

 Location:

15 Church St, Le Roy, NY

Summary:

Built in 1867, the Augustus S. Tryon House at 15 Church Street in the village of Le Roy, Genesee County (New York) is significant under Criterion C for architecture as an intact example of an ltalianate style residence in a rural, Western New York community. The house is also significant under Criterion A in the area of commerce for its association with the Tryon and Prentice families, prominent residents who were connected with several of the important and successful business enterprises in Le Roy between the mid nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The large house was built for Augustus S. Tyron, a businessman and farmer who settled in Le Roy after returning east from his adventures in California during the Gold Rush. At the time he settled in Le Roy, it was emerging as one of the premier villages in Genesee County and Tryon adopted the popular ltalianate style for his house to display his success and prominence in the village. The style also revealed Tryon as a man well versed in the latest styles of designs of the day. The design of the house was one of many styles promoted in the mid nineteenth century by authors such as Andrew Jackson Downing, who were instrumental in setting the tastes and fashions for buildings in communities across the U.S. The house attracted another prominent businessman, mill-owner Charles Prentice, who bought it in 1881, no doubt for similar reasons that Tryon had it built, but also for its close proximity to his mill located on the west side of Oatka Creek. The house went through several minor alterations but retained its integrity and serves as an excellent model for those interested in first hand studies of mid nineteenth century popular architecture.

 

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