{"nrhp_refnum":"71000552","name":"Weighlock Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"SE corner of Erie Blvd. E. and Montgomery St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Syracuse","county":"Onondaga County","state":"NY","lat":43.05065216000003,"lon":-76.15061962099998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1971-02-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Transportation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick building at the southeast corner of Erie Boulevard East and Montgomery Street in Syracuse, New York, built 1849-1850 as the Erie Canal weighlock where boats were weighed and tolls assessed.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it an unusual and very important structure in the history of the Erie Canal and of technology and engineering. It was the third toll and inspection facility at this site and the most substantial, built for the larger boats of mid-century. It retains its Greek Revival-style portico, and later additions are clearly distinguishable.","narrative":"Built in 1849-1850 at the southeast corner of Erie Boulevard East and Montgomery Street in Syracuse, this two-story brick building served the Erie Canal as a weighlock. Boats entered a lock, the water was drained, and each vessel settled onto a cradle connected to a scale so its weight could be recorded and tolls calculated on the cargo. It was the third toll and inspection facility at the site, replacing earlier structures from 1824 and 1834, and was sized for the larger boats of mid-century. Its architect is unknown, though carpenter Edward Fuller and masons William D. Champlain and James Thorne started construction. The building has brick walls, pediments on all four sides, corbeled cornices and a portico of square piers with Greek Doric capitals. Tolls ended in 1883, but the building continued to house canal engineers and maintenance officials. The scales were removed in 1906, and state offices occupied it until 1957. It was listed for its importance to canal, engineering and technological history.","period_of_significance":"1849 - 1850","architect_builder":"Architect unknown; carpenter Edward Fuller and masons William D. Champlain and James Thorne began construction in 1849; weighing lock built by Kasson and Lewis","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Rated in fair condition and described as sound and generally complete except for the filled-in lock and removal of the weighing mechanisms and trusses; the form marks it as occupied and used as a museum. State Department of Public Works offices used it until 1957.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.378577-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/71000552.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/71000552/a52c96b971-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/71000552/a52c96b971-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Tiina Toomet","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ErieCanalMuseumSyracuse.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Tiina Toomet</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ErieCanalMuseumSyracuse.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75320477","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erie_Canal_Museum","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5388279"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/onondaga-county/weighlock-building-71000552/"}