New York, NY - March 25, 2015 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the New York State Board for Historic Preservation has recommended the addition of 22 properties, resources and districts to the State and National Registers of Historic Places. The nominations reflect the remarkable breadth of New York’s history, ranging from the home of an Albany County man who was a witness to the events leading up to the American Revolution, to the Canajoharie downtown district that took shape along the Mohawk River Valley’s evolving transportation corridor, to the unique Westchester County home built by an out-of-work African-American carpenter on an extremely narrow lot donated by his Italian immigrant neighbor.
“New York has a rich heritage and has served as the location of significant events that are important to this nation's history," Governor Cuomo said. "By placing these properties on state and national registers, we can ensure that these sites from New York's past are preserved, maintained and enjoyed for future generations."
Being listed in the State and National Register is a boost for property owners to revitalize their buildings, as it makes them eligible for various public preservation programs and services such as matching state grants and state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits. Spurred by the state and federal historic rehabilitation commercial tax credits administered by the State Historic Preservation Office, developers invested $500 million statewide in 2014 to revitalize properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places, while homeowners using a tax credit invested more than $9.8 million statewide on home improvements to help revitalize historic neighborhoods.
The State and National Registers are the official lists of buildings, structures, districts, landscapes, objects and sites significant in the history, architecture, archeology and culture of New York State and the nation. There are more than 120,000 historic buildings, structures and sites throughout the state listed on the National Register of Historic Places, individually or as components of historic districts. Property owners, municipalities and organizations from communities throughout the state sponsored the nominations.
Rose Harvey, Commissioner of the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation said, “These nominations reflect the diversity and distinctiveness of New York’s communities. These landmarks are worthy of preservation, and listing them on the National Register is a way to offer them the support and recognition they deserve.”
Once the recommendations are approved by the state historic preservation office, the properties are listed on the New York State Register of Historic Places and then nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, where they are reviewed and, once approved, entered on the National Register. More information and photos of the nominations is available on the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation website.
Albany County
-Brigadier General David McCarty Stone Cottage, Coeymans –stone cottage from the mid-18th century that was the home of General David McCarty, an active participant in the events leading up to the American Revolution and served in the Continental Army.
-Conkling-Boardman-Eldridge Farm, Rensselaerville – established in 1806 by one of the community’s founding families under the feudal patroon system, it emerged to function as an independent working farm in the late 19th century following the Anti-Rent War and evolved into a “gentleman’s farm” by the beginning of the 20th century.
-Former parsonage of the Reformed Dutch Church, Coeymans – the highly intact local example of late Queen Anne-Colonial Revival style residential architecture was built in 1892 and displays features of popular trends of the era.
Bronx County
-Williamsbridge Oval Park, Bronx – the Works Progress Administration-funded project opened in 1937 as part of the rapid expansion of the New York City parks system under the leadership of parks commissioner Robert Moses and features a historic Beaux-Arts landscape plan and Moderne-style recreation center.
Cattaraugus County
-Union and State Streets Historic District, Olean – the district includes buildings constructed between 1866 and 1939 that reflect the wealth generated by Olean’s successful oil industry along the Allegheny River, as its buildings became larger and more ornate.
Chemung County
-Clinton-Columbia Historic District, Elmira – the district includes a diverse collection of mid-19th to early 20th century homes and rowhouses built in response to a surge in population resulting from a shift from an agricultural to an industrial economy, especially new jobs in the city’s railroad yards.
Columbia County
-Charles H. Coons Farm, Germantown – the property of a successful fruit farmer includes a Picturesque-style farmhouse, ca. 1880, and a ca. 1810 timber-frame New World Dutch barn.
Delaware County
-First Congregational Church, Walton – the 1840 church is significant for its long role in Walton’s community life and as a distinctive example of mid-19th century Neoclassical church architecture.
Dutchess County
-Murphy Grist Mill, Beekman – built in 1889 on the site of an earlier 18th-century mill, the water-powered grist and saw mill represents nearly 200 years of continuous use at the site, serving local farmers and the hamlets of Beekmanville and Poughquag through the early 1930s.
Erie County
-First Unitarian Church, Buffalo – now Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo, the 1906 structure is a significant example of an English Country Gothic-style church building with an interior influenced by the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau and designed by prominent local architects Edward Austin Kent and William Winthrop Kent.
Essex and Franklin counties
-Helen Hill Historic District, Saranac Lake – the residential neighborhood was largely built from 1896 to 1930 and is composed principally of residences constructed in a variety of prevailing architectural styles, with many today retaining the “cure” porches that are a legacy of Saranac Lake’s importance as a center for the treatment of tuberculosis.
Kings County
-Manhattan Beach Jewish Center, Brooklyn – the Bauhaus-influenced synagogue was completed in 1952 and the adjoining community center in 1962; the combined facilities for both synagogue and general community needs were a product of the “Jewish Center” movement.
Monroe County
-Arvine Heights Historic District, Rochester – the illustration of middle-class residential development in the early 20th century was a result of Rochester’s emergence as a premier industrial city in the United States, as innovations in urban transport combined with affordable properties and higher wages resulted in a demand for “suburban” housing.
-Inglewood & Thurston Historic District, Rochester – close to streetcar service on nearby main streets, the neighborhood grew in the 1920s as city residents migrated to new suburban areas with easy access to Rochester’s thriving industries such as the Eastman Kodak Company, General Railway Signal Company, Taylor Instruments and the Pfaudler Company.
Montgomery County
-Canajoharie Historic District, Canajoharie – originating as a small trading settlement in the late 18th century, its location near the Mohawk River, railroads and the New York State Thruway provided excellent transportation opportunities that encouraged business growth.
Nassau County
-William Barkin House, Long Beach – built in 1947, the single-family, International Style home reflects the city’s waning tradition of architectural eclecticism and resort-centered architecture at a time of rapid population growth and new construction in the city.
Onondaga County
-Liverpool Cemetery, Liverpool – established in 1846, the cemetery documents the village’s desire to offer a dedicated burial location for its residents as it began to develop into a more populous community in the mid-19th century and provides significant demographic information, in particular for the local immigrant population.
Orleans County
-The Stevens-Sommerfeldt House, Clarendon – the rare surviving example of a late Federal period stone house was constructed of limestone quarried on-site in the late 1820s for John Stevens, an early pioneer settler to the region.
Schoharie County
-Christian Hess House and Shoemaker’s Shop, Schoharie – built shortly after the widespread destruction of the Schoharie Valley during the Revolutionary War in 1780, the house is likely among the oldest dwellings in the immediate area.
Ulster County
-Alligerville Historic District, Accord – the hamlet was created and developed around a lock on the Delaware & Hudson Canal, one of the earliest canals completed in the United States, built 1825-1828.
Westchester County
-Skinny House, Westchester – Locally prominent African-American carpenter and building contractor Nathan Thomas Seely (1895-1962) built the 10-foot-wide Skinny House on an extremely narrow lot of donated land during the Great Depression.
-Waccabuc Historic District, Lewisboro – the 524-acre district includes the historic core of the Enoch Mead Family’s landholdings, which developed into the small hamlet of Waccabuc beginning in 1780, and the landscape and architecture retains a high level of integrity despite changes over several generations.