ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) – A new real estate listing shows the former “Personius-Warne” photography studio at 268 Baldwin Street is up for sale. The former studio photographed family, wedding and school portraits for more than 100 years before closing in 2022.
Chemung County property records show it last sold on November 11th, 2022, for $27,000. The property had already changed owners two years earlier when it sold for $30,000. The current asking price from Keller Williams Realty is $70,000.
“It was originally this studio of George Personius,” said Rachel Dworkin, the archivist at the Chemung County Historical Society . “He was a portrait photographer in Elmira, in operation from 1893 until 1945, when he sold the business to his former apprentice, Randall Warne. He then used the Personius-Warne name going forward, although George Personius was no longer involved in the studio. So, it was actually the second location that Personius operated out of, but he had purchased that building specifically to be his studio.”
Personius moved to Elmira in 1893 after working in Northern Pennsylvania as a traveling photographer.
“He had a wagon, and he would go and take photographs and develop them in his wagon. So, he would travel around to different towns that didn’t have their own photography studio,” Dworkin said.
His first studio in Elmira was on East Water Street. The Personius-Warne website says he bought his studio on Baldwin Street in 1914. He sold it to his former apprentice Randall Warne in 1945. The studio later had several other owners before closing in March of 2022.
“What happened to the archive of all the photos and negatives, they didn’t donate anything to you when they closed?” asked reporter Nick Dubina.
“No, we don’t have any of their negatives, or cameras, or any of that,” Dworkin said.
“These are photos taken by Mr. Personius himself. As far as a photo of Mr. Personius, here at the Chemung County Historical Society, it’s something that maybe needs to be added to the collection?”
“We do not currently have a photograph of George Personius, He mostly took pictures of other people.”
“And Mr. Warne?
“Not that I’m aware of no.”
Today the Personius-Warne name lives on, online. The business says it now does photos only on location. The website says it now specializes in sports and preschool photos.
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