Marvin Cottage
Why it's listed
Built around 1900 at 15 Franklin Street in Saranac Lake, this two and one-half story wood frame bungalow sits in Helen Hill, one of the village's first residential subdivisions. A glass-enclosed veranda shelters the entrance, and a gabled cure-porch dormer with sliding glass windows rises above it. Sleeping porches with French doors open from the bedrooms, and the windows carry diamond-paned glass. The porches were built into the original structure, which suggests the house was designed as a cure cottage for tuberculosis patients. It operated as a registered private, non-nursing sanatorium, run as a boarding cottage by Mrs. Elizabeth B. Marvin. Saranac Lake's cure cottages were mostly built between 1870 and 1930, and glazed porches are their defining feature. The house is recognized for its health and medicine history and its architecture, and it keeps a high degree of integrity in setting, materials, design and association. It is still a single-family home.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a representative example of residential architecture adapted for use as a tuberculosis cure cottage. Its porches are part of the original structure, suggesting it was designed for that purpose. It operated as a registered private, non-nursing sanatorium and boarding cottage run by Mrs. Elizabeth B. Marvin.
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 92001461, listed November 6, 1992. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 15 Franklin St., Saranac Lake |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | November 6, 1992 |
| Reference number | 92001461 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1900-ca. 1940 |
| Architectural style | Craftsman/Bungalow |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Health/Medicine, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single dwelling; the nomination says it retains a high degree of architectural integrity. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | New York Central Railroad Adirondack Division Historic District |
| Coordinates | 44.32861, -74.12618 (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 92001461.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14706912
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.