Madison Square-West Main Street Historic District
Also known as: See Also:Anthony, Susan B., House
Why it's listed
Madison Square/West Main Street Historic District covers about 22 acres just west of downtown Rochester, New York. It takes in a stretch of West Main Street and the blocks north of it, where homes, shops and factories were built side by side beginning in the 1830s. Most of the 101 contributing buildings are modest frame or brick houses in Greek Revival, Italianate and Queen Anne styles, arranged around Susan B. Anthony Square, a park whose curved walks and silver maples follow a 1904 design by the Olmsted Brothers. The Susan B. Anthony House on Madison Street is among the buildings. Along Canal and Litchfield Streets stands the former James Cunningham, Son and Company carriage works, described as the largest surviving late-nineteenth century carriage manufacturing complex in the city; one of its buildings was designed by Harvey Ellis. A row of commercial buildings on West Main Street completes the mix. The district was listed because it preserves this combined residential, commercial and industrial pattern.
Significance in brief: The district is argued to be a distinctive, intact example of a nineteenth-century mixed-use neighborhood combining homes, shops and factories in a small, dense area. It contains the largest surviving late-nineteenth century carriage manufacturing complex in the city, built by the James Cunningham, Son and Company. It also includes Susan B. Anthony Square, a park with a 1904 landscape design from the Olmsted Brothers firm, and the Susan B. Anthony House.
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 88002382, listed November 3, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Silver, Canal, W. Main and Madison Sts., Rochester |
|---|---|
| County | Monroe County |
| Listed | November 3, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002382 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Harvey Ellis (designer of the c. 1899 Cunningham industrial building at 7 Canal Street); Olmsted Brothers (1904 park landscaping) |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Second Empire, Romanesque, Colonial Revival and American Four Square, mostly vernacular |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Contains 101 contributing buildings, two contributing sites and eight non-contributing buildings; the form notes some vacant lots near the park. |
| Acreage | 22.3 |
| Within district | Maplewood Historic District |
| Coordinates | 43.15406, -77.62647 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 88002382.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6728086
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.