Lockport Industrial District
Also known as: Double Flights of Locks and Lockport Hydraulic Co. District
Why it's listed
Along the north side of the Erie Canal in Lockport, this 20-acre district brings together the canal's famous double flight of locks and the remains of the industries that grew up beside them. The original ten combined locks of 1825 lifted boats sixty feet over the Niagara escarpment. The 1859 northern flight of five masonry locks survives, though its gates are gone, while two concrete lift locks from 1909-18 now carry traffic. A hydraulic raceway tunnel, cut through solid rock beginning in 1856, once supplied water power to mills along the canal. Those mills included the Holly Manufacturing Company, founded by inventor Birdsill Holly, which made pumps, sewing machines, boxes and ironware. Most of the factories were abandoned or burned by 1909, leaving ruins and foundations plus the stone Bickford Box building. The district was listed for showing how canal transportation and water power built Lockport's economy during the nineteenth century.
Significance in brief: Lockport owes its existence to the Erie Canal locks and grew through water power drawn from the canal's bypass water. The district shows how the canal and the Lockport Hydraulic Company raceway fed flour, paper and manufacturing industries, including the Holly Manufacturing Company founded by inventor Birdsill Holly. The locks were also the only place on the canal with separate eastbound and westbound flights.
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 75001211, listed November 11, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Bounded roughly by Erie Canal, Gooding, Clinton, and Water Sts., Lockport |
|---|---|
| County | Niagara County |
| Listed | November 11, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75001211 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Nathan Roberts (lock plan) |
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Locks partly in use (the 1909-18 lift locks); the 1859 flight's gates are removed, the raceway no longer carries water, and most mill structures are ruins. The Bickford Box building survives. The eastern end is privately owned, with city acquisition for a park planned. |
| Acreage | 20 |
| Coordinates | 43.17335, -78.69164 (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 75001211.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6665745
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.