The Geneva Historical Society Tour of Homes

House #2, The Ayrault House, 46 Park Place, Geneva

This rowhouse, part of a block built circa 1825 by Nicholas Ayrault, an early developer, boasts wonderfully intact woodwork and mantels. The attic was expanded into a third floor with a mansard roof in the later 19^th Century, and the stucco exterior was a trend in the early 20^th Century; the house was converted into three apartments in the 1920s.

Perhaps the home’s best feature has always been its panoramic view of Geneva’s history as it has unfolded in Pulteney Park. The area has been a stagecoach stop, a venue for General Lafayette’s arrival in 1825, Elizabeth Blackwell’s twice daily walk between home and the Geneva Medical College, and as a front lawn for the genteel families of Park Place.

The building has been home to some interesting inhabitants. Geneva College (later Hobart College) acquired the property in 1832, and sold it in 1841 to a physician from Rye, New York for his doctor’s office and surgical and anatomical museum. A resident from 1895-1915 was Nellie Nares Partridge, an active worker in the suffrage movement with Elizabeth Smith Miller.

The building doesn’t change ownership often, and its apartments are in demand for the lovely location and views of the park.

What to watch for: the two apartments graciously available for the public tour are homes to interesting collectibles. Be looking for art featuring St Augustine, Florida, and herds of wild horses. Pigs and bears will be checking you out, too.

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