American Hotel
Why it's listed
Built between about 1847 and 1851, the American Hotel is a large, rectangular, 3 1/2 story wood building in the village of Sharon Springs, Schoharie County, New York. It has a two-story recessed porch with eight columns topped by Doric-inspired capitals, a boxed cornice that returns to form pediments at each end, beveled siding and six-over-six windows. The hotel was built to serve visitors who came for the mineral-sulphur springs, at a time when affluent city families summered in rural resort communities. Improved turnpikes had made travel to the area easier. Resort popularity declined late in the century as railroads favored competing areas and faith in the springs' cures waned. The hotel is regarded as one of the last grand Greek Revival resort hotels in the county. At the time of listing it stood vacant, its porch badly deteriorated, while a local restoration group worked to revive the village.
Significance in brief: It is one of the last surviving grand Greek Revival resort hotels in Schoharie County and the chief reminder of Sharon Springs' 19th-century health resort era. Its grounds retain remnants of gardens and ponds that gave the resort a picturesque setting. It is one of only a few such mid-19th-century hotels still standing in the county.
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 75001228, listed September 9, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Main St., Sharon Springs |
|---|---|
| County | Schoharie County |
| Listed | September 9, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75001228 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca 1847-51 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Health/Medicine, Entertainment/Recreation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as vacant and empty, with a badly deteriorated porch and overgrown grounds; a local restoration corporation formed in 1973 targeted it for revitalization. |
| Acreage | 9 |
| Within district | Sharon Springs Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.79357, -74.61711 (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 75001228.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4744021
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.