Three Squares Historic District (Boundary Increase and Decrease)
No coordinates published for this listing.
Why it's listed
Three Squares is the downtown commercial and civic core of Glens Falls, New York, covering 23 acres on a plateau above the Hudson River falls. Ninety-three buildings stand within it, mostly two to five story brick structures. Fires in 1864 and 1902 destroyed much of the earlier business district, so most buildings date from 1902 to 1930. The district takes its name from three focal points: Fountain Square, Union Square and Monument Square. City Park lies near its center. Glen Street carries the most ornate buildings, with terra-cotta detail, corbels, cornices and limestone veneer. Examples include the Italianate Cowles block, the Neoclassical Rogers Building, the Beaux-Arts Empire Theatre and the Neoclassical City Hall of 1900. Seventy-seven buildings contribute to the district's character. Sixteen others, mostly mid-twentieth century or heavily altered, do not. Urban renewal demolition in the 1960s cleared land that is left out of the boundaries. Storefronts above the first floor are largely intact, and the district retains strong integrity.
Significance in brief: The district is both the historic and the present commercial center of Glens Falls. Its brick commercial, office and institutional buildings, rebuilt after fires in 1864 and 1902, show late nineteenth and early twentieth century 'American Renaissance' styles. Seventy-seven of the ninety-three structures contribute, and the district keeps considerable integrity of design and materials.
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 100008374, listed November 15, 2022. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Broad, Maple, Pine, and Glen (US 9) Sts., Glens Falls |
|---|---|
| County | Warren County |
| Listed | November 15, 2022 |
| Reference number | 100008374 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Various, including Ephraim B. Potter, Marcus D. Reynolds, Fuller and Pitcher, S. Gifford Slocum, J.B. McElphattrick, Mobray and Offinger, and Charles Platt (Crandall Library) |
| Architectural style | American Renaissance movement styles: Italianate, Romanesque, Queen Anne, Beaux-Arts, Neoclassical and Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Industry |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Remains the present commercial center of Glens Falls; urban renewal demolition in the 1960s cleared land near Glen and Warren Streets, which is excluded from the district. |
| Acreage | 21.43 |
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 100008374.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.