Colbath Cottage
Why it's listed
Built around 1896 at 30 River Street in Saranac Lake, this two and one-half story wood frame house served as a private sanitarium for people seeking a tuberculosis cure. It is named for an early owner, H.B. Colbath, and was registered in the village in 1906 and later with the T.B. Society. The building shows Queen Anne influence in its mixed wall textures of clapboard and staggered-butt shingles, irregular roofline, bracketed cornice and multiple gables. Its defining feature is the set of cure porches: a large glass-enclosed wrap-around porch on the first floor and a porch for each of five second-floor bedrooms, many bedrooms having sinks in closets. Wide doors and many windows also supported ventilation. The house was listed for its architectural value as a well-preserved example of the cure cottages that characterize Saranac Lake, and it retains strong integrity of design, materials, setting and association. The nominated boundary covers only the cottage and its ground.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the cottage is an intact, representative example of a late nineteenth century residence converted into a private sanitarium for tuberculosis cures in the early twentieth century. It retains numerous cure porches, wide doors and many windows for ventilation, along with a high degree of architectural 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 92001433, listed November 6, 1992. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 30 River St., Saranac Lake |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | November 6, 1992 |
| Reference number | 92001433 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca.1896-ca.1930 |
| Architectural style | Late 19th & 20th Century Revivals: Colonial Revival/Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Health/Medicine, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Historic and current function is listed as a single dwelling; the west porch is boarded over and the second-floor east porch has been converted into two rooms. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Church Street Historic District |
| Coordinates | 44.32557, -74.12899 (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 92001433.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5141926
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.