Wilson Cottage
Why it's listed
Set on a hilly lot on French Hill in Saranac Lake, this two-and-one-half story house was built before 1915 in the Queen Anne style. It has a gable front, a wrap-around porch with decorative corner brackets and bull's eye medallions, flared vergeboards, a stone rubble foundation, clapboard walls, shingled gable ends and a painted metal roof. A two-car garage stands to the north. The house began as a single-family residence and was later altered so that a tuberculosis patient could be cared for at home. The most visible change is the inset second-story cure porch above the partly enclosed first-floor porch, with drainage slots along its length. Saranac Lake became known as a center for outdoor tuberculosis treatment, and houses like this one were adapted for that purpose. The property is valued as a well-preserved example of both Queen Anne design and the cure cottage tradition, retaining its original detail, setting and materials.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an intact, representative example of Queen Anne residential architecture that was altered to allow tuberculosis curing at home. Its second-story cure porch and enclosed first-floor porches show this history. It is also a fine example of a cure cottage from Saranac Lake's first period of growth as a tuberculosis treatment center.
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 92001443, listed November 6, 1992. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 8 Williams St., Saranac Lake |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | November 6, 1992 |
| Reference number | 92001443 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c.1915-1940 |
| Architectural style | Late 19th & 20th Century Revivals: Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Health/Medicine, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed current function is single dwelling, with a secondary structure (garage); the form describes high integrity of design, materials and setting. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | New York Central Railroad Adirondack Division Historic District |
| Coordinates | 44.32832, -74.13597 (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 92001443.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8023024
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.