Pittenger Cottage
Why it's listed
Built around 1920 at 14 Forest Hill Avenue in Saranac Lake, this Craftsman/Bungalow-style house was designed as a cure cottage for people treated for tuberculosis. It sits on a small lot near Moody Pond, below Mt. Baker. The wood-clapboard house has a side-gabled asphalt roof, two front dormers and a glass-enclosed veranda across the main facade. A later two-story wing was added on the north side. Five cure porches survive, including a large second-floor porch where a bed could be turned, rear inset porches with six-over-one windows, and the front sitting-out porch. From about 1921 to 1932 it operated as a registered private sanatorium and boarding cottage under Mrs. A.C. Pittenger. It was listed for its architecture and its role in health and medicine. The cottage keeps a high degree of integrity in material, design, craftsmanship, setting and feeling, and it still serves as a dwelling.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a representative example of early twentieth-century residential architecture that built cure cottage features into its original design. It has several cure porches, wide doorways and many windows for ventilation. It also operated as a registered private sanatorium and boarding cottage from about 1921 to 1932, and 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 92001460, listed November 6, 1992. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 14 Forest Hill Ave., Saranac Lake |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | November 6, 1992 |
| Reference number | 92001460 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c.1920-c.1932 |
| 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, with a second-floor apartment; retains a high degree of architectural integrity. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | New York Central Railroad Adirondack Division Historic District |
| Coordinates | 44.32866, -74.12167 (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 92001460.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7199111
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.