Gray, E. L., House
Why it's listed
Built between about 1911 and 1913 on Helen Hill in Saranac Lake, this two and one-half story house was designed by the architects Scopes and Feustmann for local merchant Earl Lenier Gray and his wife Beatrice, who suffered from tuberculosis. It is a representative cure cottage, a building type common in the village during the era when outdoor treatment of the disease drew patients there. Its features include a first-floor sitting porch, an upstairs cure porch large enough to turn a patient's bed, many six-over-one windows, wide doors without high sills, a dumbwaiter and a call annunciator in the kitchen. Inside, Craftsman-style beamed ceilings, light fixtures and a fieldstone fireplace survive. In 1925 the house was sold to three women who ran it as a rooming cottage for tuberculosis patients. It retains its original form, materials and setting, and its significance rests on its architecture and its link to health and medicine.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a representative example of cure cottage design, with sleeping and sitting-out porches, many ventilating windows, wide doors and a call bell system. It was built for a merchant and his consumptive wife, and later served as a rooming cottage for tuberculosis patients. It remains virtually intact.
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 92001469, 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 Helen St., Saranac Lake |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | November 6, 1992 |
| Reference number | 92001469 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1911 - c.1940 |
| Architect / builder | Scopes and Feustmann |
| Architectural style | Shingle style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Health/Medicine, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as a single dwelling in current use; the form says it remains virtually intact with no later additions. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | New York Central Railroad Adirondack Division Historic District |
| Coordinates | 44.32628, -74.12760 (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 92001469.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5322008
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.