Cowles, W.T., House
Why it's listed
Built around 1897 for banker W.T. Cowles, this house at 43-47 William Street in Glens Falls is a 2½-story frame residence in a vernacular Queen Anne style. It rests on a rock-faced random ashlar foundation. The first story is clad in narrow clapboards and the upper story in wood shingles. A raised, covered porch with turned columns and a bracketed pediment spans the north front, and a slate-covered hipped roof is broken by gable and jerkin head dormers. The interior has since been divided into apartments. The house was designed by Ephraim B. Potter (1855-1925), one of the most prolific architects in Glens Falls during its period of greatest wealth and expansion. It reflects his transitional work, blending Queen Anne and Colonial Revival motifs within restrained, symmetrical forms. It is one of only five intact documented examples of that work in the city, and one of eighteen documented Potter buildings that survive there.
Significance in brief: The house is presented as an intact, representative example of the transitional Queen Anne/Colonial Revival residential designs of Glens Falls architect Ephraim B. Potter. It shows his maturing style through restrained, symmetrical forms, contrasting shingle and clapboard textures, and a raised, pedimented porch. It is one of only five intact documented examples of his transitional residential work in the city, and one of eighteen documented Potter works that remain intact there.
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 84003255, listed September 29, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 43-47 William St., Glens Falls |
|---|---|
| County | Warren County |
| Listed | September 29, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84003255 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Ephraim B. Potter, architect |
| Architectural style | Vernacular Queen Anne (transitional Queen Anne/Colonial Revival) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as fair; originally a single-family residence, now converted to multi-family apartments, with the porch balustrade replaced at an unknown date. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 43.31757, -73.64428 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 84003255.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7946005
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.