No. 666 East Main Street

Reposted with permission from the Gonechester blog

One of the few little “games” I like to play when I’m doing “historical” “research” is to find a house that once existed, but no longer does, and try to find as much about it as I can. Images are ideal; if I can get a photograph I’ve basically won. Some are surprisingly more challenging than others!

I found this alluring line-drawing of No. 666 East Main Street in an 1889 Democrat and Chronicle:

Friday, October 18, 1889
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-666-east-main-str/133733302/]

The site of this home, before it was built, was part of lands used by Hiram W. Sibley and Hobart F. Atkinson for their seed business:

1875 Atlas
Red: Eventual site of No. 666 East Main Street (not a hydrant).
[https://photo.libraryweb.org/rochimag/rpm/rpm00/rpm00145.jpg]

The house seems to have been constructed sometime around 1883 in Sibley & Atkinson subdivision along East Main Street. It was purchased by Horace A. Higbie, of Williamson & Higbie. It may have been designed by noted local architect James Goold Cutler–but possibly not. The below advertisement likely refers to two brick houses built on the south side of East Main, across the street from No. 666:

Tuesday, June 12, 1883
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-sibley-atkinson/134813758/]

However, No. 666 was constructed on the same subdivision and appears on the same plat map in 1888, so it may have shared an architect as well. I can’t be much more certain than that with the records I’m privy to.

1888 Plat Map
No. 666 East Main Street, home of Horace A. & Ella D. Higbie.
[https://photo.libraryweb.org/rochimag/rpm/rpm00/rpm00263.jpg]

Left: Ella Duke Higbie
Right: Horace A. Higbie
Top to Bottom, Center: Onnolee, Greta, Anita.

The site of the family home is now, and has been for at least 44 years [since 1979, the franchise’s earliest D&C mention at the East Main Street address] a Wendy’s Old Fashioned Burgers restaurant.

Red: site of No. 666/748 East Main Street; No. 756 East Main Street is at right.

A comparative image of No. 666 East Main Street and the Wendy’s presently on its site.

Williamson & Higbie

[https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Industries_of_the_City_of_Rochester/xC9FAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Williamson+%26+Higbie%22&pg=PA126&printsec=frontcover]

As noted in the above, Williamson & Higbie began in the Powers building, but moved to a building at Nos. 9-11 Exchange Street in 1885, formerly owned by Alling & Cory:

[https://fohbcvirtualmuseum.org/galleries/inks/fred-d-allings-mercantile-ink/]

Tuesday, February 17, 1885
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-williamson-higb/134810923/]

1888 Plat Map
Nos. 9 & 11 Exchange Street, the William & Higbie Building
[https://photo.libraryweb.org/rochimag/rpm/rpm00/rpm00243.jpg]

c. 1885-1889
The Smith, Perkins and Company grocery store building; Williamson & Higbie is just visible at right.
[https://catalogplus.libraryweb.org/?section=resource&resourceid=1115944376]

In the above photograph of the Smith, Perkins and Company grocery store building, the Williamson & Higbie building is peeking in at the right side. The WIL of the top and bottom signs can be seen.

Horace A. Higbie would leave Rochester around 1889, in pursuit of other business interests.

Friday, May 03, 1889
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-notice-of-dissolu/134642179/]

Sunday, February 04, 1906
Excerpt from obituary for William A. Williamson, former partner of Horace A. Higbie.
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-excerpt-from-will/134811832/]

Eventually, some time after the dissolution of the Williamson & Higbie company, real estate agent Charles Fowler Garfield purchased the building for his realty company. It would become No. 1 Exchange Street with the reorganization of street numberings.

1920
[https://photo.libraryweb.org/rochimag/rmsc/scm04/scm04313.jpg]

In the above, the Garfield realty building is sandwiched between the Rochester Trust and Safe Deposit Company bank on the corner and the Smith, Perkins and Company grocery store building.

No. 666 Sold

Sunday, June 09, 1889
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-a-desirable-resid/134814286/]

Friday, October 18, 1889
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-666-east-main-str/133733302/]

The Huntingtons

In the 1890s through the 1900s, No. 666 East Main Street was home to Emmett W. Huntington, a “railroad builder”, and his wife, Isabelle M. Huntington.

1899-1900 Directory
[https://www.libraryweb.org/rochcitydir/images/1899/House_Directory_1899-1900.pdf]

Saturday, August 28, 1897
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-emmett-w-hunting/134666804/]

1900 Plat Map
[https://photo.libraryweb.org/rochimag/rpm/rpm00/rpm00194.jpg]

Beginning in 1901, No. 666 East Main Street would become No. 748 East Main Street due to renumbering of Main Street addresses. The 1900 Plat Map, above, is the last map on which it would appear as No. 666.

Estelle Huntington, a daughter of Emmett W. and Isabelle Huntington.

In 1907, the Huntington house at No. 748 East Main Street was host to a reception for the wedding of Estelle Huntington, Emmett & Isabelle’s daughter, to Frederick Wayne Barnes.

Friday, June 28, 1907
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-estelle-huntingto/134666911/]

1910 Plat Map
[https://photo.libraryweb.org/rochimag/rpm/rpm00/rpm00289.jpg]

1911 Sanborn Map
[https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3804rm.g3804rm_g06217191102/?sp=32&r=0.012,0.731,0.795,0.447,0]

The Huntingtons would move out of No. 748 East Main Street in 1913. In their time at the address, a house was built in the plot next door, to the east, No. 756 East Main Street. That house is still extant, as can be seen on the right-hand side of the previously-shared image of Wendy’s:

Red: former site of No. 666/748 East Main Street; No. 756 East Main Street is at right.

The Haneses

Dr. Edward L. Hanes would move into No. 748 East Main Street in 1913. Hanes was a doctor of neurology.

Saturday, March 23, 1918
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-major-edward-l-h/134584504/]

In his capacity as a neurological doctor, Hanes was regularly tapped for criminal trials, whereupon he gave expert testimony as to the mental health of an involved individual.

Friday, March 24, 1911
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-to-answer-murder/133739431/]

1918 Plat Map
[https://photo.libraryweb.org/rochimag/rpm/rpm00/rpm00350.jpg]

1918
Above the red dot: No. 748 East Main Street
[https://photo.libraryweb.org/rochimag/archives/early/e0000/e0000130.jpg]

Though grainy, the above 1918 aerial photograph shows this small area from directly above, including No. 748 East Main Street. This was, unfortunately, as close as I could get to an actual factual photograph of the house, so I failed to get full points on this one.

Saturday, February 10, 1923
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-dr-edward-l-han/134494767/]

1926 Plat
[https://photo.libraryweb.org/rochimag/rpm/rpm00/rpm00087.jpg]

Sunday, August 18, 1929
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-alienists/133739582/]

Thursday, February 06, 1930
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-dr-haines-breaks/134494829/]

1935 Plat Map
[https://photo.libraryweb.org/rochimag/rpm/rpm00/rpm00469.jpg]

Dr. and Mrs. Hanes lived at No. 748 East Main Street until 1939.

During their tenure there, the house next door at No. 756 East Main Street was purchased by the Rankin Funeral Home, which would become the Corbett funeral home in 1938. That in turn would become the Gigliotti funeral home.

In 1963, construction the final section of the Inner Loop razed the final building standing in its path, the Hedges Memorial Chapel at No. 271 University Avenue. Hedges moved into a new building, No. 770 East Main Street. This building is, itself, gone.

Sunday, May 05, 1963
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-hedges-new-locati/134863573/]

Google Maps 2018, the final image of No. 770 East Main Street before its demolition.

During this same time, the house on the other side of No. 748, No. 732, became a popular second location of well-loved tea house and ice cream shop, Magg’s. No. 732–now a shelter for the fuel pumps at Delta Sonic–has its own interesting history, featuring some well-known names of Rochester’s past. I shall have to dip into that in a future post.

The Apartments Era

From this point until the 1960s, No. 748 seems to have been split into apartments. A number of different people live at the address during this twenty-year period, only popping up in cases of crime, accident, or fire.

Thursday, April 06, 1950
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-frank-wunsch-thef/134495197/]

Sunday, March 30, 1952
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-harold-t-land-pr/134495133/]

Friday, October 31, 1952
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-emma-stitzer-inju/134495090/]

Wednesday, January 19, 1955
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-tool-theft-from-j/134495027/]

1950 Sanborn Map
[https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3804rm.g3804rm_g06217195002/?sp=32&r=0.291,0.769,0.563,0.343,0]

No. 748 East Main Street seems to have met the wreckers in 1965, when an ad was placed in the classifieds for “twelve rooms of furniture” including stove and refrigerator, which doesn’t seem to be usual practice for a house not being destroyed. And indeed, the address does not appear on the record after this point.

Monday, September 27, 1965
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-twelve-rooms-of-f/134867733/]

Wendy’s Hot-n-Juicy New Home

At some point prior to 1979, a Wendy’s burger restaurant was erected on the site.

Monday, May 07, 1979
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-wendys-ad/134868159/]

And yet history continued to be made…

Friday, August 31, 1984
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-tree-falls-at-wen/134497867/]

…from sort of heart-warming, happens-to-everyone sort of stories, to the less heart-warming accounts of armed robbery every so often.

Saturday, September 02, 1989
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-wendys-robbery/134868835/]

Wednesday, January 08, 1992
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-wendys-robbery/134868912/]

Monday, March 28, 1994
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-wendys-robbery/134869004/]

Tuesday, February 03, 2004
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-wendys-robbery/134869067/]

Monday, July 31, 2006
[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-robbery/134868698/]

Not a bad track record for four decades as a fast food restaurant, actually.

Wendy’s as it appeared pre-2017, before renovation.