Contest seeks to find oldest building in Gates

The Gates Historical Preservation Commission has launched a contest to find the oldest building or structure still standing in Gates. First prize is a $50 gift certificate to a Gates restaurant. The goal is to raise public consciousness about the historical structures still remaining in the Town of Gates.

The Gates Historical Preservation Commission was created by the Gates Town Board in July 2000 to implement the Town of Gates' historical preservation ordinance, approved by the town board in April 2000.

The Commission is independent of the Gates Historical Society. Each has different purposes although there is some overlapping participation on the Commission by some Society members. The Commission is a municipal creation and an arm of the town government. The Society is an independent not-for-profit chartered by the State Education Department.

The Commission is currently seeking grant funding to survey existing history structures in the Town of Gates. Once a comprehensive survey has been completed, then the Commission will research the possibility of nominating the most notable historic sites in the Town of Gates for local historic recognition, under the new town ordinance. The Gates Town Board would make final approval for any nominated sites.

This contest helps the five Commission members identify the oldest existing structures in the town. The Town of Gates was founded in 1813 and the original Hinchey Homestead, now gone, was built in 1810. Buildings or structures from before the Civil War still exist in Gates, but which one is the oldest is unknown to any at the Town Hall.

Winner of the contest will be announced at the Town of Gates' Independence Day celebration on Sunday, June 30 and contest deadline is Monday, June 3. Nominations for the oldest structure in town should contain the street address of the structure and the approximate date of original construction. Copies of any proof as to the age of the nominated structure would help determine the winner, though family anecdotes can also be entered as reasons for nomination. Mail nominations to Jean Kohlhoff, Chairperson, Gates Historical Preservation Commission, Town of Gates, 1605 Buffalo Road, Rochester, NY 14624.

For more information about the Commission, visit the Town of Gates' web site, www.townofgates.org and follow the link to town history.