Market Street Historic District

Market Street in downtown Corning, New York, between Chestnut and Wall Streets, forms a four-block commercial district of about 130 buildings. Most date from around 1900, though some go back to 1830. Two- and three-story brick buildings predominate, distinguished by terra cotta, moulded brick, cast iron and cast stone, with ornate window pediments and corbelled cornices. A few simple wooden buildings remain among them. Notable structures include the 1859 Cain's-Brown's Store, Hyat's Mill of 1879, the 1892-93 First Bank Building, Bain's Furniture Store of 1887, and the 1892 Richardsonian Romanesque City Hall. The district's character grew from the Chemung Canal, the 1839 railroad and the arrival of the glass industry. After fires in 1856, merchants rebuilt in brick and stone, using products of the Corning Brick and Terra Cotta Works. Upper floors are largely intact, though many storefronts have been altered. A downtown restoration effort aims to recapture the area's architecture as an active commercial street.