Like today, 19th-century factories were
built to serve specific needs and to
have close access to transportation. The
Seneca-Cayuga Canal and the railroad
depots drew companies to build on the
lakefront . Malt houses, like this one owned by
Samuel Nester, had tall stacks to aid in
drying barley that had been germinated.
The wall and window treatments gave the
factory personality. Begun in 1888, Herendeen
Manufacturing made boilers and
radiators. The factory was on the
lakefront to use water as a resource in
the foundry and for access to the
railroad for receiving coal and sand. In
1885, the Phillips and Clark Stove
Company moved from Troy to Geneva. It was
on Evans Avenue at the foot of Seneca
Lake near the canal and railroads. Later,
it became the Andes Furnace and Range
Corporation. The Geneva Preserving
Company was the first of several
factories to can fruits and vegetables.
It was on North Street on the New York
Central Railroad line. This building
burned down in 1912 and the company
rebuilt in the same location. In 1892,
Patent Cereals moved to Geneva from
Brooklyn to be closer to grain crops and
for better transportation. The large
complex produced everything from
wallpaper paste to breakfast cereals. The
new Lehigh Valley Railroad depot in 1893
on the north side of town attracted new
industries. Land was available for
development and railroad spurs could be
built directly to loading docks. Geneva
Cutlery produced straight razors, and
later, kitchen knives and utensils.
Business was good enough that the
factory expanded numerous times and
added a third floor. The three-story
plant was fairly narrow and much of the
light came from tall windows in all four
sides. Today, the building is owned by
Brandon and Amy Phillips, who make furniture
on the first floor and rent the second
floor for weddings, concerts, and other
events.
Fay and Bowen Boat Company moved from
Auburn to the lakefront in 1909. They had
water access to test their boats and
engines, and were also across the street
from the New York Central Railroad
freight depot. Standard Optical, which
later became Shuron Optical, was on
Lyceum Avenue in the northwest corner of
the city.
They made lenses, frames, and optical
equipment. Unlike Standard Optical and
Geneva Cutlery, the American Can Company
was built horizontally. The sawtooth
sections of the roof were skylights to
illuminate the factory floor. The new Ekco
plant had a similar horizontal plane, but
with window walls. It was built on a
railroad line but also had plenty of
loading docks as trucks began to replace
trains. Nineteenth century downtown Geneva was
a mix of residential and retail
buildings. Many were wooden structures
but there were brick buildings as well.
Fires and demolition destroyed many of
the early buildings. By the 1920s,
downtown streets looked much like they
do today. Business owners have always
tried to stay modern. Haviland's Pharmacy
gave their exterior a new look with
brick, black structural glass, and art
deco lettering. National chains had a
presence in downtown Geneva. In 1929 S.S.
Kresge purchased
28 - 30 Seneca Street and tore it down for
a modern store. The new store had a
cleaner look on the outside and was more
spacious on the inside. Traditional
grocery stores like George Haskins at 49
Seneca Street were full service.
Customers gave their list to the clerks
who filled the orders. Most of the goods
were behind counters on either side of
the store, and customers stayed in the
center. In the 1940s supermarkets, also
called groceterias in the early days,
changed the way people shopped. Large
windows and the new invention of
fluorescent lighting made the stores
bright and inviting. Shopping was
self-service and customers could move
through the aisles on their own. In the
1960s, new buildings began to replace the
old.
In 1966, Lincoln First Bank on Seneca
Street replaced their very traditional
brick building with a modern structure.
The National Bank of Geneva was on the
opposite corner and they, too, put up a new
bank. The modern style of architecture
rejected all influences from the past,
such as classical windows or decorative
trim. Business owners who didn't or 
couldn't replace their buildings opted
for makeovers. 22 Castle Street is a good
example. Owners covered up the 19th-
century facades with space-age metal to
look more like the new plazas that were
being built. Fortunately, this fad passed
and owners have gone back to the
original facades. Downtown businesses and
shoppers alike have embraced Geneva's
traditional architecture.
