McBean Cottage
Why it's listed
Located at 89 Park Avenue in Saranac Lake, this two and one-half story wood frame house was built between 1915 and 1925 on a landscaped lot between two historic districts. It combines Colonial Revival form with Craftsman details such as flared eaves, wide overhangs and exposed rafters. It has a fieldstone foundation, a cobblestone chimney, wood shingle cladding and a hipped roof with broad dormers. Enclosed two-story side porches were used for the outdoor cure of tuberculosis patients, and they remain the clearest sign of the building's origin as a cure cottage. The house operated as a private commercial sanatorium, though it was not registered with the local TB Society. Mrs. A. S. McBean advertised it after 1930 as "The House With A Garden," and rooms were later rented to nurses working at Trudeau Sanatorium. It was listed for its architectural significance and its link to health and medicine, and it retains a high degree of integrity in design, materials, setting and association.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an intact, representative example of twentieth-century residential architecture built and used to house tuberculosis patients during Saranac Lake's boom period of curing activity. Its original cure porches are fully integrated into the design and retain a high degree of integrity. It operated as a private commercial sanatorium, and rooms were later rented to nurses from nearby Trudeau Sanatorium.
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 92001425, listed November 6, 1992. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 89 Park Ave., Saranac Lake |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | November 6, 1992 |
| Reference number | 92001425 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca.1920-ca.1940 |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival with Craftsman details |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Health/Medicine, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Historic function was single dwelling; current function is listed as multiple dwelling. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | New York Central Railroad Adirondack Division Historic District |
| Coordinates | 44.33242, -74.13039 (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 92001425.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14706915
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.