{"nrhp_refnum":"94000257","name":"West Main Street-West James Street Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly, along W. Main, W. James, Elm and Center Sts. and Taylor Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Richfield Springs","county":"Otsego County","state":"NY","lat":42.85382680950005,"lon":-74.98806471278849,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1994-03-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A historic district at the center of the village of Richfield Springs, Otsego County, New York, covering most of West Main Street and West James Street plus short stretches of Elm and Center Streets. It contains commercial, residential, school, library and church buildings dating from about 1830 to 1940.","why_significant":"The district is cited under Criterion A for its link to the social and economic development of Richfield Springs, which grew as a resort village. It is cited under Criterion C as a distinguished collection of nineteenth and early twentieth century commercial, residential, educational and religious architecture. Its buildings reflect the main phases of the village's evolution, from the turnpike and early spa period through the large resort and railroad era.","narrative":"Richfield Springs grew into a resort community in the nineteenth century, and this 24-acre district preserves its commercial, institutional and residential center along West Main Street and West James Street. Four large brick commercial blocks in Italianate and Queen Anne styles line the south side of Main Street, alongside earlier frame buildings in Greek Revival and Italianate styles. Other landmarks include the 1880 Gothic Revival St. John's Church by Henry Dudley, the 1910 public library by F. H. Gouge, and the 1938-1939 Colonial Revival Central School by Myron Jordan. West James Street offers a cross-section of village houses, from a circa 1830 plank-wall cottage to Stick and Shingle style residences of the 1870s and 1880s. Of 73 features, 61 contribute to the district's character. It was recognized for its role in the village's social and economic development and for its architecture, which reflects the turnpike and spa period, the resort and railroad era, and the early twentieth century, ca. 1830 to 1940.","period_of_significance":"ca. 1830-1940","architect_builder":"Dudley, Henry; Jordan, Myron A.; Gouge, Frederic H.","architectural_style":"Mid-19th century Greek Revival and Gothic Revival; Late Victorian Italianate, Queen Anne and Shingle Style; Beaux Arts and Colonial Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Many buildings remain in use as homes, shops, a school, a library and a church; the district has 61 contributing and 12 non-contributing resources.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:50.755652-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/94000257.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94000257/06b38213db-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94000257/06b38213db-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Doug Kerr from Albany, New York, United States","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_Main_Street-West_James_Street_Historic_District_Richfield_Springs_NY_Oct_09.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Doug Kerr from Albany, New York, United States</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_Main_Street-West_James_Street_Historic_District_Richfield_Springs_NY_Oct_09.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75321006","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Main_Street%E2%80%93West_James_Street_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7985834"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/otsego-county/west-main-street-west-james-street-historic-district-94000257/"}