Cornwall Brothers' Store
Why it's listed
Cornwall Brothers' Store is a stone commercial building on Howell Place in Alexandria Bay, New York. Andrew Cornwall, Sr., and John Walton built it in 1866 of coursed rubble after an earlier wooden store burned. It first served the timber and wood-fuel trade for river steamers, then adapted to the growing summer resort economy of the Thousand Islands. Four Cornwall brothers took over in 1877, and in 1888 a twenty-foot addition with glass display windows was built on the street side, giving it a late Victorian false-front look. The store also sold steamship and railroad tickets and reportedly acted as a bank for island estate servants. The family's commercial strength carried into village politics, with several members serving as village president. The store outlasted the large resort hotels that once surrounded it. Its interiors were largely lost to fires and later uses, and it was unoccupied when nominated, with local interest in restoring it as a crafts center.
Significance in brief: The store was a commercial and social center of Alexandria Bay, serving first the timber and steamboat trade and later the Victorian summer resort economy. The Cornwall family used its economic power to gain political influence in the village. The building has outlasted the large resort hotels and other Gilded Era structures around it.
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 75001191, listed May 2, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 2 Howell Pl., Alexandria Bay |
|---|---|
| County | Jefferson County |
| Listed | May 2, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75001191 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899, 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Andrew Cornwall, Sr., and John Walton (built 1866); J. B. Reid (1888 addition) |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Transportation, Politics/Government, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as abandoned and unoccupied at the time of nomination; the village was interested in restoring it as a crafts center. Later uses included post office, immigration and customs offices, and Coast Guard offices. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 44.33805, -75.91952 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 75001191.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5171951
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.