Scott, R. and W., Ice Company Powerhouse and Ice House Site
Why it's listed
On a peninsula along the Hudson River in Stuyvesant, the remains of the R. and W. Scott Ice Company complex preserve evidence of an industry that once lined the river. Robert and William Scott built the ice house and powerhouse in 1885. The ice house had twelve storage chambers and six elevators, and held more than 50,000 tons. A fire in the late 1930s destroyed the frame building and the powerhouse roof. What survives is a stone foundation measuring 300 by 200 feet, the four brick walls and an 85-foot chimney of the powerhouse, timber dock pilings and bulkhead cribbing. The powerhouse housed the steam engine that drove the elevators, and its walls and chimney carry elaborate brick banding, corbelling and diamond patterns. The site was recognized as the most intact ice industry site in the region, showing how these large riverside facilities were arranged and operated during the period when the Hudson supplied much of the nation's ice.
Significance in brief: It is described as the most intact interpretable site of the nineteenth-century Hudson River ice industry. Its foundations, powerhouse, bulkhead and dock remnants show the siting, scale and operation of the large ice houses once common on the upper Hudson. The powerhouse is also called an outstanding example of highly decorated brick construction.
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 85000337, listed February 21, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | River Rd., Stuyvesant |
|---|---|
| County | Columbia County |
| Listed | February 21, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85000337 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1885 |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Ruins and unused; the ice house and the powerhouse roof were destroyed by fire in the 1930s, leaving the stone foundations, the powerhouse walls and chimney, and dock and bulkhead remnants. |
| Acreage | 4 |
| Coordinates | 42.35780, -73.78908 (NPS GIS) |
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).
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 85000337.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7274130
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.