The Foundation House
Access is provided by a long driveway from Central Avenue, or on foot from campus via Academic Avenue. Visitors enter The Foundation House from the east side entryway, directly off the parking area at the back of the home. The first floor features a reception area. With the kitchen still in use by the staff and the Faculty Student Association, the remainder of the first floor has been converted to private offices, group work spaces, and a Conference Room. Upstairs, on the second and third floors, private offices and cubicles have been appointed for directors and staff members serving the University Advancement Division, including development, public relations, Fredonia College Foundation accounting, and website offices.
History of 272 Central Avenue from 1916
The house at 272 Central Avenue was built in 1916 for Daniel W. and Hildegard Lathrop, on what was then a six-acre parcel of land. This three-story brick edifice is set back deeply from the street and includes public and private stairways, porches, a sunroom, fire places in the bedrooms, gleaming hardwood floors, French doors, and large rooms. In 1924, the house was purchased by Mrs. Lathrop’s brother, J. Nelson VanderVoort, a wholesale jeweler, for his family of seven. The VanderVoorts attached a three-story addition in 1933, expanding 272 Central Avenue with a large dining area warmed by another fireplace, two bedrooms, additional bathroom and a new kitchen. The home remained in the VanderVoort family until 1967 when it became a residence for students attending SUNY Fredonia: the Senior Honors Home. Approximately 10 years later, Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Cenedella purchased the property, returning it to its function as a private home. Subsequently, the Thomas and Margaret Reed family owned the home. They sold it to the Fredonia College Foundation in 2003 for use as a business.
(Note: Emeritus Faculty Member Dr. Douglas Shepard conducted research for this history.)