Market Street Historic District
Why it's listed
Market Square Historic District is a compact cluster of streets in Buffalo's Black Rock neighborhood, about four miles north of downtown. Its heart is a pair of grassy medians along Amherst Street, given to the community by Peter B. Porter in 1830 and used as an open public market. Around them stand two churches, a bank, a 1912 Craftsman firehouse now used as a home, and houses spanning roughly a century of building. Two of them, at 71 Amherst and 189-191 Dearborn, date to about 1830 and are among the oldest surviving homes in the Buffalo region. The district was developed as the Erie Canal, railroads and nearby industry fed a self-sufficient village center that stayed independent in spirit after joining Buffalo. It was recognized for its role in settlement and for its range of Federal, Italianate, Queen Anne, Craftsman, Gothic Revival and Romanesque architecture, preserved while surrounding blocks lost their integrity.
Significance in brief: The district is argued to be significant for its role in the settlement of Black Rock, which grew around the Erie Canal and a public market donated in 1830, and for its collection of architectural styles. It retains some of the oldest surviving Federal style houses in the Buffalo region, along with Italianate, Queen Anne, Craftsman, Gothic Revival and Romanesque buildings, in a neighborhood that lost much of its historic fabric in the later 20th century.
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 11000743, listed October 18, 2011. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Amherst St. between Niagara & Tonawanda Sts. & portions of Dearborn & East Sts., Buffalo |
|---|---|
| County | Erie County |
| Listed | October 18, 2011 |
| Reference number | 11000743 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1830 - 1912 |
| Architectural style | Early Republic/Federal; Late Victorian (Gothic, Italianate, Queen Anne, Romanesque); Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Craftsman |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Exploration/Settlement |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Buildings largely retain original materials and integrity; the firehouse has been converted to a residence, the bank is still a bank, and the market medians are now community parks. The 71 Amherst Street house was restored after being threatened with demolition. |
| Acreage | 1.8 |
| Coordinates | 42.93729, -78.90057 (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 11000743.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q22061007
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.