This photo of Wrayholm was taken circa 1915. Photo provided by Rush Town Historian’s office
BY SUSAN MEE
This past winter saw the acceptance of Wrayholm, the family estate of Delos Hollowell Wray and his wife, Irene Warner Wray, to both the New York State Registry of Historic Places and the National Registry of Historic Places. The home was built as a country retreat for the Wray family. Delos H. Wray, with his older brothers, William and Charles, owned and managed the Henry Wray & Son Brass Foundry on Mill Street in Rochester. The Foundry was a family business established in 1842. The Rush property today is owned by Delos and Irene Wray’s granddaughter, Susan Swanton.
Wrayholm is located at 14 Meadowood and was constructed in 1912. The home was designed by architect Claude Bragdon and is a two-and-one-half story Dutch Colonial Revival style stucco home with a gambrel roof of red clay tile. Meadowood is a private road situated at the end of Stull Road in Rush. The home is located on a bluff overlooking the Genesee River. Delos Wray’s sister, Mary Wray Stull, was married to Rochester attorney, John Stull. John and Mary Stull first built a home at Meadowood which enticed the Wray’s to also build in this location. The Stull’s home was also designed by Claude Bragdon.
Other than mid-twentieth century updates to the bathrooms, kitchen and veranda, the interior of the home is largely unchanged since its construction. The original hardwood floors and unpainted oak woodwork throughout the house is intact.
As noted in the application, “Wrayholm is an example of a rural home designed by architect Claude Bragdon and is particularly representative of Bragdon’s late-career work which embodies a combination of Arts and Crafts with Modernist design elements. Notable features include mixed natural textures, emphasis on integration of interior and exterior spaces, an understated main entry, and lack of symmetry (in both exterior and interior design). This mix of design elements is particularly representative of Bragdon’s late-career residential design and it is likely that Wrayholm was one of his final projects before leaving his firm to focus on architectural theory and stage design.”
Following acceptance by the New York State Office of Historic Preservation for Wrayholm to be placed on the NYS Registry of Historic Places, the application was submitted by NYS to the National Registry of Historic Places. The National Parks Service has also now accepted and added Wrayholm to the National Registry of Historic Places. The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.
People often confuse the NYS and National Registries of Historic Places as being a designation that restricts property owners in the care and maintenance of their homes. The National Registry of Historic Places is an honor, but it does not control or prohibit changes that a property owner can make. The National Park Service, of course, hopes that National Registry of Historic Property owners will adhere as much as possible to the rehabilitation standards identified by the Secretary of the Interior. Local ordinances and preservation commissions may have restrictions on how historical properties are updated and maintained, but that is not part of the National Register of Historic Places. Ideally, local historical commissions work with historical property owners of locally designated sites to retain both the historical integrity and meet the needs of the owner.
As historian for the Town of Rush, I am very pleased that Wrayholm has been added to both the State and National Registries of Historic Places. Congratulations to Susan Swanton, for her efforts in achieving this deserving designation. Plans for a dedication and plaque placement are underway for the near future.
