Cambridge Historic District
Why it's listed
Cambridge is a village of about 1,800 people in lower Washington County, New York, laid out along the Owl Kill creek where three crossroads hamlets merged. Its historic district holds roughly 240 primary buildings, mostly frame houses on generous, shaded lots, with a commercial core of late 19th-century stores along Main Street. About twenty homes show Federal period character, including the Dorr-Randall house, and about sixty display Greek Revival pedimented gables and pilasters. Later styles appear in the Italianate Cambridge Hotel, the Second Empire house at 12 Broad Street, the Queen Anne house at 44 West Main, the Stick-style St. Luke's Church and the Classical Revival Rice Mansion. Other features include the railroad station, the Old Opera House, a print shop, a mill with a covered footbridge and a small cemetery. The architectural details of most buildings remain intact. Sixteen modern buildings are counted as intrusions, and 28 buildings are noted as possible individual nominations.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the district as a well-preserved 19th-century village whose architecture is largely intact and well maintained. It includes about twenty Federal period residences, about sixty Greek Revival houses, and a range of later styles. Notable landmarks include the railroad station, the Old Opera House, the Cambridge Hotel, the Rice Mansion and a mill with a covered footbridge. The surviving text does not include the statement of significance.
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 78001922, listed November 15, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Irregular pattern along Main and S. Union Sts., Cambridge |
|---|---|
| County | Washington County |
| Listed | November 15, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78001922 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architectural style | Mixed 19th-century village architecture: Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne, Stick, Rural Gothic and Classical Revival |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Most buildings are described as remarkably intact and well maintained; sixteen buildings are identified as intrusions, mostly on East and West Main Streets. |
| Acreage | 105 |
| Coordinates | 43.02334, -73.38601 (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 78001922.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q1028300
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.