{"nrhp_refnum":"00000487","name":"Knickerbocker Press Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"50-52 Webster Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New Rochelle","county":"Westchester County","state":"NY","lat":40.904849486000046,"lon":-73.79084817599994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2000-05-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Industry"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A large red brick former book-printing plant at 50-52 Webster Avenue, New Rochelle, Westchester County, New York, built in stages beginning c. 1891-92 and expanded around 1914. It has five connected sections and Dutch Revival and Romanesque Revival details.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is a distinctive example of a Dutch Colonial Revival industrial building in Westchester County, marked by stepped gable parapets. It is also significant for industry, as the manufacturing plant of the publishing firm G.P. Putnam's Sons from c. 1891 until c. 1934.","narrative":"Brick factory buildings with stepped gable parapets and a central stair tower make up this former printing plant on Webster Avenue in New Rochelle, New York. The main block was built around 1891-92 for the Knickerbocker Press, the manufacturing arm of the publisher G.P. Putnam's Sons. Later sections were added, including a 2-story ell and, around 1914, a gable-front building, a warehouse and a stair tower with Romanesque Revival brickwork. A 1950-51 addition came after the period of significance. The site was chosen for its railroad access after a 1887 typographers' strike pushed publishers to move printing out of New York City. The plant ran until about 1934. Its Dutch Revival styling echoes the Knickerbocker name, probably a tribute to author Washington Irving. The architect is unknown. Today the buildings hold residential lofts and artists' studios, and the historic open industrial interiors are largely retained. It is recognized for its architecture and its link to American publishing.","period_of_significance":"c. 1891-c. 1934","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Colonial Revival (Dutch Colonial Revival)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Buildings A through D were rehabilitated into residential lofts; Building E, under separate ownership, was earlier rehabilitated into offices and artists' lofts. No printing equipment survives.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:50.543813-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/00000487.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00000487/3c7af4928e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00000487/3c7af4928e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"ALT55-VictorM","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Knickerbocker_Press_Building,_50-52_Webster_Ave.,_New_Rochelle.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">ALT55-VictorM</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Knickerbocker_Press_Building,_50-52_Webster_Ave.,_New_Rochelle.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75323081","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knickerbocker_Building_(New_Rochelle,_New_York)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6422047"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/westchester-county/knickerbocker-press-building-00000487/"}