Schrader-Griswold Cottage
Why it's listed
Overlooking Riverside Drive and Lake Flower in Saranac Lake, this two-and-one-half story wood-frame house was built around 1905-1906 as a cure cottage. William Schrader, who came from Rochester and kept an architectural office on Main Street, reportedly designed and built it as his own residence. Later, the Griswolds operated it as a commercial private sanatorium. The house is Queen Anne inspired, with clapboard walls, shingled gable ends, embossed metal shingle roofing and an asymmetrical arrangement of paired one-over-one windows. A two-story cure porch dominates the front, and a one-story veranda wraps the east and north sides. Such porches gave tuberculosis patients on bedrest outdoor sleeping space with direct access to their bedrooms. Inside, the original Georgia pine woodwork and flooring remain. Renovations in the 1950s modernized the bathrooms and created a third-floor apartment. It was listed for its architectural value as an intact example of Saranac Lake's cure cottages, and a rear garage also contributes.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is architecturally significant as an intact example of Saranac Lake cure cottage design from the first quarter of the twentieth century. Its prominent two-story cure porches illustrate the outdoor sleeping porches used by tuberculosis patients on bedrest. It retains a high degree of integrity as a residence later converted to a commercial 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 92001432, listed November 6, 1992. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 49 Riverside Dr., Saranac Lake |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | November 6, 1992 |
| Reference number | 92001432 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca.1905-ca.1940 |
| Architect / builder | William Schrader reportedly designed and built it (the property report lists the architect as unknown) |
| 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 multiple dwellings; the third floor was converted to a separate apartment in the 1950s. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | New York Central Railroad Adirondack Division Historic District |
| Coordinates | 44.32160, -74.12779 (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 92001432.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7432787
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.