Main Street Historic District
Why it's listed
Along the northern end of Main Street in Roxbury, a hamlet in the upper Catskills, a group of 49 properties forms a well-preserved nineteenth and early twentieth century streetscape. The district holds 86 contributing buildings, mostly frame houses on large lots with deep setbacks, set along a wide street with a uniform tree line, granite curbstones and bluestone sidewalks. Greek Revival and Italianate houses predominate, many later given Classical Revival porches and cornices. The ends of the district are anchored by a rural cemetery, the 1826 Frisbee house, an 1858 Greek Revival Methodist church, the English Gothic Gould Memorial Church with Tiffany windows, and a 1939 Tudor Revival school. Growth followed the 1872 arrival of the Ulster and Delaware Railroad, which moved commerce to the crossroads south of the district and left Main Street largely residential. Residents have kept the historic landscape, including the curbstones when the state highway was resurfaced.
Significance in brief: The district keeps an intact streetscape of Greek Revival, Italianate and later revival houses, with prominent civic and religious buildings such as the Gould Memorial Church and a Tudor Revival school. Its tree-lined street, granite curbs and bluestone sidewalks preserve a 19th and early 20th century setting. Its history is tied to the 1872 arrival of the Ulster and Delaware Railroad, which spurred growth and made the area residential.
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 88000111, listed February 29, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Main St., Roxbury |
|---|---|
| County | Delaware County |
| Listed | February 29, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88000111 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Stick, Gothic, Tudor Revival and Classical Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as retaining most of its original appearance, with most alterations dating from within the period of significance; the properties are occupied. |
| Acreage | 50 |
| Within district | Roxbury Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.28919, -74.56216 (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).
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 88000111.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14706875
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.