Clifton Park Hotel
Why it's listed
Sitting at a crossroads on the line between the towns of Clifton Park and Halfmoon, this two-story clapboard hotel began in the 1820s as a tavern stand on the Waterford turnpike. Ephraim Stevens, the first elected supervisor of Clifton Park, is named as its founder, and the hamlet around it became known as Stevens's Corners. The building grew in stages, probably from several earlier structures, and gained its defining feature around 1840: a massive two-story portico with Tuscan columns in the Greek Revival manner. Later in the century it served as a courthouse, jail, meeting hall and polling place, and a dance hall was added in the late 1890s. In the early automobile era it operated as a roadhouse with a restaurant, bar and dance hall until it closed in the late 1970s. Left vacant, it deteriorated, and the collapsed rear wings were removed in 1998. It retains much of its historic character and is regarded as a rare local example of its type.
Significance in brief: The hotel is significant as a rare, substantially intact stagecoach-era tavern tied to the turnpike-era development of southern Saratoga County. It later served as a community gathering place and as an early automobile-era roadhouse. It is also a surviving example of vernacular Greek Revival commercial architecture, notably for its massive two-story portico added about 1840.
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 98000705, listed June 18, 1998. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Old NY 146 and US 9, Clifton Park and Halfmoon |
|---|---|
| County | Saratoga County |
| Listed | June 18, 1998 |
| Reference number | 98000705 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1821-1900 |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century/Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Vacant and deteriorated; the commercial use ended in the late 1970s, and the collapsed rear dance hall wing was removed in 1998. |
| Acreage | 1.1 |
| Coordinates | 42.86582, -73.77036 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 98000705.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5133290
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.