Ellicottville Town Hall
Why it's listed
Ellicottville's town hall began in 1829 as the Cattaraugus County Court House, built after the county's first frame courthouse and jail burned. Made of light red-orange brick laid in common bond on a coursed limestone foundation, it is two stories tall with a stepped gable roof and a front elevation of three recessed panels topped by elliptical arches. It sits on the village square among other early buildings. Besides hearing cases, the court house hosted literary, agricultural, religious, temperance and anti-slavery meetings, and in 1845 militia and a cannon were posted on its lawn during the Dutch Hill War. After the county seat moved to Little Valley in 1868, the town bought the building for $1,000. It then served as an opera house, a meeting hall, school classrooms and offices. A 1969 fire destroyed much of the interior, and restoration aimed to return the exterior to its 1829 appearance.
Significance in brief: The building has been a community landmark for over 140 years and has served the political and social life of the town and county. It was a county court house, a meeting place for civic and reform groups, and the center of attention during the 1845 "Dutch Hill War" land disturbances. Later uses included an opera house, school classrooms and town offices.
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) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 73001166, listed April 3, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Village Sq., NW corner of Washington and Jefferson Sts., Ellicottville |
|---|---|
| County | Cattaraugus County |
| Listed | April 3, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73001166 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (specific date 1829) |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Damaged by fire in 1969; under restoration of the exterior to its 1829 appearance with a new interior, and to continue as the town hall. Condition listed as fair. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 42.27545, -78.67328 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 73001166.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5365318
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.