Entranceway at Main Street at Darwin Drive
Why it's listed
Marking the entrance to the Audubon Terrace South subdivision, this entranceway on Main Street at Darwin Drive in Amherst, New York, dates to about 1927. It consists of quarry-faced random ashlar stone posts with cast concrete caps, low curving stone walls, and a wrought iron trellis arch spanning the sidewalk along Darwin Drive. Metal and glass lamps top the posts and the arch. Nearby stands a painted metal street sign post with a cut-metal silhouette of a scholar at a desk, tied to the street's naturalist name. Developer Charles S. Burkhardt built the entrance for a subdivision of 585 lots. Such entrances were used as marketing tools, imitating country estates to attract upper-middle-class buyers leaving Buffalo. The entranceway is valued as a surviving example of how developers turned rural land into suburban neighborhoods, and for its design and workmanship. It remains in fair condition and still serves its original purpose.
Significance in brief: It is argued to be an intact and relatively rare early twentieth-century subdivision entranceway tied to the growth of Amherst from a rural town into a residential suburb of Buffalo. It also reflects the national trend of suburbanization and the use of street furniture to market upper-middle-class subdivisions. It is considered significant under Criteria A and C.
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 09000554, listed July 23, 2009. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Main St. at Darwin Dr., Amherst |
|---|---|
| County | Erie County |
| Listed | July 23, 2009 |
| Reference number | 09000554 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | c.1927 |
| Architect / builder | Charles Buckhardt, Developer (builder/developer Charles S. Burkhardt; possibly designed by James W. Kideney) |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development, Landscape Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The entranceway is described as in fair condition, with historic integrity, and still marks the vehicle and pedestrian entrance to the subdivision. The stone coping is presumably missing. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.96358, -78.77806 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 09000554.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5380677
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.