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Original use: Carriage house
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Map views courtesy Google Maps. Address is Google Earth confirmed; 42°51'27.69"N 77°00'41.25"W. Current owner of record, Daniels as of the 2019 Tax Roll.
Town of Geneva and Ontario County Maps
This structure is not included in the Roudabush Survey.
Normally one would associate this house at 876 Pre-emption Road would an example of the "Arts and Crafts" period of architecture popular in the 1920s and 1930s. It was originally built as the carriage house for the Phineas Prouty mansion known as Maple Hill. The cobblestone carriage house was built next door. Prouty moved to a new house on Main Street and in 1874 the property was sold to Charles D. Bean, a New York merchant, who made the Prouty mansion his home.
In 1884 Charles D. Bean Jr. used the cobblestone building and adjoining structures to create his imaginary "Endymion Military Preparatory School." Although it never successfully materialized, on paper it had a board of governors, a staff, classrooms, dormitories, an actual running track and a gymnasium. After Bean's death in 1937 records were found claiming the school existed, classes were held and students graduated. It was discovered Bean published school catalogues and other information, complete with pictures of classes and marching bands. In reality the school only existed in Bean's mind. Class lists were found painted on walls. Class mottos were carefully lettered over doorway, and precepts painstakingly inscribed on walls of passageways.
Faulty electrical wiring was listed as the cause of a fire that destroyed the historic LaFayette Inn [Prouty mansion] on January 28, 1975. A previous fire in 1968 heavily damaged the kitchen, forcing the inn to close for several months. At the time it was owned by Raymond Moore. The estimated loss was $400,000. Plans to re-develop the site for a new restaurant and motel never materialized. A Ponderosa Restaurant was built on the site of the LaFayette Inn in 1976. Richard Palmer blog.
 Gen-5 Carriage House 1.jpg ¹ |  Gen-5 Carriage House 2.jpg ² |  876 Preemption Road, Geneva.jpg ² | .jpg) 876 Pre-emption Road, Geneva (2).jpg ² |
¹ Image courtesy Cobblestone Museum.
² Photography courtesy Richard Palmer.
