{"nrhp_refnum":"10000008","name":"Mt. Van Hoevenberg Olympic Bobsled Run","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"220 Bob Run Ln.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lake Placid","county":"Essex County","state":"NY","lat":44.21700308800007,"lon":-73.92556893091805,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2010-02-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation","Engineering"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-and-a-half-mile bobsled run on the north side of Mt. Van Hoevenberg, about eight miles east of Lake Placid in Essex County, New York, built between August and December 1930 for the 1932 Winter Olympics.","why_significant":"The nomination argues national significance through the run's association with the 1932 Winter Olympics, its role in the growth of bobsledding in the United States, and its status as a rare early example of bobsled run design and construction. It also ties the run to Lake Placid's development as a winter sports center.","narrative":"Carved out of forested mountainside east of Lake Placid, this one-and-a-half-mile bobsled run was built in 1930 for the 1932 Winter Olympics. Designed by German engineer Stanislaus Zentzytzki and built by local contractor Leo A. Malone under engineer Henry Homburger, it used earth for the straightaways and stone for twenty-two named curves. Water pipes buried underground supplied the spray that produced the icy surface. It was the first bobsled course built in the United States and longer, steeper and faster than European runs. Godfrey Dewey helped secure the Olympic bid, state funding and the site. American teams won two gold medals and one silver here in 1932, and the success sparked national interest in the sport. About 600 feet of track, including the Whiteface curve, was lost to a 1999 combined luge and bobsled track, but more than 90 percent of the run survives. The nominated resources are the run, its access road and the original steel water tank.","period_of_significance":"1930-1932","architect_builder":"Stanislaus Zentzysky, designer; Leo A. Malone, builder; Henry Homburger, engineer","architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Part of the run remains in use for public sledding. About 600 feet, including the Whiteface curve, was destroyed by a 1999 combined luge and bobsled track and is excluded from the nomination. The upper half-mile has been abandoned for competition but is intact.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:48.660259-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/10000008.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10000008/909197cb19-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10000008/909197cb19-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Ermentrude","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:File_BobsleighrunLP.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Ermentrude</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:File_BobsleighrunLP.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75317791","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mt._Van_Hoevenberg_Olympic_Bobsled_Run","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3389263"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/essex-county/mt-van-hoevenberg-olympic-bobsled-run-10000008/"}