Partridge Cottage
Why it's listed
Built in 1925 at 15 South Street in Saranac Lake, this three-story cottage was constructed as rental housing for people who came to the village to recover from tuberculosis. Each of its three floors holds a separate apartment with a nearly identical plan, and each has an enclosed cure porch about eight by ten feet. The porch doorways are forty-eight inches wide and have flat sills so beds could be rolled outside. The house has narrow clapboard and shingle siding, a metal roof with gables on all four sides, a gambrel end facing the street, and a veranda that extends into a porte-cochere. A two-room basement apartment is now vacant and may once have housed the owner. The cottage is recognized as a well-preserved example of the cure cottage type, which flourished in Saranac Lake between 1870 and 1930. It has undergone no significant alterations and keeps its original materials, design and association.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a fine example of an early twentieth century apartment house built and operated for tubercular patients. It has the windows, veranda and cure porches typical of Saranac Lake cure cottages. It has had no significant alterations and 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 92001440, 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 South St., Saranac Lake |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | November 6, 1992 |
| Reference number | 92001440 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1925-c.1940 |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Health/Medicine, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The two-room basement apartment is described as now vacant; the building is otherwise listed with a current multiple dwelling use. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Helen Hill Historic District |
| Coordinates | 44.32427, -74.12411 (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 92001440.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7140817
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.