Entranceway at Main Street at LeBrun Road
Why it's listed
Two symmetrical brick entrance structures flank LeBrun Road where it meets Main Street (Route 5) in Eggertsville, part of Amherst, New York. Each has a tall hexagonal brick post in stacked bond, topped with a cast concrete capital and a metal-and-glass lantern, plus a half-height curved wall ending in a lower matching post. They were built in the 1920s to mark Amherst Estates, an upscale subdivision laid out by Buffalo realtors R.W. Goode and G.H. Sickles, with 180 lots of one to five acres. Developers of the era used such gateways to suggest established country estates and to attract affluent buyers leaving Buffalo. The entranceway is cited as a relatively rare, intact example tied to the suburban growth of Amherst and to wider American suburbanization, and as part of a group of street furniture along Main Street. A central roadway feature has been removed, and the structures are in poor condition, but they still mark the subdivision entrance.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is an intact and relatively rare entranceway tied to the growth of rural Amherst into a residential suburb of Buffalo, and to the national trend of suburbanization. It also embodies the type of entranceway used by developers of the period as a marketing and planning feature, and it contributes to the landscape design of the Main Street corridor.
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 09000557, 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 LeBrun Rd., Amherst |
|---|---|
| County | Erie County |
| Listed | July 23, 2009 |
| Reference number | 09000557 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | c.1920 |
| Architect / builder | Goode & Sickels, Realtors |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development, Landscape Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in poor condition due to damage and lack of maintenance and repair, though it still serves its original function of marking the entrance to a residential subdivision. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.96620, -78.79748 (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 09000557.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5380680
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.