12 Second Street

Evidence indicates that Theodore F. Olmstead bought this lot in 1884 and shortly after built a house, which was used for rental purposes until it was sold in 1905 to William Gallagher.  Theodore Olmstead was associated with the Genesee Valley Bank for many years, rising to the position of cashier.  He lived at 62 Second Street.  William Gallagher was born in Avon in 1864 and came to Geneseo as a young man.  He worked in Geneseo for a few years before accepting the position of manager of the Mining Company’s store in Retsof, a job he held for the rest of his life, commuting daily by horse and buggy.  When he died in 1934 he left his wife, a son and three daughters.  Mrs. Gallagher continued living here until her death in 1970 when the house was sold to Mr. and Mrs. John Barrett.

Preservation architect Paul Malo in his evaluation of the houses in Geneseo remarked that “this house expresses the picturesque intentions of these decades (late 1880’s) contrasting a low entry with the dramatic high gable…the shingles (a favorite material of the 80’s) in the gable also provide contrast and variety.”  It was the first house in Geneseo built with electricity.