Bates-Englehardt Mansion
Also known as: St. Johnsville Community House
Why it's listed
Built in 1869 for James Bates, a wealthy cheese merchant, this three-story brick mansion at 19 Washington Street in St. Johnsville, New York, began as an Italianate house with a flat roof, cupola and elaborately carved brackets. Later owners changed it with the fashions of their day. William Peck took it over after Bates lost his fortune in 1875. Frederick Englehardt, a piano factory president, bought it in 1897 and added a Colonial Revival porch, a hipped tile roof, a third-floor ballroom, oak paneling and a shortened central hall. The Reaney family gave the house to the village in 1933 for use as a community house, and an auditorium was created in 1934. A police station was added in 1978, and the building now holds municipal offices. The house is recognized as a largely intact example of a large late Victorian village residence, with changes that record local prosperity from cheese and piano making between 1869 and 1934.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a distinctive, intact example of a large late Victorian village residence in the Mohawk Valley. It keeps Italianate features and later decorative changes from 1909 to 1934 that show shifting taste and local prosperity. Its owners, from a cheese merchant to a piano manufacturer, reflect the village's economic history.
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 89002091, listed December 7, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 19 Washington St., St. Johnsville |
|---|---|
| County | Montgomery County |
| Listed | December 7, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89002091 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1869-1934 |
| Architectural style | Italianate/Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as municipal offices (town hall), with a police station in the 1978 addition, an auditorium, and rooms furnished by a local DAR chapter. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Within district | St. Johnsville Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.99980, -74.67669 (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 89002091.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4868783
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.