{"nrhp_refnum":"03000031","name":"Clarkson Office Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"17 Maple St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Potsdam","county":"St. Lawrence County","state":"NY","lat":44.66780040400005,"lon":-74.98864178699995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-03-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, red Potsdam sandstone office building at 17 Maple Street on Fall Island in Potsdam, St. Lawrence County, New York, built in 1901 by the Clarkson family for their business enterprises.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is a highly intact example of turn-of-the-century commercial architecture that blends period styles to convey an Old World image of importance and stability. It is also a rare, well-preserved commercial building of red Potsdam sandstone in ashlar masonry, reflecting a local building tradition that was winding down by the end of the 19th century.","narrative":"Built in 1901, this two-story office building at 17 Maple Street in Potsdam, New York, was erected by the Clarkson sisters for their niece Annie Clarkson, who managed the family business. It sits on Fall Island in the Raquette River, in the village's central business district. Its walls are rugged ashlar blocks of dark red Potsdam sandstone from the family's own quarries, topped by a castellated parapet that gives it the look of a small fortress. Inside, the first floor keeps its oak wainscoting, sandstone fireplace, brick-lined vault and varnished staircase. The nomination finds it significant for architecture: a highly intact turn-of-the-century commercial building that mixes period styles to suggest stability, and a rare ashlar example in red sandstone. After 1925 it passed to Trinity Episcopal Church, which used it for offices and social gatherings, and it was sold to private owners in 1980. The first floor is now an office and the second floor an apartment.","period_of_significance":"1901","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Late Victorian/Romanesque","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Described as in excellent condition; the first floor is used as an office and the second floor as an apartment.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:52.688908-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/03000031.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03000031/318be82198-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03000031/318be82198-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Mwanner","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clarkson_Office_Building,_Potsdam,_New_York.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Mwanner</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:Clarkson_Office_Building,_Potsdam,_New_York.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75314662","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarkson_Office_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5127645"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/st-lawrence-county/clarkson-office-building-03000031/"}