St. Ann's Federation Building
Why it's listed
Rising four stories above Broadway in Hornell, New York, this brick building was erected between 1910 and 1912 for St. Ann's Catholic parish. Architect Otis Dockstader designed it in the Neoclassical style, with a steel frame, red and yellow brick, cut granite details, Doric and Corinthian order elements and a pressed metal cornice. Inside, a two-story auditorium and dance hall with a curved oak-trimmed balcony sits above ground-floor shops, with offices on the upper floors. It was dedicated in February 1912 before nearly eighteen hundred people and became a center for plays, meetings and school events. The building appears to have been the first in Hornell to use fireproof construction combining reinforced concrete with steel framing. It also reflects the city's early twentieth century growth, driven by the Erie Railroad and a growing immigrant parish. The upper floors are now vacant, and restoration work has begun on the cornice.
Significance in brief: The building is argued to be a distinctive example of early twentieth century Neoclassical design and one of the first fireproof steel-frame buildings in Hornell (Criterion C). It also reflects Hornell's growth as an Erie Railroad hub and the expansion of St. Ann's parish (Criterion A).
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 01000552, listed May 29, 2001. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 38 Broadway, Hornell |
|---|---|
| County | Steuben County |
| Listed | May 29, 2001 |
| Reference number | 01000552 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1910-1949 |
| Architect / builder | Dockstader, Otis; architect; Keenan, John; contractor |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Classical Revival (Neoclassical) |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The upper stories have been vacant for some time, and efforts to restore the building continue. One-third of the cornice has been restored, and the ground floor has commercial use. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.32587, -77.66031 (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 01000552.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7586968
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.