Historic Houseparts

Historic Houseparts is an architectural salvage and antique shop at 540 South Avenue in Rochester's South Wedge neighborhood, operating since 1980. The business was established in response to the wave of home rehabilitation projects that swept through the South Wedge during that era. It occupies a collection of buildings anchored by a three-story brick row house built in 1890, along with a 14,000-square-foot warehouse, a smaller 2,000-square-foot warehouse, and a dedicated 1,500-square-foot bathroom showroom — totaling over 20,000 square feet of inventory space.

The store also houses the Period Bath Supply Company, a division launched in 2010 that focuses specifically on antique and new plumbing fixtures for period-appropriate bathroom restorations.

Historic Houseparts stocks both salvaged originals and reproduction items across a wide range of categories:

• Door and cabinet hardware, including period-specific styles like Mission-style knobs
• Plumbing fixtures — bathtubs, sinks, faucets, toilets, and replacement parts
• Lighting fixtures
• Architectural woodwork and trim
• Decorative accessories such as Art Deco bathroom tiles
• Bathroom accessories through Period Bath Supply, including towel bars, mirrors, medicine cabinets, and shelf hardware

The primary source of salvaged inventory is pre-1940 buildings being demolished throughout the western New York region. Items are organized and sorted by category, making it practical to locate specific hardware or fixtures for restoration projects.

Historic Houseparts has maintained a presence in Rochester's restoration community for over four decades, serving as a destination for homeowners and contractors working on older properties. The store's extensive, well-organized inventory of hard-to-find architectural elements — items not typically stocked by conventional home improvement retailers — has made it a resource for period-accurate restoration work throughout the region.

The shop sits on South Avenue in the South Wedge, a neighborhood with roots as a working-class district that once housed Erie Canal laborers. Today the South Wedge is one of Rochester's more eclectic commercial corridors, with a mix of independent shops and restaurants along South Avenue. Historic Houseparts is open Monday through Saturday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. The multiple buildings that make up the operation are all within walking distance of each other along the South Avenue stretch, and the neighborhood is accessible from nearby Goodman Street and the intersection with Gregory Street.