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SOLD Historic West Irondequoit Home | Exquisite Details | 1.4 Acre Lot
Description of Property at
342 Thomas Avenue
342 Thomas Avenue was architect-designed in the Colonial revival style with an array of paired 8-over-1 windows and pedimented dormers. Hallmarks of the Craftsman Style are apparent. Notice the stagger-coursed shingle siding, broad entry hood on the exterior & over-sized gumwood moldings throughout the interior. Exquisite original architectural details accent every area of this home. Your fingers will want to caress and your eyes will want to linger over the extensive leaded glass doors & windows; the carved wood fireplace mantle with built-in bookcases, the original natural wood kitchen cabinetry with intact glass pantry-style cabinets and, of course, the remarkable "inglenook" style breakfast room with parson's benches! There's a spectacular garden room off of the living room that features a fantastic decorative fireplace, tile flooring and doors that lead to the back yard. The current owner, an artist, has developed a sizable painting studio/sun room on the second floor that is accessible from two bedrooms. You might convert this area into a den or an office. In all there are eleven rooms in all including up to six bedrooms and two and one-half bathrooms yielding over 2,800 usable square feet on three floors. The first two floors alone are over 2,300 sqft.. The background and history behind 342 Thomas Avenue... Charles Hersey (1880-1967) was the middle son of Veder and Mary Hersey, modest farmers near the small village of Red Creek, NY. Soon after he moved to Rochester in 1901 he began working for Eastman Kodak Company, and married Marietta Zimmerman in 1905. Marietta (1884-1971) was the eldest daughter of Canadian immigrants Marshall and Hester Zimmerman who operated a well-known candy/confection shop and factory in Rochester from 1880 into the 1950s. Charles studied accounting at the Rochester Business Institute, and after being hired by Kodak taught himself Spanish to facilitate working on international accounts for the company. He eventually rose to the head of the company’s billing department before his retirement in 1947. Charles also had a life-long passion for music playing cornet and managing a small orchestra which played at Kodak events and at the family’s parish Rochester First Methodist. Marietta and Charles maintained extensive gardens at their home on Thomas Avenue often taking out classified ads to sell excess plants during the late 1920s and 1930s. The Hersey family would retain ownership of the home until c.1975. As a fascinating side note to the story of 342 Thomas Avenue, Charles and Marietta’s nephew John Richard Hersey would go on to become one of our nation’s most esteemed journalists and authors. John Hersey reported for Time Magazine and The New York and wrote several novels and non-fiction works including most notably A Bell for Adano (for which he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1947), and Hiroshima. The seller will begin showing this uniquely beautiful home by appointment only beginning on Saturday, June 1st. Prior day's notice is requested for all appointments. Buyer(s) must be accompanied by their real estate agent. No open house has been scheduled. Seller will review offers Monday, Jun 3 at 11:00am & respond before 1:00pm on Monday.
This Virtual Tour was Provided courtesy of RE/MAX Realty Group