Union Street Historic District

Union Street Historic District covers both sides of lower Union Street in northeast Schenectady, climbing Union Street Hill from Broadway east toward University Place. About ninety structures line the street, nearly all dating from the 1850s to the early 1900s, with only four modern intrusions. Most buildings are detached, and those on the north side stand back at least twenty feet from the street. The area is mainly residential, with a small commercial center at the western end, and Union College forms the northern edge for a quarter mile. The buildings show a wide range of styles, including Greek Revival houses, an Italianate brick residence, a Second Empire mansion with a mansard roof, Queen Anne and Stick Style houses, a Chateauesque men's club, and Dutch Revival commercial blocks. Institutions include St. John's Roman Catholic Church, with a central tower 230 feet high, a former German Methodist church, a former police station and a boys' club. Together they preserve a cohesive streetscape of Schenectady's growth.