New York State Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation

09/09/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/09/2021 13:55

Governor Hochul Announces 19 Nominations for State & National Registers of Historic Places

Governor Kathy Hochul announced today that the state Board for Historic Preservation has recommended adding 19 properties to the State and National Registers of Historic Places. These nominations include a 'castle' built by prominent Catskill Mountains photographer/aviator Otto Hillig; a Buffalo bakery that helped introduce Wonder Bread to America; an early Arabic-speaking Christian church in Brooklyn; and a community library in the Adirondacks.

'New York's historical places are priceless treasures that help us connect with the past and our state's rich heritage,' Governor Hochul said. 'These nominations reflect the fantastic breadth of the state's history and the prominent role New York has played in events that helped to sculpt our nation. These additions to the historic registers will help ensure there are resources available to protect these iconic places and that their stories will inspire us long into the future.'

A listing on the State and National Registers listing can assist owners in revitalizing properties, making them eligible for various public preservation programs and services, such as matching state grants and state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits. Over the past decade, the state has approved the use of rehabilitation commercial tax credits for more than 1,000 historic properties, driving more than $12 billion in private investment.

'Part of our mission here at State Parks is to help preserve and promote the incredible range of history present in the state,' Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Erik Kulleseid said. 'Securing recognition for such places provides resources that will help keep this history alive and vibrant.'

'These latest nominations continue the Division for Historic Preservation's commitment to designating and supporting historic sites that represent the histories of our state's diverse population,' said Daniel Mackay, deputy commissioner for Historic Preservation at State Parks.

Senator Jose Serrano, chairman of the Senate Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation, said, 'New York is home to many important historic locations in regions all across our state. These locations provide great educational opportunities, as well as much needed regional tourism. Thank you to Governor Hochul and Commissioner Kulleseid for helping to identify and preserve the important places that have contributed to making New York so special.'

A study by the National Park Service on the impact of the tax credit on jobs and tax revenue in New York State found that between 2015 and 2019, the credits generated 67,578 jobs nationally and more than $195 million in local, state, and federal taxes.

The State and National Registers are the official lists of buildings, structures, districts, landscapes, objects, and sites significant in the history, architecture, archaeology, and culture of New York State and the nation.

There are more than 120,000 historic properties 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.

Once recommendations are approved by the commissioner, who serves as the state's historic preservation officer, the properties are listed on the New York State Register of Historic Places and then nominated, reviewed, and once approved, entered into to the National Register of Historic Places.

More information, with photos of the nominations, is available on the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation website.

Capital District

Consolidated Car Heating Company Complex, Albany County - Located in the city of Albany's 'Warehouse District,' the industrial brick complex dates to the 1890s and reflects the city's history as a regional railroad headquarters. The complex was originally used to manufacture heaters for train cars, including for the Manhattan elevated railway system, as well as such rail-related equipment as call buttons and automatic doors. After producing artillery shells during World War I, the plant was later used for making partial dentures, dental acrylics and plastics, and automotive repair lifts.

Finger Lakes

Lawyers Cooperative Publishing Company Complex, Monroe County - During the early 20th century, this Rochester-based company pioneered the publication of affordable, easily distributed legal publications for lawyers and students. After moving to the city in 1901 from New Jersey, the company expanded into several former mill buildings and grew to employ 700 people as the second-largest law book publisher in the United States. The firm moved most of its production operations to the Rochester suburbs in the 1960s, which were closed in 1997. Closed in 2018, the complex is now the subject of a historic tax credit rehabilitation.

Gregory Track Historic District, Monroe County - A neighborhood of residences, businesses, and religious institutions, this section of southeastern Rochester dates to the late 1840s and represents modest middle- and working-class housing. The district includes more than 600 structures and is today known as Highland Park.

J. Hungerford Smith Company Factory, Monroe County - This 19th-century factory reflects the industrial diversification of the city of Rochester. A former furniture factory, it was expanded and used by the J. Hungerford Smith Company in its production of fruits and fruit syrups for soft drinks and soda fountains. A national leader in the industry, the company was shipping its products to some 50,000 dealers around the world by the 1920s. The factory closed in 1963 and currently houses various commercial and light industrial businesses and residential apartments.

Leander McCord Houses Historic District, Monroe County - These five Tudor Revival-style homes in the city of Rochester were all designed by prominent city architect Leander McCord and built between 1923 and 1924. The homes retain their original exterior and interior features and present an English-inspired small enclave in the Maplewood neighborhood.

Long Island

St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church, Suffolk County - Located in the maritime village of Northport, the church was completed in 1873 and features its original striking Classical Revival design with Romanesque and Italianate elements. Still in use today, the church represents the long presence and influence of the Methodist religion in this part of Long Island.

Mid-Hudson

Hillig Castle, Sullivan County - Located atop Washington Mountain near the village of Liberty, this European-style stone 'castle' was completed in 1937 by Otto Hillig, a German immigrant who had gained wealth and national prominence as a photographer of Catskills landscapes from small planes. Known as the 'flying photographer,' he became internationally famous in 1931 as the sole passenger on a transatlantic airplane flight from the United States to Europe by a Danish barnstorming aviator. The castle fell into disrepair after Hillig's death in 1954 but is now being restored.

Kingston Gas & Electric Co. Building, Ulster County - Constructed in 1911, the former utility headquarters directed the city's adoption of gas and electricity during the early twentieth century. It also functioned for a time as a retail seller of gas and electrical appliances in a bid to convince wary consumers to switch from reliance on coal. The building is currently used for retail and residential purposes.

Domestic Dwelling in Kingston, Ulster County - Built in 1890 and added to through 1914, this Colonial Revival home includes elements of the Queen Anne style and reflects a neighborhood occupied by the Kingston's 19th century elite. It was originally built for prominent local banker Charles D. Bruyn.

Asbury Historic District, Ulster County - Located at the northern edge of the town of Saugerties, this 250-acre area is composed of four 18th-century farm properties that retain original buildings and agricultural lands dating to the time of settlement by a Palatine German family in the 1730s. All feature limestone houses in the Dutch Colonial or Early Republic style.

Mohawk Valley

Van Slyke House, Herkimer County - Built in 1860, this Greek Revival residence retains many of its original features, including deep cornices, cornice returns and corner pilasters, as well as a largely unaltered interior plan and finish work. The residence reflects the area's farming history, which began with the arrival of German Palatine immigrants in the 1720s under a royal land patent. The residence was moved slightly to the south in 1953 as part of construction of the New York State Thruway and state Route 5S.

Evangelical Lutheran Church, Otsego County - Built in 1839 in the Greek Revival style, this wood-frame church was renovated in 1887 to include Gothic Revival elements. The church was built for the local community and was associated with Hartwick Seminary, the first Lutheran seminary in the United States, chartered in 1815.

New York City

St. Peter's Protestant Episcopal Church, Brooklyn - Part of the Antiochan Orthodox Christian Archdiocese, this church -now St. Nicholas Antiochan Orthodox Cathedral -played a key role in fostering the Arabic-speaking Orthodox Christian community in Brooklyn during the early 20th century. Syrian and Lebanese immigrants who initially formed a congregation in Manhattan in 1895 moved to Brooklyn several years later and purchased the former Protestant Episcopal church in 1920. It is the oldest, continuously used Antiochan Orthodox Christian church in North America.

North Country

Mountainside Free Library, Warren County - In operation since its construction in 1904, this simple wood-frame community library in the Adirondacks, in the town of Queensbury, in the Lake George/Dunham Bay region, was founded by regional author, historian, and educator Edward Eggleston. Donating some of his personal books to the library project, the author was a regional novelist who wrote about the American frontier experience. His nearby home, Owl's Nest, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971. The library has long been run by volunteers and has no paid staff.

Church of the Ascension Chapel and Rectory, Franklin County - Located in the Adirondack hamlet of Saranac Inn, this rustic log church was completed in 1884 and reflects the Gothic Revival style. The church was a response to the popularity of tourism to the nearby Saranac Inn, originally called the Prospect House Resort, which no longer exists. Expanded in 1903, it includes stained-glass windows donated by visiting families who had spent their summers in the area. A modest wood-frame Craftsman-style bungalow serves as the rectory.

Southern Tier

Main Street Historic District, Broome County - This nine-block area in the city of Binghamton dates between 1870 and 1940 and includes a mix of commercial, residential, civic, and religious architecture. It contains seven buildings already on the National Register of Historic Places.

Western New York

Continental Baking Company Factory, Erie County - Built as the headquarters of the Ward & Ward baking company in 1915, this industrial bakery helped introduce Wonder Bread to America in 1925. Later, the plant produced sliced Wonder Bread, helping coin the phrase 'the greatest thing since sliced bread.' At its peak, the facility could produce up to 6,000 loaves an hour in its massive ovens. The bakery closed in 2004 after its parent company filed for bankruptcy. The property is now being rehabilitated under the historic tax credit program.

Perot Malting Company Facility (American Grain Complex Boundary Expansion), Erie County - First included on the National Register in 2012, the listing for American Grain is being expanded to include the adjoining Perot Malting Company facility, which reflects the city's early twentieth century rise in the grain processing and shipping industry, as well as malting and beer-making. The intact Perot facility, dating to 1906, includes the grain elevator, malthouse, and railroad tracks. Used for production of Genesee beer starting in 1984; the facility closed in the early 2000s but is now being rehabilitated under the historic tax credit program.

St. John Kanty Roman Catholic Church Complex, Erie County - Constructed initially in 1891 and concluding in 1966, this complex in Buffalo includes a Gothic Revival church, a Federal Revival rectory, a convent, and a lyceum (lecture hall). Its growth reflects the growth of the Polish immigrant community in the city's East Side neighborhood from the late 19th to early 20th century. By the time of the church's construction, there were about 80,000 Poles living in the area, making Buffalo's 'Polonia' one of the largest Polish communities in the United States.

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 individual parks, historic sites, recreational trails, and boat launches, which were visited by a record 78 million people in 2020. A recent university study found that spending by State Parks and its visitors supports $5 billion in output and sales, 54,000 private-sector jobs and more than $2.8 billion in additional state GDP. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit parks.ny.gov, connect on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.