ROME

N.P. Dodge & Co., of Omaha, Nebraska, developed three whites-only additions in Rome, New York, beginning with the Belmont Addition in 1920, followed by the Fairfax Addition in 1925 and Lenox Addition in 1929.

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BELMONT ADDITION

 

Lots in the Belmont Addition went on sale on 23, 1920 ①.  The subdivision was comprised of 137 lots on McRae, Charles, Fairfax, Lenox, McRae, and North Levitt Streets, between West Court and West Embargo. A buyer need only present the tag corresponding to the lot of their choice and $1 as down payment to a sales agent on site to have their contract drawn up on the spot.  Weekly payments of $1 were paid to a local bank, the Rome Trust Company ②, and buyers paid neither interest nor taxes for two years.

 

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All Belmont lots were advertised as "restricted to white people and neat attractive homes ③."  Nathan Phillips Dodge, President of the N.P. Dodge Corporation, signed and submitted a declaration of restrictions for the Belmont Addition that included the following racial restrictive covenant ④:

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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​FAIRFAX ADDITION

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The 157 lots of the Fairfax Addition went on sale on July 8, 1925 ⑤.  The subdivision was located immediately adjacent to the Belmont Addition, comprised of Hamilton, Lenox, McRae, Nassau, West Embargo, and West Liberty Streets, bounded by West Embargo, West Liberty, McRae, and St. Mary's Cemetery.  N.P. Dodge charged only $1 down and $1 a week for lots in Fairfax. Buyers paid no interest or taxes for two years, and made weekly payments at the Rome Trust Company ⑥.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All Fairfax lots were advertised as "restricted to white people and neat homes ⑦,"  and Nathan Phillips Dodge, signed and submitted a declaration of restrictions for the Fairfax Addition that included the following racial restrictive covenant ⑧:

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LENOX ACRES ADDITION

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The 227 lots of the Lenox Acres Addition went on sale in July 1926 ⑨.  Located on Ardmore, Centre, Douglas, Dodge, Jarvis, and Thomas Streets, and Gifford Road, the triangular subdivision was bordered by Gifford, Jarvis, Douglas, and Thomas.

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Lenox Acres was advertised as "restricted to white people ⑩,"restricted to white people for all time ⑪,"

and "restricted to desirable white people ⑫,"and the following racial restrictive covenant was included in the subdivision's declaration of restrictions as signed and submitted by Nathan Phillips Dodge ⑬:

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Lots measuring 50' x 150' and facing West Thomas Street were 50¢ a week, whereas "acre lots" measuring 100' x 300' and which were just off the paved street cost 75¢ a week ⑭.  Every lot was "staked and tagged with a number and price" and with a $1 down payment buyers could have their contract completed and signed on site.​  As in the two earlier additions, new owners paid no interest or taxes for two years.

 

FLOYD PARK

 

​​​​​​​Coruno Realty, Inc. was a partnership between ​Bruce R. Corliss of St. Alban's, Vermont, and L.H. Rutland, and Daniel F. Nolan both of Albany, New York.

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In 1928, the three developers built Floyd Park "just outside Rome's City limits and City taxes," and a quarter-mile beyond the Fair Grounds on Floyd Avenue ⑮.  The subdivision included Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Rhode Island, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, Florida, and Massachusetts Avenues and totaled 406 lots.

 

The development was advertised in local newspapers as "Restricted to Americans only ⑯," and a deed signed in 1930 by Bruce R. Corliss for lot #220 in Floyd Park included the following racial covenant that excluded both foreigners and African Americans:

 

 

 

 

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WILKINSON PARK​

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Wilkinson Park was also developed by Coruno Realty in 1928.  The subdivision was located approximately one block's walk from the end of the East Dominic street trolly line ⑰ and consisted of 216 lots on Railroad, Duly, La Vita, Gualtieri, Semo, Ferlo, and (the unfortunately named) Mussolini Avenues.

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Similarly to Floyd Park, Bruce R. Corliss signed and transferred the deed for Lot #22 in Wilkinson Park which contained the following racial restrictive covenant:

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① Rome Sentinel, 28 Sept 1920 p. 2.  Accessed via fultonhistory.com

② Rome Sentinel, 25 Sept 1920 p. 3.  Accessed via fultonhistory.com

③ Ibid.

④ Deed, 4 October 1938, N.P. Dodge Corporation (Deed Book 986, page 162, Records Department of the Office of the Oneida County Clerk, Oneida County, NY).

⑤ Rome Sentinel, 10 July 1925 p. 2.  Accessed via fultonhistory.com

⑥ Rome Sentinel, 11 July 1925 p. 5.  Accessed via fultonhistory.com

⑦ Ibid.

⑧ Deed, 1 September 1939, N.P. Dodge Corporation (Deed Book 986, page 363, Records Department of the Office of the Oneida County Clerk, Oneida County, NY).

⑨ Daily Sentinel (Rome, NY), 13 July 1929 p. 14.  Accessed via fultonhistory.com

⑩ Ibid.

⑪ Daily Sentinel (Rome, NY), 10 July, 1926, p. 5.  Accessed via fultonhistory.com

⑫ Daily Sentinel (Rome, NY), 13 July 1929 p. 14.  Accessed via fultonhistory.com

⑬ Deed, 8 June 1940, N.P. Dodge Corporation (Deed Book 998, page 378-9, Records Department of the Office of the Oneida County Clerk, Oneida County, NY).

⑭ Daily Sentinel (Rome, NY),  6 July, 1929 p. 14.  Accessed via fultonhistory.com

⑮  Daily Sentinel (Rome, New York), 3 July, 1928, p. 3.  Accessed via newspapers.com

⑯  Rome Daily Sentinel, October 4, 1929, p. unknown.  Accessed via newspapers.com

⑰  Daily Sentinel (Rome, NY), July 12, 1928, Page 10.  Accessed via newspapers.com

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© OCTOBER 2026