Union Station
Why it's listed
Near Chatham in Columbia County, New York, a low stone railroad station sits where State Routes 66 and 295 meet. Opened in 1887 for the Boston and Albany Railroad, it is a one-story rectangle with thick stone walls and a massive slate roof. A bellcast hip roof overhangs all sides on bracketed wooden posts and extends along the tracks to form a covered waiting platform. Four dormers, a brick chimney, dark stone lintels and quoins, and a five-bay operator's window on the trackside facade complete the exterior. Inside, the building was originally divided into separate men's and women's waiting rooms. The station was designed by Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge, the firm formed by three of H. H. Richardson's followers after his death in 1886. It echoes Richardson's depots at Auburndale and Holyoke, Massachusetts, and reflects his view that a station should read as a shelter dominated by its roof. It marks the shift from Richardson's practice to the new firm's own work. When described, it was still railroad-used but faced abandonment.
Significance in brief: The station is held up as a fine example of Richardsonian design applied to a rural rail depot. It was designed by Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge, the firm formed by three of H. H. Richardson's followers after his death, and was one of the firm's early works. It represents the transition between Richardson's office and the firm's later independent development.
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 74001225, listed May 1, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | NY 66 at intersection with NY 295, Chatham |
|---|---|
| County | Columbia County |
| Listed | May 1, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74001225 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (specific date 1887) |
| Architect / builder | Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge |
| Architectural style | Richardsonian |
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as still used by the railroad, but facing abandonment and in need of preservation work; condition marked good and unaltered. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.36175, -73.59762 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 74001225.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7886065
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.