Medina in Orleans County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Medina Sandstone

Area 7

— Patrick O'Grady: Sandstone Builder —

Medina Sandstone Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Anton Schwarzmueller, October 9, 2014

1. Medina Sandstone Marker

Inscription.
Born in 1828 in County Mayo, Ireland, Patrick O'Grady was well known for designing and building some of Medina's finest sandstone buildings. Among others, Medina's First Baptist Church and Bent's Opera House are credited to him. In 1863, the transept of the first St. Mary's church was built- Patrick O'Grady was the architect.
Mr. O'Grady lived in a small sandstone house on West Center Street with his wife, Catherine, and their children. Life was hard for the O'Grady's- in 1885 they lost four of their children within six months to consumption (Tuberculosis). He died the following year in 1886 of the same disease at age 57 and is buried in St. Mary's Cemetery.
True to his calling, his massive family headstone is a work of art in Medina Sandstone.

[pictures]
First Baptist Church, St. Mary's RC Church and Medina's City Hall are among the many outstanding examples of local sandstone architecture in and around Historic Downtown Medina.
Medina Sandstone was quarried in many locations across Orleans County. Many of the quarrymen were immigrants from Ireland, Poland, England and Italy.

Discovered around the time of the digging of the Erie Canal in the 1820s and accepted as a superlative building material, it was quarried for over a century in Orleans County and shipped world-wide for architectural masterpieces.

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Find it in Buckingham Palace, Brooklyn Bridge, the NYS Capitol, thousands of homes, and in cobblestone streets. In Buffalo, NY look for it in the H. H. Richardson Complex, St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, and St. Louis R.C. Church among countless other materworks. It has strength and integrity, plus unmatched beauty in many shades.

Interpretive prints and mounting provided courtesy of The Print Shop • Medina, NY 585-590-9093 • Designed by Chris Busch, ORG

Erected by The Medina Sandstone Trust.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce • Natural Resources. A significant historical year for this entry is 1828.

Location. 43° 13.257′ N, 78° 23.208′ W. Marker is in Medina, New York, in Orleans County. It is on Main Street (New York State Route 63) 0.1 miles north of East Center Street ( Route 31), on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Medina NY 14103, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Upstate New York,

specifically in Western New York,

in the Finger Lakes,

and in the Rochester Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American Northeast,

on the Great Lakes,

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

New Netherland,

and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Frederick Douglass (a few steps from this marker); Medina Aqueduct (within shouting distance of this marker); Greater Medina Area (within shouting distance of this marker); Donald F. Kennedy (within shouting distance of this marker); On This Site Circa 1919 Alonzo L. Waters

Medina Sandstone Marker - Northward image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Anton Schwarzmueller, October 9, 2014

2. Medina Sandstone Marker - Northward

(within shouting distance of this marker); Tribute to the Fallen Heroes of 9/11 (within shouting distance of this marker); Dedicated To All Veterans (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Modern Age: Electric Trolley (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Medina.

Other markers no longer nearby. The Last Blacksmith Shop in Orleans County (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been confirmed missing); Bent's Opera House - 1864 (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed).

Also see . . .
1. Medina Sandstone Society - Medina Sandstone Trust. (Submitted on October 17, 2014, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York.)
2. Main Street Historic District, Medina, NY - Wikipedia. (Submitted on October 17, 2014, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York.)

Medina Sandstone Marker - Southward image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Anton Schwarzmueller, October 9, 2014

3. Medina Sandstone Marker - Southward

Bent's Opera House image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bradley Owen, June 29, 2025

4. Bent's Opera House

Credits. This page was last revised on July 3, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 17, 2014, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York. This page has been viewed 1,089 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 17, 2014, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York. 4. submitted on July 3, 2025, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.