{"nrhp_refnum":"83003906","name":"Near Westside Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly bounded by Chemung River, College Ave., 2nd and Hoffman Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Elmira","county":"Chemung County","state":"NY","lat":42.10381046100005,"lon":-76.81381941556988,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-12-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A largely residential historic district of about 77 acres and roughly 480 principal structures near the center of Elmira, Chemung County, New York, on the north side of the Chemung River. It developed over more than a century from the late 1790s.","why_significant":"The district is significant as a concentration of fine 19th and early 20th century architecture and for its link to Elmira's growth as a commercial and manufacturing center. Many styles are mixed on each street, from Federal and Greek Revival to Queen Anne and Colonial Revival. It was the city's largest and most prestigious residential area, home to merchants and industrialists as well as middle-class residents.","narrative":"Near Westside Historic District covers about 77 acres and some 480 principal buildings close to downtown Elmira, between the Chemung River and Second Street. Its streets follow a regular grid, with tree-lined blocks, deep lots and, in many places, original slate sidewalks. Water Street, which overlooks the river, holds the oldest houses and was part of the town of Wisnerberg, platted in 1795. As Elmira grew through canals, railroads, mills and Civil War contracts, merchants and industrialists built large houses on the broad avenues, while middle-class families built smaller homes on side streets. The result is a mix of Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Gothic Revival, Second Empire, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival buildings, along with a cemetery, churches, and a few commercial blocks. Four houses on Gray Street were built from dismantled prison camp officer barracks. Over eighty percent of the buildings predate 1914, and little has changed since the 1920s, though many houses have been subdivided.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899 and 1900-","architect_builder":"Various","architectural_style":"Various 19th and 20th century styles including Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Gothic Revival, Second Empire, Queen Anne, Neo-Tudor and Colonial Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Marked occupied and mostly in good condition; many large houses have been subdivided for multiple occupancy, and some have lost details or been altered. Fewer than 5% of structures are non-contributing or post-1920.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:43.21412-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/83003906.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83003906/8223a43063-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83003906/8223a43063-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Stilfehler","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Houses_on_Columbia_Street_Elmira_NY_01b.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Stilfehler</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Houses_on_Columbia_Street_Elmira_NY_01b.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75316830","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_Westside_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14707053"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/chemung-county/near-westside-historic-district-83003906/"}