Background
The Talman Building is a five-story office building located at 25 East Main Street in downtown Rochester, New York. Originally constructed circa 1820, the Talman Building has had an interesting history of occupants and owners, including Frederick Douglass who published The North Star. The building was also a stop along the Underground Railroad. The building is not registered as a historic landmark, but is considered a Historic Site in Journalism by the Society of Professional Journalists, Sigma Delta Chi.
Structural History
According to records maintained by the City of Rochester, the original building on the site of the Talman Building was built around 1820, and was constructed of cut stone. The property was and still is bounded on the north by East Main Street (previously referred to as Buffalo Street) and on the east by Aqueduct Street. Bordering the south side of the building was part of Childs Basin, a large turning basin on the Erie Canal. The early conveyances of the property included rights to the docks located on the basin. This area of Childs Basin is now known as Basin Street.
The City of Rochester map, dated 1832, shows the parcel as containing one building built along the back of the property (fronting on Child's Basin), and three separate buildings fronting on Buffalo Street. These buildings would have been constructed in part of cut stone, and were probably built prior to 1820. While the current Talman Building is constructed primarily of brick, the back wall of the building is constructed of cut stone and is probably the back wall from the original building located on the basin. This back wall measures approximately 24 inches thick.
At the time it was constructed, the building had the property address of 21, 23 and 25 Buffalo Street. Buffalo Street started at the Genesee River and proceeded west, while Main Street started at the Genesee River and proceeded east.
In 1844, according to the Rochester City Directory, the building is listed as a four-story building. At that time, it was referred to as the Talman Block and the Talman Building. The City of Rochester map, dated 1847, shows the building as one building located on the entire parcel, just as the building is today.
According to photographs of the March 1865 Rochester flood and of the Fourth of July celebration in 1865, the building is a four-story brick building. Subsequent photographs (circa 1868) show the building as a five-story building with a mansard style roof on the fifth floor, corresponding to the purchase and renovation of the building by A. Carter Wilder in 1866. Mr. Wilder added the fifth floor of the building around an open arcade. The building is referred to in the 1875 City map as the "Wilder Arcade."
Architects' drawings indicate that the building was substantially renovated again in 1915. At that time, the mansard style roof was removed and the current facade was constructed. The arcade was removed and replaced with the present day light court located on the east side of the building. These renovations were designed by Architect J. Foster Warner.
Occupants of the Talman Building
From 1847 through 1863 Frederick Douglass had his office and published his newspaper, The North Star, in the Talman Building. The Rochester City Directory lists Douglass as having his office in the "Talman Building, 25 Buffalo Street, at the corner of Buffalo and Aqueduct Street" from 1849 to 1863. The 1849 City Directory also reflects that Harriet Jacobs' anti-slavery reading room was located in the building. The building was a stop on the Underground Railroad.
In the January 12, 1864 edition of The Union and Advertiser, a short reference appeared about the Talman Block. It read as follows:
"Our contemporary, the Democrat, having recently vacated Talman Block refers to it as one of the old institutions of Rochester worthy of having its history written by an "Old Citizen." Really we do not look upon the building in that light at all. We think it is not 25 years since the building was erected. The buildings which were removed to give place to it are still fresh in the recollection of those who do not claim to rank among even the Junior Pioneers.
When Mr. Talman erected that block, the upper story was arched nearly to the roof and converted into a hall known as Talman Hall. The Millerites or Second Adventists, we recollect, were among the first occupants, and they held meetings there for a long time. The hall was not well adapted to public uses, and ere long it was rented first in part and then as a whole for a printing office. Jerome & Bro. located the American Office there, and it has since been used as a printing office."
The Rochester City Directory lists businesses occupying the building continuously from 1864 through 1870. Around 1867, some of the tenants in the building included Hamilton Brothers & Company (a hardware store), Love & Hamilton (another hardware store), and J.K. McKinley (another hardware store). In addition, a tobacco factory run by S.F. Hess & Company occupied a portion of the building. Two newspapers, Evening Express and the Rochester Daily Observer (Adolph Nolte's newspaper), also located their offices in the building at this time. Additional tenants at this time included Tracey & Rew, J.G. Cramer (paper bags) and American Rural Home.
The deed transferring the property from Hyman and Celia Goldman to Ranson F. Taylor in 1912 states that the building was conveyed subject to certain leases on the premises. The leases and the tenants were enumerated as follows:
Number 23 - James Zutes (expiring 4/30/1922)
Number 25 - 29 - F. W. Landon (expiring 8/31/1913)
First Floor - Acme Loan Company (expiring 8/31/1913)
Second Floor - Marine Corporation (expiring 6/30/1912)
First Floor - Louis Stern (expiring 3/1/1913)
Second Floor - Engineers Club (expiring 4/1/1913); Norton Company (expiring 3/1/1913); Chauffer's Club (expiring 8/31/1913)
The Goldman to Taylor deed also references leases held by Rochester Railway and Light Company and O. J. Gnde Company for electric on roof and part of premises.
Central Bank of Rochester purchased the property on October 26, 1921, and became known as Central Trust Company in February 1924. Central Trust Company occupied a portion of the building until December 1959.
Genesee Valley Union Trust Company occupied the main floor and the basement areas of the building from approximately January 1, 1966 until January 1, 1969.
Currently, the Talman Building is occupied by the law firm of McConville, Considine, Cooman & Morin, P.C., Crossroads Abstract, Key Bank of New York and several other law offices.
Ownership History
The property on which the building is located was originally owned by Nathaniel Rochester and Charles Carroll. It was part of what is referred to as the "100 Acre Tract" which encompassed most of Downtown Rochester. Nathaniel Rochester and Charles Carroll deeded the property to William Fitzhugh in August 1817.
William Fitzhugh died in December 1839. Under the terms of his Will, Fitzhugh directed that all of his real estate in the City of Rochester be divided into five parts, as nearly equal in value as possible, to be distributed among five beneficiaries. The five beneficiaries under this Will were: (1) his daughter, Elizabeth P. Fitzhugh; (2) his daughter, Nancy C. Smith; (3) his daughter, Mary Talman; (4) his son Daniel H. Fitzhugh in trust for the use of his daughter Rebecca Backus; and (5) his son Daniel H. Fitzhugh and his son-in-law John T. Talman in trust for the use of his daughter Isabella Swift.
William Fitzhugh's Will appointed his son Daniel H. Fitzhugh and his son-in-law John T. Talman as executors of the estate. Everard Peck, Nathaniel T. Rochester and Levi A. Ward were hired to perform the task of appraising all of Mr. Fitzhugh's real property and dividing it into five equal parts, as directed under the terms of the Will.
Mary Talman ended up inheriting the parcel containing the original structure.
In 1866, the building was transferred to A. Carter Wilder. On December 22, 1875, Mr. Wilder died, leaving the property to his wife, Frances Hunter Wilder. Mrs. Wilder died on August 5, 1887, leaving her interest in the building to her adopted daughter, Frances H. DuPuy.
In 1911, Frances DuPuy Fletcher transferred the building to Hyman Goldman, taking a mortgage in the amount of $160,000 from Mr. Goldman and his wife, Celia Goldman.
On May 1, 1912, Mr. and Mrs. Goldman transferred the building to Ranson F. Taylor. Upon Mr. Taylor's death, his executors, Virginia C. Taylor and Forest W. Taylor conveyed the building to the Central Bank of Rochester on October 26, 1921.
Central Bank of Rochester was created by an act of the legislature of the State of New York on July 1, 1882, and became known as Central Trust Company in February 1924. In December 1959, Central Trust Company conveyed the building to Alexander Land Corporation. In August 1963, Alexander Land Corporation conveyed the building to Water Realty Inc.
In November 1965 Water Realty, Inc. conveyed the building to William T. Cronin, Delon F. Mousaw, Justin L. Vigdor, James W. Richards, J. William Reeves, Luther W. Miller and Warren H. Heilbronner. William T. Cronin died in September, 1973, and his interest in the building was conveyed to the other owners. Luther Miller and James Richard conveyed their interest in the building to the four remaining owners in 1975.
On January 19, 1981 the building was conveyed to its present owners, Talman Building Associates.