Road Trip Ideas

<< RETURN TO TO THE ROAD TRIP IDEAS MAIN MENU

Architecture of the Seaway Trail:

A photo essay of architectural styles through the centuries and stunning gems by America's master architects

by David Cutter

“The surest test of the civilization of a people is to be found in their architecture, which presents so noble a field for the display of the grand and the beautiful, and which at the same time is so intimately connected with the essential comforts of life.” William H. Prescott, Historian, 1847

Seaway Trail’s American Grand Tour

Fashionable travelers of the 19th and 20th century would have insisted that you hadn’t seen any great architecture unless you took the “Grand Tour.” Required destinations on this circuit included cities such as Rome, Florence, Athens, Paris and London in order to view architectural masterpieces.

It’s no secret that you don’t have to go to Europe to find great architecture, but did you know that you could take an outstanding American Grand Tour on the Seaway Trail?
From masterpieces by designer architects to vernacular buildings in rural America, our Grand Tour will bring you face-to-face with America’s architectural heritage. Like the adage “beauty is skin deep”, you will discover that the allure of architecture isn’t only a pretty façade or artful design. Architecture is a record and reflection of America’s culture, people, and technology uniquely shaped by the local materials, people, traditions and site conditions.

All the dreams, disappointments and drama of our American heritage are written in the wood, stone and steel of our built environment. Seaway Trail’s American Grand Tour will take you to some places where that heritage is writ in an especially clear or innovative manner.

Along the Seaway Trail you can tour over 250 years of architectural styles. Architectural styles are a shorthand way of conveying what a building looks like, when it was built, and some of the meaning behind the design. This gallery of styles features publicly accessible buildings representative of some of the characteristic architectural styles to be found along the Seaway Trail. Take the opportunity to tour these buildings and experience the stories of the people who designed, built, worked and dreamed within their walls.

French Colonial • 1700-1830
“French Castle” or “House of Peace” at Fort Niagara, Youngstown, NY 1726
Although promoted as a House of Peace for trading with the Iroquois, the thick stone walls and unusual overhanging dormers (machicoulis) which allowed defenders to fire down upon an attacker identify this oldest surviving building on the Great Lakes as a vital French fort. The building shows some of the characteristics of the Georgian style that dominated the English colonies of America – simple box shape, symmetrical exterior and massive chimneys. But the hipped roof, casement windows, cut stone quoins around the windows and plank doors reflect traditional French domestic architecture. Fort Niagara, which contains many other outstanding examples of military architecture, hosts daily tours and offers period reenactments throughout the year. Photo courtesy Old Fort Niagara.

Federal / Adams • 1780-1820+
Frederic Remington Art Museum, Ogdensburg, NY 1809
Built for German businessman David Parish of locally fired brick, this graceful building houses an extensive collection of paintings and bronzes by American artist Frederic Remington. The strict symmetry and delicate Federal style detailing of the elliptical window, cornice and windows have been modified by the Victorian era porch and modern additions. Photo courtesy Frederic Remington Art Museum

Union Hotel, Sackets Harbor, NY 1817
The signature Federal or Adam style elliptical fan light and sidelights of the front door to the historic Union Hotel have been recently renovated for the Seaway Trail Discovery Center. The well preserved interiors are counted among the finest of any Federal-era public building in New York, and its architecture exhibit is a great starting point for your Seaway Trail Grand Tour. Photo credit: Jan Thiessen

Greek Revival • 1825-1860
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site, Buffalo, NY 1838
Originally built as officer’s quarters for an army garrison, the house was given its imposing Greek Revival façade when converted to a private home after 1845. Greek Revival – the dominant American style from 1830 to 1850—symbolized America’s belief in the ideals of Greek democracy. Characteristic features include simple, wide cornice moldings, low-pitched roof, and prominent, classical columns supporting the porch. On September 14, 1901, Theodore Roosevelt took the presidential oath in the library of this home after the death of President McKinley. In celebration of the centennial of the teddy bear this year, this National Historic Landmark presents From Teddy’s Bear to Teddy Bear, the story of how the teddy bear was named for Roosevelt and how this cherished toy has changed through the years. Photo courtesy Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site Foundation

Cobblestone • 1830-1865
Cobblestone (First Universalist) Church, Childs, NY 1834
Cobblestone masonry—horizontal rows of small stones and decorative mortar—was used to enhance buildings of many architectural styles. The technique originated in New York State after the construction of the Erie Canal, and 90% of the cobblestone buildings built are found in the Seaway Trail region. The Cobblestone Church—the oldest cobblestone church in North America—is a National Historic Landmark along with the adjacent Ward House and the Cobblestone School, and serves as headquarters and museum for the Cobblestone Society Museum. Photo credit: Edgar G. Praus

Folk Houses (Vernacular)
Ore Miners House Heritage Square, Ontario, NY
Although built as basic shelter with little regard for changing fashion, these folk houses have a distinctive character. They were shaped by the availability of building materials near the site and the building traditions brought by the earliest settlers to a region. At Heritage Square Museum you can tour 8 historic buildings on the 13 acre site all furnished with period artifacts. Sheltering the Civil War-era log cabin is the oldest living Sugar Maple in the state—about 370 years old.

Tuscan Italianate • 1840-1885
Seward House, Auburn, NY 1817, 1847, 1870
Home of William H. Seward – New York Governor, U.S. Senator and Secretary of State (remember “Seward’s Folly” a.k.a. purchase of the Alaskan Territory) – this National Historic Landmark started as Auburn’s first brick house in the Federal style. Seward’s expansion of the house in the 1840s is an early example of the Italianate style. Note the hip roof with wide overhang, tall narrow windows, arched above, simple detailing and plain masonry wall of the Tuscan tower. Be sure to explore the Seward’s extensive collection of furnishings, documents and artwork on display in the house. Photo credit: Paul Luziani.

Italianate • 1840-1885
Richardson-Bates House Museum, Oswego, NY 1871, 1890
Maxwell Richardson – real estate attorney and mayor of Oswego—hired prominent Rochester architect A.J. Warner to design a 4-story addition in the Italian villa style. A second addition in 1890 (right) replaced the original house. In addition to the Italianate characteristics seen in the Seward House (above) note the decorative brackets under the roof eaves, elaborate window crowns, belt courses (horizontal bands), corner quoins and double door. The house, which retains 95% of the original first floor furnishings, is the museum for the Oswego County Historical Society. Photo courtesy of Oswego County Department of Tourism and Promotion.

Octagon • 1850-1870
Octagon House at Genesee Country Village, Mumford, NY c. 1870
A rare style, the octagon house was championed by Orson S. Fowler, a writer and lecturer from Fishkill, NY. In his 1848 book The Octagon House, A Home for All, Fowler promoted the 8-sided building as more efficient than a square house. This 1870 octagon house was moved from Allegany County, NY and restored and furnished with Victorian splendor. The Genesee Country Village and Museum is a living village of over 50 historic buildings in many styles, gardens, costumed villagers and craftsmen as well as a gallery, nature center, shops and restaurants. Photo courtesy of Genesee Country Village

Victoria Era • 1860-1910
Mercer Cottage, Chautauqua Institute, 1891
Picturesque Victorian-era styles, including Stick, Queen-Ann and Shingle styles were popular for seasonal residences along the Seaway Trail. The “Gingerbread Cottage”, built on a tent platform in 1891 typifies the way early Chautauquans lived. Building techno-logy advances including shifting from heavy timber framing to flexible balloon framing and the mass production of architectural details allowed more people to afford these elaborate structures. In addition to the famous summer schedule of programs, lectures and entertainment, the Chautauqua Institute is a wonderful collection of eclectic Victorian-era buildings from cottages and chapels to grand hotels and halls. All photos of the Mercer House courtesy of Chautauqua Institution Archives, Chautauqua, NY

Frank Lloyd Wright • 1867-1959
Darwin Martin house, Buffalo, NY (1904-1906)
The Martin House ranks among the greatest works of Frank Lloyd Wright, America’s greatest architect. Characterized by gently pitched roofs, long bands of windows and wide overhanging eaves, the Martin House complex is Wright’s most extensive Prairie style home. Wright also designed the furniture and stained glass windows, including the famous Tree of Light design. This National Historic Landmark and its excellent gift shop are open for tours while continuing its exciting restoration plan. Detail photo courtesy of the Martin House Restoration Corp.; House photo courtesy of Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society.

Henry Hobson Richardson 1838-1886
Buffalo Psychiatric Center (1870-96)
Before Frank Lloyd Wright, H.R. Richardson was considered America’s greatest architect; the style Richardson Romanesque was named for him. Richardson considered this National Historic Landmark to be his greatest accomplishment. The administration building with its twin medieval towers of Medina sandstone is the most dramatic feature of the complex. Olmsted and Vaux designed the hospital grounds. Tower photo credit: Victor Shanchuk.; Building photo credit: Andy Olenick.

Stanford White • 1853-1906
George Eastman House, Rochester, NY (1902-1905)
The New York City firm of McKim, Mead, and White created some of the greatest classically inspired buildings in America from 1880 into the 20th century. The brilliance of White and his firm was in great demand to design fashionable mansions and public buildings around the nation, so they sometimes collaborated with local architects to carry out their designs. The George Eastman House, the 37 room Georgian Revival mansion designed for the Rochester photography pioneer, was designed with Rochester architect J. Foster Warner. The restored National Historic Landmark and its formal gardens is open year round and features millions of photographic masterpieces, movie classics and technological wonders created during the last 160 years. Photo courtesy of the George Eastman House.

Louis Sullivan 1856-1924
Guaranty Building, Buffalo, NY (1894-95)
Why is the 13-story Guaranty Building considered one of the world’s first skyscrapers? Famed Chicago architect Louis Sullivan overcame the traditional need for thick walls to support a tall building (the tower walls of the Buffalo Psychiatric Center are 5 feet thick) by designing a strong steel skeleton to carry the floors and a thin wall (like the trunk and branches of a tree support a lightweight cloak of leaves): the basis of all modern towers. What’s more he created a work of fine art from the overall form to the elaborate geometric and foliage designs on the terra cotta façade. Don’t miss the tile mosaics, art glass lobby skylight and ironwork on the interior of this masterpiece saved from the wrecking ball in the early 1980’s. Photo credit: Victor Shanchuk.

The Beauty of Engineering

Although primarily designed for their function, these structures exhibit the simple beauty of a well engineered design.

Presque Isle Lighthouse Erie, PA 1872
Designed to warn mariners of the 7 mile long peninsula jutting into Lake Erie, the Presque Isle Light is one of over 25 historic lights still found along the Seaway Trail. The 57 foot tower is constructed of brick 5 courses thick to protect against the fierce lake storms. The lighthouse (now employee housing) is part of Presque Isle State Park, a National Natural Landmark only a short drive from downtown Erie, PA.

Gudgeonville Bridge Girard, PA 1868
Probably the most picturesque and best-known of the 4 covered bridges in Erie County, PA, the Gudgeonville Bridge was built in 1868 by William Sherman. This kingpost truss covered bridge crosses Elk Creek on Gudgeonville Road “TR 400” just south of Girard in western Erie County.

David Cutter is the landscape architect and planner for Seaway Trail, Inc. He has also developed a series of interpretive panels located at significant architecture sites along the Seaway Trail and the architecture exhibit at the Seaway Trail Discovery Center in Sackets Harbor.