Morgan Cottage
Why it's listed
Morgan Cottage, at 100 Park Avenue in Saranac Lake, is a one and one-half story wood-frame house built around 1915-16 as a cure cottage for tuberculosis patients. Cobblestone walls rise to the base of the first-floor windows, with clapboard above, under a broad gable roof with deep eaves. An inset front veranda and an octagonal cure porch, large enough for sleeping, reflect the needs of patients taking the outdoor cure. Inside, a call bell system links every room and porch to a console in the kitchen, and original wainscoting, moldings and red fir floors survive. Local architects Scopes & Feustmann, themselves former patients, designed it in 1915, and the stonework is attributed to Pietro Tanzini. Contractor John J. O'Connell built it as an investment and sold it in 1916. Early occupants included a Canadian composer who died of tuberculosis in 1917, and later tenants likely included other patients. It is listed as a well-preserved example of Saranac Lake cure cottage design.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the cottage is an intact, representative example of the cure cottages built in Saranac Lake in the early twentieth century, when the village was growing quickly. Its octagonal cure porches and inset veranda show how architecture was adapted to the needs of tuberculosis patients. It was designed by local architects Scopes & Feustmann, with cobblestone work attributed to mason Pietro Tanzini.
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 92001426, listed November 6, 1992. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 100 Park Ave., Saranac Lake |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | November 6, 1992 |
| Reference number | 92001426 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca.1916 - 1940 |
| Architect / builder | Scopes & Feustmann (architects); cobblestone masonry attributed to Pietro Tanzini |
| Architectural style | Bungalow/Craftsman |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Health/Medicine, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently used as a single dwelling; the form says the building retains a high degree of architectural integrity and its interior detailing is in excellent condition. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Cottage Row Historic District |
| Coordinates | 44.33295, -74.12963 (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 92001426.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6911613
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.