Ames Cottage
Why it's listed
Located on a small corner lot at Church and River Streets in Saranac Lake, this two-and-one-half-story wood frame house was built around 1906 by local businessman William Ames. It has a cruciform plan with four gables off a central hipped roof, slate roofing in decorative bands, a stone rubble foundation, and a mix of Queen Anne and Shingle Style details. The Ames family sold it in late 1910 to Edward R. Young, an insurance man who had come to the village for his health and who added the second-story sleeping porch for his own use. The porch is glass-enclosed, large enough to turn a bed, and keeps its original wainscoting. The house reflects the vernacular cure cottages built as Saranac Lake grew into a tuberculosis treatment center. It was listed as an intact, representative example of that building type, with most original plaster walls and woodwork still in place and a high degree of integrity.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an intact, representative example of early twentieth-century residential construction in Saranac Lake adapted for tuberculosis curing during the village's growth as a cure center. It keeps a glass-enclosed second-story sleeping porch, original woodwork and plaster, and good integrity of setting, location, materials and design.
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 92001458, listed November 6, 1992. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 43 Church St., Saranac Lake |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | November 6, 1992 |
| Reference number | 92001458 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca.1906-ca.1940 |
| Architect / builder | William Ames (local businessman, builder circa 1906) |
| 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 religious; historic function was a single dwelling. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | New York Central Railroad Adirondack Division Historic District |
| Coordinates | 44.32465, -74.12749 (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 92001458.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4745865
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.