Snyder Estate Natural Cement Historic District
Why it's listed
Near Rosendale in Ulster County, New York, this 275-acre district joins a family estate with the remains of four major natural cement operations: the Lawrence, Beach, Snyder and Century works. The estate includes the 1809 Jacob Lowe Snyder house, later called Century House, altered around 1940 by Kingston architect Edward Milliken, along with several later residences, barns and a Brooklyn Bridge-themed entry gate. The industrial side includes eight stone draw kilns dating to about 1830, mines, a tenement house and numerous ruins and archeological sites. Watson E. Lawrence developed continuous draw kilns here and supplied cement for projects such as the Croton Aqueduct and the Brooklyn Navy Yard dry dock. The Delaware and Hudson Canal supplied coal and carried the product to New York City. The nomination presents the district as the largest and most important source of natural cement in New York State in the nineteenth century, with cement production continuing until 1970.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues that this is the largest and most significant concentration of resources tied to the Rosendale natural cement industry between 1825 and World War II. The site was the largest and most important source of natural cement in New York State in the nineteenth century. Watson E. Lawrence's works here pioneered draw kilns and helped build the reputation of Rosendale cement. Little intrusive development has occurred since.
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 92000695, listed June 9, 1992. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | NY 213, 1/2 mi. W of Rosendale, Rosendale |
|---|---|
| County | Ulster County |
| Listed | June 9, 1992 |
| Reference number | 92000695 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Edward Milliken (Kingston architect, c1940 alterations and 1950 carriage house); A.J. Snyder I (builder of several residences and the barn); Watson E. Lawrence (cement works) |
| Architectural style | No style; Federal |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current functions listed include vacant, recreation/museum, domestic single dwelling and commerce/storage. The Snyder homestead is described as virtually intact and fully furnished with historic furnishings and family collections. |
| Acreage | 275 |
| Coordinates | 41.84835, -74.09469 (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 92000695.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7548894
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.