Hurd & Fitzgerald Building
Also known as: Hurd Sales Company
Why it's listed
Built in 1911 at 400 Main Street in Utica, this five-story brick building served as the headquarters and warehouse of the Hurd & Fitzgerald Company, jobbers in shoes and rubber goods. Architect Frederick H. Gouge designed it with load-bearing brick walls, a stone foundation and a flat roof. Tall brick piers rise the full height of the street facades, framing paired one-over-one windows, while a classically detailed round-arched entrance with paired Tuscan columns contrasts with the plain, utilitarian pattern elsewhere. The building reflects the commercial growth of Bagg's Square East, where nearby railroad yards, canals, trolleys and abundant electric power drew new businesses in the early 1900s. It also represents the later work of Gouge, a leading central New York architect with a fifty-year career. Shoe wholesaling continued here until 1991, and the building remains largely unaltered, though it is now listed as vacant.
Significance in brief: It is significant for commerce as a reflection of the early twentieth-century business boom in Bagg's Square East, driven by railroads, canals and electric power. It is also significant in architecture as a largely intact late commercial design by Utica architect Frederick H. Gouge, in the Commercial style.
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 93000500, listed June 25, 1993. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 400 Main St., Utica |
|---|---|
| County | Oneida County |
| Listed | June 25, 1993 |
| Reference number | 93000500 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1911 |
| Architect / builder | Gouge, Frederick H. (Architect) |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements/Commercial Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as vacant/not in use; shoe wholesaling continued in the building until 1991. The interior retains its original industrial function and appearance. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Within district | Bagg's Square East Historic District |
| Coordinates | 43.10341, -75.22302 (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 93000500.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5946398
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.