Main Street–Albertson Street–Park Place Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Main Street–Albertson Street–Park Place Historic District
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Former St. James rectory and
Baptist Church on Park Place, 2008 |
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Map of district
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| Location | Hyde Park, NY |
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| Nearest city | Poughkeepsie |
| Area | 6.8 acres (2.8 ha) |
| Built | 1840–1927 |
| Architectural style | Federal, Italianate, Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 93000856 |
| Added to NRHP | 1993 |
The Main Street–Albertson Street–Park Place Historic District is a special neighborhood in Hyde Park, New York. It's located just west of US 9. This area is mostly made up of homes. It also includes the town's library and a few old church buildings that are now houses.
This district covers about 6.8 acres (2.8 hectares). The buildings here were once the very heart of Hyde Park in the 1800s. Later, the town grew and its center moved to a new spot. Many of the buildings in this district are still in their original condition. In 1993, this area was recognized as a historic district. This means it's a special place with important history. It was then added to the National Register of Historic Places. This list helps protect important historical sites across the United States.
Contents
Exploring the Historic District
This historic district has an interesting, uneven shape. Its borders mostly follow property lines and streets. It starts where Main Street meets Route 9. It includes all the buildings along Main Street for two blocks, going west to Park Place. All the buildings on Park Place between Main and Albertson streets are part of it. Some buildings at the west end of Albertson Street are also included.
What You'll Find Here
In total, there are 36 buildings and structures in the district. Only six of these are not considered "contributing properties." A contributing property is a building that adds to the historical importance of the district. Most of the buildings are wooden houses. They also have smaller buildings next to them, like sheds. These were built between 1840 and 1860. This was a time when building styles were slowly changing. They went from the Federal to the Greek Revival style.
Important Buildings
One important building is the newest one in the district. It's the James Roosevelt Memorial Library at 2 Main Street. It was built in 1927. Franklin Roosevelt, who later became president, helped make this happen. His family donated money for its construction. The library is made of fieldstone, which is a type of natural rock.
Other notable buildings are at 15 and 19 Park Place. These used to be the Baptist Church and the St. James Rectory (a church leader's home). They were built in the late 1840s. Across the street, 20 Park Place was once a Methodist parsonage, which is similar to a rectory.
History of Hyde Park's Old Downtown
The area north of Poughkeepsie along the Hudson River was called Hyde Park as early as the 1730s. But it wasn't until the 1760s that people started settling there. This is when the first large estates were built. These were initially used as summer homes. By the end of the 1700s, both the current center of Hyde Park and Staatsburg had been established.
How the Town Grew
Hyde Park officially became a town in 1821. Fifteen years later, in 1836, Main Street became an important road. It connected what was then the Albany Post Road to Market Street. About a hundred building lots were created and sold. By 1858, maps showed a busy community. There were churches, houses, and businesses in the area of the historic district. Most of the people who owned these places were local business owners and craftspeople.
Later, powerful families like the Roosevelts and Vanderbilts became very important. They owned large estates and played a big role in the local economy. Many of their workers lived in the houses in this district. This history led to the building of the Roosevelt Library in 1927.
Building Styles Over Time
Most of the homes in the district were built in a simple Greek Revival style. They usually had three sections (called bays) across the front, instead of the more common five. This was because the building lots were narrow. Later, in the late 1860s, two houses had mansard roofs added. This was a popular style at the time, known as Second Empire.
Changes in the 20th Century
In the 1900s, things changed for downtown Hyde Park. The large estates grew, and the area became more popular. This was especially true after Franklin Roosevelt became President and spent his vacations nearby. The rise of cars also changed how the town was laid out.
In the 1930s, Main Street was still a dirt road. At that time, President Roosevelt helped build the new post office. It was built at the crossroads of Route 9 and Market Street. A new firehouse was also built there. This caused the center of town to move to that new junction, northeast of the old downtown. The buildings in the historic district, which had been the original Hyde Park, mostly stayed the same. A few modern buildings were added to the neighborhood later in the century.
