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Events
Events
49th Annual

House and Garden Tour

West Irondequoit: Winona Woods & St Paul Boulevard | A Destination House Tour

Saturday and Sunday, June 1st and 2nd | 10 am to 4 pm

by Cindy Boyer

ou’ve heard of a Destination
Wedding: traveling to celebrate
Yin a special place. This is a
Destination House Tour—and you will be
amazed at the architectural treasures to
celebrate north of Titus Avenue! The area
could easily qualify as an official historic
district, with the largest collection of
significant early 20th century houses in
western New York.

Of course, those who live in Irondequoit
are well aware of what they have.
Residents of the Winona Woods
neighborhood and the St Paul corridor
between Titus and Cooper Road are
generously sharing their special part of
the world. All of the houses opening have
NEVER been on a Landmark Society
tour!

Irondequoit didn’t start out as a popular
residential area. In the early years the
area was home to many small farms,
orchards, and wood lots which supported
early settlers. As late as 1902, most of the
land was owned by three farmers: Colt,
Grant and Leake.

The change came with development
of St Paul Boulevard as a toll turnpike
and a trolley route. Rochesterians
eager to escape the city heat supported
development of “Summerville Boulevard”
in 1893 as a popular drive out to the lake.
The Rochester and Irondequoit Railroad
Company purchased a 17-foot wide strip
to either side of the road, and laid down
tracks for their electric trolley. The Town
of Irondequoit took over the roadway in
1910, with the trolley continuing through
the 1940’s

Efficient transportation to the city drove
demand for more housing in the area. By
the 1920’s areas along St Paul Boulevard
experienced rapid growth. Just as we
saw on East Avenue and the adjacent
10 The Landmark Society of Western New York | landmarksociety.org