{"nrhp_refnum":"94000332","name":"Soldiers' Memorial Tower","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Owens Rd. N of Conrail RR tracks","address_restricted":false,"city":"Brockport","county":"Monroe County","state":"NY","lat":43.20802113700006,"lon":-77.91833815499996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1994-04-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 52-foot cylindrical Medina sandstone memorial tower on Owens Road in the town of Sweden, near Brockport, Monroe County, New York, erected in 1894 to commemorate local Civil War dead.","why_significant":"The tower is significant under Criterion C in architecture as a representative example of a commemorative monument in Brockport. Its Gothic-inspired, castle-like design reflects period ideas about remembering war dead. It also served as a recreational lookout and local gathering place. It still retains its location, design, materials, feeling and association despite severe deterioration.","narrative":"Rising 52 feet on a hilltop off Owens Road in the town of Sweden, this round tower of cut Medina sandstone was raised in 1894 as a memorial to the area's Civil War dead. Brooklyn architect Clarence Birdsell designed it in a medieval, Gothic-inspired style with pointed-arched openings, buttresses and a corbelled belvedere, apparently modeled on a monument in Albion. Local veterans of Cady Post, G.A.R., pushed for the memorial, and the money came from public subscription. A cemetery association donated the site, and veterans were buried nearby. The tower also worked as an observation point and drew excursion crowds by rail. Most graves were moved around 1910 to 1913, and neglect, fire and vandalism followed. Today it is a ruin, with its roof and stair gone and part of the belvedere fallen. It is recognized for its architecture as a commemorative monument, since enough of its original design and materials survive. A local group hopes to restore it.","period_of_significance":"1894-c1910","architect_builder":"Clarence Birdsell, architect","architectural_style":"Late Gothic Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Severely deteriorated and ruinous: the roof is gone, about half the belvedere has fallen, and the interior stair was removed. A local group is working toward restoration.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:50.983907-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/94000332.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94000332/2e76833e7c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94000332/2e76833e7c-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Granddilulsion","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Soldiers%27_Memorial_Tower_in_Winter.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Granddilulsion</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Soldiers%27_Memorial_Tower_in_Winter.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75318938","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soldiers%27_Memorial_Tower","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7557361"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/monroe-county/soldiers-memorial-tower-94000332/"}