Ellicottville Historic District
Why it's listed
Ellicottville Historic District covers the core of a village in western New York laid out around 1817 on a planned grid. Two main streets, Washington and Jefferson, cross at a public square, where the county courthouse, clerk's office, school and St. John's Episcopal Church were originally sited. The district includes the commercial blocks along Washington and Monroe Streets, largely rebuilt in brick after an 1890 fire, along with a civic zone on Jefferson Street and a residential zone on West Washington Street. Buildings range from Federal-style houses and a stepped-gable courthouse to Gothic Revival, Italianate and Queen Anne structures, and the "Brick Block" of 1852-3 has an iron storefront and cornice. A 1990 village survey set the boundaries to include buildings that retain integrity from c1817 to 1935. The district was listed because it preserves the village plan and the civic, commercial, religious, educational and residential architecture of that period.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | c1817-1935 |
|---|---|
| Styles | Early Republic (Early Classical), Mid-19th Century (Greek Revival and other), Late Victorian (Italianate, Queen Anne), Federal, Gothic Revival |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Acreage | 31 |
| Boundary source | NPS cultural-resource GIS polygon |
| Full listing page | Ellicottville Historic District (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.