Kennedy Cottage
Why it's listed
Kennedy Cottage is a large Queen Anne style house at 26 Shepard Street in Saranac Lake, built about 1897 on Helen Hill, one of the village's early residential subdivisions for prominent citizens and wealthy health seekers. It is two and one-half stories, with a three-story tower set at an angle on one corner, cedar shingle siding, a coursed rubble foundation and asphalt-shingled gabled roofs. Its four cure porches, including a glazed wrap-around porch at the front, reflect the outdoor treatment of tuberculosis. The house originally had no kitchen facilities. By 1924 it was a registered private sanatorium run as a boarding cottage by A.G. Kennedy, and the National Vaudeville Artists Philanthropic Association sent sponsored patients there before Will Rogers Hospital opened. It was listed as a representative cure cottage that retains its Queen Anne design, multiple porches and setting, with only minor late twentieth century changes.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a representative example of Saranac Lake cure cottage design and a good example of a large private sanatorium with a glass-enclosed veranda and numerous cure porches. It is also tied to the area's health and medicine history, including use as a registered private sanatorium in 1924. It retains a high degree of integrity.
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 92001437, listed November 6, 1992. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 26 Shepard St., Saranac Lake |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | November 6, 1992 |
| Reference number | 92001437 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c.1897-c.1930 |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Health/Medicine, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as single dwelling; historically it served as a multiple dwelling and sanatorium. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | New York Central Railroad Adirondack Division Historic District |
| Coordinates | 44.32698, -74.12621 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 92001437.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6389601
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.