{"nrhp_refnum":"80002754","name":"Office of the Register","other_names":["Jamaica Arts Center"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"161--04 Jamaica Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Queens","state":"NY","lat":40.70373374700006,"lon":-73.79882491899997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-01-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story limestone-faced building at 161-04 Jamaica Avenue in the Jamaica section of Queens, New York, built between 1895 and 1913 in the neo-Italian Renaissance style. It served as the Office of the Register until 1974 and is now the Jamaica Arts Center.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the finest neo-Italian Renaissance building in Queens, adding dignity, elegance and prestige to Jamaica Avenue. It formerly served an important government function, as the Office of the Register of Deeds, and now plays a vital role in the community's cultural life.","narrative":"Located on Jamaica Avenue, the main business street of the Jamaica section of southeast Queens, this three-story building is faced in limestone and designed in the neo-Italian Renaissance style. It was built between 1895 and 1913 and served as the Office of the Register of Deeds until 1974. The first floor has deeply rusticated stone and recessed windows, with a central round-arch doorway framed by engaged columns and a Doric entablature. Smooth ashlar covers the upper floors, where seven round-arched second-floor windows with scroll keystones contrast with the heavy base. A bracketed cornice with egg-and-dart molding and dentils crowns the facade. A five-story rear addition dates from 1938. The building is now the Jamaica Arts Center, with galleries, classrooms and studios, and it also houses local arts and development organizations. It was listed as the finest neo-Italian Renaissance building in Queens and for its role in civic and cultural life.","period_of_significance":"1895-1913","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Neo-Italian Renaissance","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied; used as the Jamaica Arts Center, with gallery space on the first floor, classrooms and studios above, and offices in a 1938 rear addition. Condition is rated good.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.37449-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/80002754.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75321123","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_the_Register","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7079407"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/queens/office-of-the-register-80002754/"}