Building date: 1832
Original use:
Corner structures:
Mortar application and content: Vertical heavy
Types and uses of stones:
Types and choice of windows:
Structures with similar masonry details:
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Unique features:
Map views courtesy Google Maps. Address is GIS Database and Google Earth confirmed; 43°13'48.45"N 77°43'59.97"W. Current owner of record, Pollok as of 2018 Tax Roll.
Town of Greece and Monroe County Maps
"The Cobblestone Houses of Upstate New York", compiled by Dorothy Wells Pease 1941. Research done in collaboration with Hazed B. Jeffery, supplemented with material furnished by Carl F. Schmidt. Reference the sixth paragraph on page 2.
A Rare and Treasured Home in Greece, By Ernst Lamothe Jr, From Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, February 20, 2014
It's very difficult to find a cobblestone house in Greece. Their unique feature - the stones are used on the exterior, like siding - attracted Helen Brodie Pollok and Bill Pollok 60 years ago because there are only four of that style remaining in Greece.
"Whenever someone sees the house, they are amazed because it is so unique," Bill Pollok said of the property at 978 N. Greece Road. "My wife's parents bought the homestead during World War I, and she took it over during World War II, and we were in that house ever since. There are few houses like this, and we knew that." The other three cobblestones in Greece are at 149 N. Greece Road, 543 Mill Road and 4350 W. Ridge Road.
The Pollok home is listed on the National [Register, November 7, 1995,] [Wikipedia] and State Register of Historic Places and was the very first designated town landmark in 1998, said Gina DiBella, chairwoman of the town of Greece Historic Preservation Commission. It was the hard work of the Polloks, especially Helen, who brought awareness to the home. She purchased the property in 1946 after her father's death.
"My wife was always into history. She could talk about it for hours. She really wanted the home on the National Register listing before she passed away," said Pollok, 88. "When she died, I continued the work and requested that it be a local landmark. She lived in that home almost all her life, so I'm just happy we were able to get it done because I am so proud of this home."
Constructed in 1832 by William Covert, the home sits on almost 15 acres of land in the southwest quadrant of town. The Covert family were early settlers and farmers. The family of the late Helen Pollok, who also were farmers, purchased the home in 1914.
The construction involved laying cobbles in horizontal rows, bonded with limestone mortar. Cobblestones were shaped and deposited in the area after the Ice Age and were collected by settlers who were clearing land and preparing fields for planting, according to the Landmark Society of Western New York.
"Cobblestone construction is unique to the central and western New York area of the United States," said DiBella. "Ninety-eight percent ² of all cobblestone buildings in our country are found within a two-hour drive of Rochester.
"What is unique about the Covert-Brodie-Pollok House in particular is that it has been recognized both nationally and locally," said DiBella. "Bill Pollok applied for local landmark designation because he wanted to ensure that this property would be protected from demolition or inappropriate changes no matter who owned it in the future. Only local landmark designation can allow that form of protection."
DiBella said she is thankful for the foresight of the Polloks in wanting to protect the property and historic resources for centuries to come.
There are various claims about the percentages. Most of the about 911 (as of 10/20/2021) cobblestone structures in New York state are found within a two-hour drive of Rochester. See the interactive map for further details. The number of non-cobblestone buildings with cobblestone foundations or basements could significantly increase the total number if included; for example, some are included in this Cobblestone Info Base.
² EDITOR'S NOTE The total number of known cobblestone buildings in North America outside of New York state is about 143, but could be a greater number, especially if additional no longer existing buildings are discovered. The mission of this Cobblestone Info Base is to be a repository of all known and found information on cobblestone structures. The premise is that North America, or perhaps even the world, should eventually be included in the Cobblestone Info Base. Only then, if and when the input of that information is completed, could true numbers and percentages be understood.
The Cobblestone Society & Museum Tours:
Brodie - Pollok House 20th Annual 06/07/1980
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Building Structure Inventory Form, The Landmark Society of Western New York, Inc., Cynthia Howk, December, 1994
The Covert-Brodie-Pollok House, 978 North Greece Road, Greece, New York
- "Cobblestone Architecture", 1944, Carl Schmidt
- Page 14
- Methods of Laying Cobblestones, House on the North Greece Road, Greece, Page 82
- Main Entrance to [Zielinski] House on the North Greece Road, Monroe County, Page 89
- Methods of Laying Cobblestones, House on the North Greece Road, Greece, Page 82
- Zielinski House Entrance Door, drawing by Carl F. Schmidt, slightly askew to the right of straight on view.
- "Cobblestone Masonry", 1966, Carl Schmidt: Name reference, Zielinski House
- Page 48, Page 248, Main Entrance Page 275
¹ Image courtesy Cobblestone Museum.
² Photography courtesy Martin and Sheila Wolfish.
³ Photography courtesy Richard Palmer.
