The crazy thing about time is that it can hide an entire building. A big old brick building on the corner, dwelling place of many and site of shops frequented by many more, can be utterly obscured by history’s shroud. How? All it takes is absence: no camera pointed that direction, no images kept in the archives, a lack of interest.

One fine example of this phenomenon is the titular Pullman Block. Once situated on the prominent corner of East Main Street and University Avenue, this was a large brick building with popularly-patronized grocers on its ground level. However, the clearest and only image I could find of this venerable structure is the below:

Why are there not more photos of this building? Well, one reason is in the picture above: the Schiller Monument.

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The Schiller Monument

Positioned just across University Avenue from the Pullman Block was the triangular greenspace, Anderson Park, which the City of Rochester Park Board acquired in 1905. It was named for Martin Brewer Anderson, first president of the University of Rochester.

Two years later, a monument was installed in the western corner of the park in honor of famed German* playwright, Friedrich Schiller.

Many, many photographs were taken of the Schiller Monument; however, the monument faced west, meaning any photos necessarily captured the view towards the east. The Pullman Block, being west of the monument, would only be present in photographs of the monument’s posterior, as the one below:

Seeing as this is an exceedingly rare angle at which to photograph a famous monument, few pictures from this angle exist. And by “few” I mean, seemingly just the one.

So what can we learn about this building, its denizens, etc.? Let us turn to the archives.

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Addison N. & A. Delafield Whiting

From an undetermined time until 1878, this was the grocery and home of Addison Nathaniel Whiting, wife Eujenia E. Whiting, and son and business partner, A. Delafield Whiting, as well as son Willis Putnam, and daughters Estelle and Bertha.

At this point, according to the 1875 atlas, the building was a frame building; the brick building would not be built until 1885.

In June of 1877, Addison N. Whiting died suddenly. He attended a meeting of the board of supervisors at the court house, after which he drank a cold glass of water. Not feeling well, he went to the drugstore of John F. Reese & Curtis H. Haskin. There, Dr. Henry H. Langworthy advised him to drink a dose of “Jamaica ginger”. After drinking the dose, Whiting exclaimed “Oh, my!” and fell to the ground, dead.

After Whiting’s death, his widow Eujenia E. Putnam Whiting sold the grocery to Jane M. Pullman, which the Union and Advertiser herein renders as “James M. Pullman”. Tsk, tsk.

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Jane M. & Harvey Pullman

Following Whiting’s death, the grocery was taken on by Jane M. Hatch Pullman, widow of Harvey Pullman, and her son Harvey.

Jane was known as Jane M. Chapman during her marriage to Adad B. Chapman, which lasted from 1865 until 1875. The 1875 is the last directory she was listed as Jane M. Chapman:

Jane Pullman was granted a divorce after accusing her husband of marital infidelity:

The 1876 directory lists her as Jane M. Pullman:

Jane Pullman’s son, Harvey, appears in the 1877 directory:

He has a job as a clerk at J. & J. Cooper’s Drug Store, proprietors John Cooper and James Cooper.

In the 1875 atlas, Jane Pullman’s house is marked by her former married name, J. M. Chapman:

Jane and her son Harvey moved out of the building their shop was in at No. 260 East Main Street, and moved to No. 32 Elm Street [previously No. 11], their address as of the 1884 directory:

Jane’s mother, Sylvia Minckler Hatch, widow of Elam Hatch, would die at the Elm Street residence.

1885 appears to have been the year the brick building was erected. In a list of the new buildings of 1885, Jane Pullman is credited as being the impetus behind the block’s construction.

The address of the building would change, from No. 260 East Main Street to No. 593 East Main Street.

The Pullman Block, as the building was called during the Pullmen’s tenure, experienced a kitchen fire in the second-floor apartment of Jane and Harvey Pullman.

The above article identifies the proprietor of the butcher shop in the Pullman Block as “M. E. Elliott”, that being Mathew Elliott:

At some point after this, Harvey Pullman departed the store to move out west. Sometime in early May, Jane M. Pullman also pulled up stakes and went to join Harvey.

This would appear to have been a temporary move–if it truly happened–as the Pullman name pops back up in the 1895 city directory. Harvey Pullman is listed as a carpenter; they live at No. 55 Grand Avenue.

This would appear to be the home of Elam A. Hatch, Jane’s brother and uncle to Harvey.

Also, intriguingly, Harvey Pullman is listed as a driver, not a carpenter, leaving one uncertain as to his occupation in 1895. I’m just glad he’s back home, in Rochester. He can take all the time he needs to figure himself out, as far as I’m concerned.

Jane M. and Harvey Pullman would eventually move into No. 27 Mortimer Street, the house where Jane’s life would come to an end.

Jane’s brother Elam would die less than a year later, on February 4th, 1899.

Harvey Pullman contested his late uncle’s will:

Part of the properties willed by Elam A. Hatch to his heirs was farmland in west Webster, which appears to have lent its name to present-day Hatch Road:

The land was put up for public auction in 1901 and purchased by Philip Larker.

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William H. Shafer

The grocery at the corner block would go on to be leased by William H. Shafer. By several accounts a not-so-successful businessman, Shafer’s grocery enterprise was launched by the father of his wife, Jane E. Mason. Charles Mason was an extremely well-to-do farmer along Ridge Road in Williamson; his farm is still extant today as Mason Farms.

After a “disastrous failure” in the grocery industry, Charles Mason set his son-in-law up with a farm near Jeddo; Shafer apparently was none-too-skilled at this trade as well. Furthermore, he was up to antics with other women–or at least given to telling tall tales about sexual exploits–and was expressing as much to a friend when his wife entered the home. Unknown to him, she overheard his stories and, shocked, left the house immediately and filed for divorce.

The divorce was granted, and Jennie Mason Shafer gained custody of their son.

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Anthony J. Vogt

The grocery would next fall into the hands of Anthony J. Vogt, a grocer who owned many locations throughout his career.

Vogt would die of heart failure while attending mass at St. Joseph’s Church on the 4th of August, 1929.

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John O. Knapp

John O. Knapp was a long-time downtown grocer; he moved from the triangular block where the Liberty Pole stands today to the Pullman Block in July of 1895.

In December of 1900, Knapp’s front window was smashed by a burglar, which was witnessed by Dr. William Henry Bullis from across the street.

Dr. William Henry Bullis had arrived in Rochester with his wife, Adelyn Frances Ford, a few years before in February of 1896, and they settled down at No. 124 University Avenue, one half of a double house at the northwest corner of University’s intersection with East Main Street. Their home was diagonally across from the Pullman Block, which afforded them the view of the attempted robbery described above.

The location of Dr. Bullis’s home would eventually be demolished and replaced with an auto sales lot at No. 600 East Main Street some time around 1939. It would then become the location of Rochester Radio Supply.

Around 1969, the lot would become the site of a KFC, which in turn became Shui Asian Fusion restaurant and then, at last, an empty lawn outside World of Inquiry school.

The below image is of the abandoned Shui Asian Fusion restaurant which inhabited the hull of an old KFC. Shui moved to the Village Gate in 2018; the building would last until 2020, at which point it was razed and enclosed as part of the World of Inquiry campus.

Besides being a grocer, John O. Knapp also collected historical currency, having a large collection of Civil War fractional currency from the United States of America and the defunct Confederate States of America. Fractional currency was paper money in cent-level denominations which replaced metal coinage during the Civil War, as coins were being increasingly hoarded and circulation was running low.

John O. Knapp would die at his Woodward Street home on August 10th, 1906, at the age of 54.

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Byron L. Clark

John O. Knapp was proprietor of the grocery in the Pullman Block until 1901, at which point the business passed to Byron L. Clark. I couldn’t find a whole lot of information about Mr. Clark.

As of 1901, when he worked at the Pullman Block, Clark lived at No. 178 University Avenue, which at the time was located at this empty lot between present-day Nos. 338 and 350 University Avenue.

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C. Davis & Son

Mrs. Caroline Davis and her son, Frederick J. Davis, ran the store in 1902.

Interestingly, the Davises lived two houses west of Byron L. Clark, at No. 172 University Avenue.

Which is, in present day, No. 334 University Avenue:

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Frederick J. Williams

In 1903, Frederick J. Williams took on proprietorship of the corner grocery.

Williams took out advertisements for his grocery in the D&C:

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William J. Ford

In the 1905 directory, William J. Ford was listed as proprietor of the grocery.

Ford’s home at No. 18 St. Clair Street was behind the Church of Epiphany on Jefferson Avenue; this church was known to present-day Rochesterians as the Jefferson Avenue Seventh-Day Adventist Church, a beautiful old building which was lost to a fire on Christmas Night, 2021.

It was Ford who ran the grocery here when the 1911 Sanborn map was printed, which depicted the Pullman Block as so:

Here one can see the two storefronts, No. 591 and No. 593 East Main Street.

Ford would remain proprietor of the grocery until 1913, at which point the grocery would pass to the Benedict Bros.

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Benedict Bros. Grocery

In 1913, the grocery store would become the Benedict Brothers Grocery, proprietors George S. and Charles B. Benedict.

In 1915, George S. Benedict would found Benedict Pattern Works at No. 373 St. Paul Street.

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Arthur J. Wiltse

In 1915, the grocery shop was run by Arthur J. Wiltse and his son, Leo E. Wiltse.

Wiltse was long involved in the Rochester Retail Grocers’ Association, being its secretary at one point.

He also became secretary of the statewide organization, the New York State Wholesale Grocers’ Association.

Arthur J. Wiltse had the house at No. 32 Ferris Street built in 1923, which would be his home until his death in 1945.

Arthur J. Wiltse died September 28th, 1945, and was buried in White Haven Memorial Park.

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1918 Aerial

The Pullman Block is visible in this 1918 aerial photograph of the intersection of East Main and Alexander Streets and University Avenue:

Zoomed in, and marked:

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William J. TerHaar

The 1922 lists William John TerHaar as proprietor of the grocery at No. 593 East Main Street.

William J. TerHaar also did not spend long at the grocery. As of the 1923 directory he worked as a machinist, and later directories list him as a lathe operator.

When living at No. 58 Avenue D, TerHaar and his wife, Viola Schnarr TerHaar, adopted a young girl from Greece, Katina Krokou.

A Times-Union article regarding the same topic provides the information that TerHaar had been employed by the Hawk-Eye Works of the Eastman Kodak Company, a position from which he was set to retire around 1954.

The TerHaar family would move to Florida; Viola would die in 1970, and William in 1979.

Their adopted daughter, Katina, would go on to marry, and would herself pass away in 2010.

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Charles A. Dickinson

The 1923 directory lists Charles A. Dickinson as proprietor of the grocery at No. 593 East Main Street, and made his home in the neighboring No. 591 East Main Street.

I’ll be honest, this one I found difficult. This is the only year in which Charles A. Dickinson is associated with the store; he is not listed as having a wife. There is a Charles A. Dickinson in the directory to either side of that year, i.e. 1922 and 1924:

Is that the same guy? I dunno. If it is, it’s this Charles A. Dickinson and his wife, Grace M. Gilfilian Dickinson.

But again, that might not be the same guy. I’ll keep working at this problem and, if I find out more context, will add it back in here as I always do.

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William J. Levin

In the 1924 directory, William J. Levin is listed as grocer at No. 593 East Main Street.

The following year, in 1925, Levin opened McKinley Market at No. 1103 Culver Street, foot of McKinley Street.

That building may be familiar as the home of The Golden Fox Family Restaurant:

Though this image is from about ten years after Levin’s market, in 1937, I thought it was intriguing. At this point No. 1103, formerly Levin’s market, is home to Pullman’s meat market.

Interestingly, this also gives a glimpse into lost signage. The evidence of the signs in the image is still there, including a rusty old sign-holder still installed over the door of No. 1115 Culver Road.

It is very difficult to read this sign, as you can probably tell. It appears to say “SODAS” at top and “CANDIES” below it, as from 1925 [the year the building was constructed] to 1937 [the year this photo was published] No. 1115 Culver Road was the confectionery shop of John Lecoussis and his niece, Demetra Tsouma.

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National Provision Co.

As of the 1925 directory, the corner grocery is listed as National Provision Co.

National Provision Co. was the name under which Hyman and Solomon Arvesty did business. In 1933, pursuant to the results of a court decision, the premises and stock was auctioned off.

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Fahy P. Cornish

This photo from the early 1940s was published in the third volume of Rochester Memories, and was brought to my attention by fellow historian Eric Iversen. One can see the front has been painted with an advertisement for Fahy P. Cornish’s furniture store.

Cornish’s business appears in the 1938 directory, but the first advertisement listing him at this address is from February 1937.

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James J. Vagenas, Confectioner

James Vagenas and his brothers, Gregory and Andrew, were immigrants from Greece; early on, they worked as pushcart vendors.

The brothers got into the confectionery business, starting with a location at No. 92 James Street.

That building would have been roughly around the green dot below, on the northeastern quadrant of this roundabout at the confluence of Broadway, East Broad Street, and Court Street:

In 1927, James Vagenas opened a confectionery shop under the name “The Aster” or “Aster Candy Shoppe” in a corner storefront at University and East Main Street;

The Aster Candy Shoppe would go out of business in 1946:

Sometime between Aster Candy Shoppe vacating the premises in 1946 and the publication of the 1950 Sanborn map, the Pullman Block was demolished, becoming an expanded lot for the automobile dealership next door.

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Marsh Drummond

The used car dealership of Marshall “Marsh” Drummond, located next door to the Pullman Block at No. 589 East Main Street, would expand into the gap left by the demolished brick building.

Eric Iversen, who has in the past lent Gonechester his support both vocal and material, has furthered his alliance with this blog by offering a photograph from his collection. This photograph shows the former Pullman Block corner, East Main and University, sometime between 1958 and the installation of the Inner Loop in 1964. The red arrow points to the former site of the Pullman Block, in front of Fisk Tire Service inhabiting the previous Marsh Drummond used car dealership.

Thanks, Eric!

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Pitkin Street Extension

After the Inner Loop was constructed in 1964, Pitkin Street was extended significantly in 1965 to serve as a frontage road; previously, Pitkin extended north only as far as the former Vine Street, just south of Charlotte Street.

The extension would see it pass north of Charlotte and Richmond Streets, and connect to East Main Street, which must have felt like a major coup for the tiny thoroughfare. Pitkin’s juncture with East Main Street is just slightly east of where the old Pullman Block used to stand.

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Shifting Schiller

Though not the main subject of this article, it is interesting to take note of and I started the article off with the subject, so I will finish off with the Schiller monument–particularly, the moving of the German poet’s statue from Anderson Park to Franklin Square.

In 1964, the Inner Loop was being built and it wanted to go right on through Anderson Park. Specifically, the tippy bit where Schiller made his abode. He’d have to move.

Schiller’s statue made its new home at Franklin Square, the once-grand park at the confluence of Andrews, Ormond and Cumberland Streets with University Avenue.

Franklin Square was also truncated by Inner Loop construction; due to its new situation and its new resident, old Franklin Square was renamed to Schiller Park–although, the neighboring bit of street kept the name Franklin Square.

And now Anderson Park is without a statue, and bereft half its area.

Being halved then surrounded by high-traffic streets and highways definitely negatively impacted Anderson Park’s parkiness, but it hangs on still.

Boy, I was really all over the place on this one, wasn’t I? Anyhow, rest in peace Pullman Block, 1885-1946[?]. You were a fine old brick building.

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