GOVERNOR CUOMO ANNOUNCES STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION BOARD RECOMMENDS 18 NOMINATIONS FOR STATE AND NATIONAL REGISTERS OF HISTORIC PLACES
New York Continues to Lead the Way in Recognizing Varied History
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that the New York State Board for Historic Preservation has recommended adding 18 properties, resources and districts to the State and National Registers of Historic Places. The nominations reflect the striking diversity of New York State's history and range from the last New York City home of author and civil rights activist James Baldwin to the Adirondack farm that inspired noted artist Rockwell Kent.
State and National Registers listing 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. Since the Governor signed legislation to bolster the state's use of rehabilitation tax credits in 2013, the state and federal program has spurred billions of dollars in completed investments of historic commercial properties and tens of millions in owner-occupied historic homes.
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.
Capital Region
Ancramdale Historic District, Ancram: The rural crossroads hamlet is characterized by a collection of modest vernacular buildings that collectively portray the growth of this locale from the turn of the 19th century, when mining enterprises were initially established there, until the early 1950s, when the last buildings were constructed.
Bigelow-Finch-Fowler Farm, West Lebanon: The property's centerpiece is a commodious ca. 1830 brick house, known familiarly as "The Century." It was first settled in the late 18th century by New England pioneer Jabez Bigelow (1726-1808), whose family's presence accounted for the West Lebanon area being known historically by the name Bigelow Flats or Bigelow Hollow. The property is also significant for its later association with Warren Fowler, whose vision of regional telegraph and telephone service helped to reshape life in and around New Lebanon in the late nineteenth century