Lord and Burnham Building
Why it's listed
Built around 1881 at 2 Main Street in Irvington, New York, this brick building served as the office and factory of the Lord and Burnham greenhouse company. It replaced a former shoe factory that burned in the summer of 1881, the year the firm moved in. The main block has four stories, segmental-arched windows, mansard roofs with dormers, and a corner tower with a pyramidal roof. A three-story factory wing extends behind it, and a Queen Anne style stable with half-timbering and an oriel window stands to the east. The company used the complex until 1988 and was the village's first and largest industry. Lord and Burnham led American greenhouse manufacturing for about fifty years and introduced the first iron-frame greenhouse in the country at the Lyndhurst conservatory. The building is significant for that industrial history and as a surviving example of Victorian waterfront factory architecture on the Hudson River. Its interior was altered in the mid-twentieth century, but the exterior remains largely intact.
Significance in brief: It was the long-time main office and factory of Lord and Burnham Horticultural Manufacturing Company, a leading greenhouse manufacturer. It is also an intact example of late Victorian industrial architecture and typifies riverfront factory development along the Hudson River. The company used it from its construction until closing in 1988.
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 99000193, listed February 12, 1999. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 2 Main St., Irvington |
|---|---|
| County | Westchester County |
| Listed | February 12, 1999 |
| Reference number | 99000193 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c. 1881 - c. 1930 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The company closed in 1988. A planned rehabilitation would convert the building to a library and residential units. The exterior retains a high level of integrity, while the interior was altered in the mid-20th century. |
| Acreage | 0.8 |
| Coordinates | 41.03966, -73.87264 (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.
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 99000193.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q12061370
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.