Owego Central Historic District

Owego's central historic district covers roughly 90 buildings in the village center on the north bank of the Susquehanna River. Most are brick commercial blocks, typically three stories and three bays wide, with shops at street level and offices or apartments above. Many were rebuilt in Greek Revival and Italianate styles after a fire on September 27, 1849 destroyed the earlier wooden commercial area, and Front Street was rebuilt again after a later fire following the Civil War. Riverow, a nearly two-block group of shops along Front Street, is among the most important parts of the district. Several cast-iron storefronts survive, along with the elaborate corbelled brickwork for which Owego is known. Public buildings cluster near the Tioga County Courthouse and its park. They include the 1828 Federal-style Owego Academy, a Beaux-Arts County Clerk's Office, the 1911 Georgian Revival firehouse and the 1913 Beaux-Arts Owego National Bank. Together they document the village's commercial growth and its role as county seat.