Rochester, NY According to Governor Andrew Cuomo, 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 first school to offer special education within the city of Buffalo school system, to an Elmira public housing complex named after an Underground Railroad figure.
“New York’s history is this country’s history, and with the nomination of these landmarks and sites we will help ensure these parts of this state’s rich heritage are maintained and preserved for generations to come,” governor Cuomo said. “Listing these assets on the State and National Registers of Historic Places will pay homage to historic figures and events that helped shape New York into the great state it is today, while advancing efforts to support heritage tourism statewide.”
Rose Harvey, commissioner of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation said, “I congratulate the property owners for winning this notable distinction. It is an important step in embracing historic preservation as a tool to create jobs, promote tourism, expand housing and encourage private investment, all while preserving natural resources.”
State and National Registers listings can assist property owners in revitalizing buildings, making 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 credits administered by the State Historic Preservation Office, developers invested $550 million statewide in 2015 to revitalize properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places, while homeowners invested more than $12 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.
Once the recommendations are approved by the state historic preservation officer, 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 are available on the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation website.
Local properties involved in this recommendation are:
• East Main St. Historic District, Rochester – The intact downtown neighborhood contains a mix of buildings that together illustrate the growth and development of the city’s east side historic commercial and retail center from the oldest buildings to the construction of the Chase Tower in 1973.
• Le Roy Downtown Historic District, LeRoy – The highly intact collection of residential and commercial buildings, built between 1811 and 1963 along the primary traffic artery through Le Roy, demonstrates its growth from frontier settlement to a bustling community at the turn of the 20th century.
• The Terminal Building, Rochester – Built 1924-26 as the first building to front Broad St., the office building is an embodiment of the growth and transformation of downtown in the 1920s, after the Erie Canal aqueduct was transformed into an automobile and subway conduit.
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