North Main–Bank Streets Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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North Main–Bank Streets Historic District
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View north along North Main Street, 2010.
Swan and Granite blocks are at left. |
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | Albion, NY |
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| Nearest city | Batavia |
| Area | 18 acres (7.3 ha) |
| Built | 1827–1930 |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival, Italianate, Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 94001341 |
| Added to NRHP | November 30, 1994 |
The North Main–Bank Streets Historic District is a special area in Albion, New York. It covers parts of North Main Street and Bank Street. This district is like a time capsule, showing how the village's main business area grew. It was especially important when the Erie Canal was a busy waterway.
This historic area includes part of the canal, now called the New York State Barge Canal, and two bridges. The buildings here show many different architectural styles from over a hundred years. Most of them are considered "contributing properties," meaning they help tell the story of the district's history. You can find an old opera house and the village hall here.
Many buildings are made from local Medina sandstone or brick. This is because three big fires in the 1800s destroyed earlier wooden buildings. In 1994, this area was officially recognized as a historic district and added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
Exploring the Historic District's Location
The North Main–Bank Streets Historic District is shaped a bit unevenly. It's mainly around where North Main Street (NY 98) crosses East and West Bank streets. The land gently slopes down towards the canal at the northern edge.
At its southern end, the district touches another historic area called the Orleans County Courthouse Historic District. The boundary of the district follows property lines and streets. It includes all the buildings on the east side of North Main Street, from Swan Library north to the canal and its bridge.
On the northwest side, the district includes the old Sears Carriage Factory at 125 Liberty Street. It also covers a small part of Beaver Alley. The district then includes the canal bridge and a section of the canal itself. This part goes east to the Ingersoll Street bridge.
After that, the boundary follows the south bank of the canal. It goes back west to the rear of the Burrows Block at 131½ North Main. This building is the only remaining part of a whole row of buildings that once faced the canal. The boundary then moves south and east around a village parking lot. It includes all the buildings on the north side of East Bank Street, up to the village hall at Platt Street.
The district covers about 18-acre (7.3 ha) and has 43 buildings and three other structures. Only one building, a modern one at 18 North Main, is not considered historic. Most buildings are three stories tall and made of brick or stone. They were built in various 19th-century styles. The area has both tightly packed buildings and open spaces used for parking.
A Journey Through Albion's History
The story of the North Main–Bank Streets Historic District can be divided into three main parts. These are the early years, the middle years when many buildings were rebuilt after fires, and the later years focused on saving its history.
Early Days: Albion's Beginnings (1810s–1861)
People started settling in the Albion area in the early 1810s. More people arrived when construction began on the Erie Canal. In 1822, a man named Nehemiah Ingersoll bought a large piece of land south of the canal on the east side of what is now Main Street. This land was quickly divided up. A tavern and store were built on Main Street. Houses were built along the canal, and a dam and mill were put on Sandy Creek, a nearby stream.
In 1824, the canal section that included Albion was finished and opened. Orleans County was created, and Albion was chosen as the county seat (the main town for county government). When the canal was fully completed in 1825, Albion became a very busy port. It mainly shipped wheat and apples from nearby farms. The brick Greek Revival Burrows Block at 131½ North Main, built in 1827, is the only building left from those early canal-front businesses.
At the other end of the district, the county government's presence also shaped development. Many of the buildings from this time were homes. The oldest building in the district is the 1826 Federal style Porter Lee House at 30 North Main. Around 1830, the two oldest commercial buildings, 105–107 North Main and the Goodrich-Proctor Block at 126 North Main, were built. Both were brick Greek Revival structures. Many other early homes and businesses were made of wood and did not survive later fires.
Around 1840, a quarry operator near Medina found a beautiful reddish-brown stone. This stone, called Medina sandstone, became a popular building material. It was later quarried mostly around Albion and shipped by canal to other places. It was even used to build the New York State Capitol in Albany. The Sears Carriage Factory at 125 Liberty Street, built around 1840, was one of the first buildings in the district to use Medina sandstone.
By the mid-1800s, Albion was thriving thanks to the sandstone and farm products trade. The Erie Canal was joined by the "Falls Road" railroad, which later became part of the New York Central Railroad. Two local businessmen, Lorenzo Burrows and Williams Swan, built large, fancy Greek Revival homes for themselves at 48 and 34 North Main. The current courthouse was built in 1858, adding another important building to the village.
Rebuilding After Fires (1862–1897)
Few buildings from the earliest period survived because of fires. In 1862, the first of three major fires destroyed most of the south side of East Bank Street. The Bordwell and Harrington blocks, built of brick in the Italianate style, replaced them. Brick was used to better survive future fires.
Four years later, in 1866, another fire burned a block of North Main Street. It was replaced by the Blott, Royce, and Empire blocks. The Granite Block, partly made of Medina sandstone, was at the north end of this rebuilt area. Its design influenced nearby buildings on West Bank Street. In 1873, the village built a fire station and village hall at 35–37 East Bank. Its fancy facade used both brick and Medina sandstone.
The last big fire, in 1882, burned the block of North Main between West Bank and Beaver Alley. The new buildings, like the Granite and Day & Day blocks and the Pratt Opera House, were very unique. They used brick and Medina sandstone in different combinations of late Victorian styles, such as Italianate and Romanesque Revival. The Daly and Hanley buildings, built in 1897, continued this trend.
Albion continued to do well into the 1900s. Not many new buildings were needed because the old ones were still in good shape. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows hall at 10 North Main was built in 1907. The Renaissance Revival bank building at 121 North Main was built in 1895 and updated in the 1920s. The last major building was the Strick Building at 31 East Bank, a sandstone commercial building from 1923.
Later Years: Changes and Preservation (1898–Present)
During this time, Albion's economy started to slow down a bit. Railroads became more efficient than canals. So, the state combined the Erie Canal with others to create the New York State Barge Canal. In Albion, the canal was made wider and deeper. The two lift bridges in the district were built around this time, ending around 1930.
The canal improvements helped for a few more years. But demand for Medina sandstone dropped because of competition from Portland cement. By the late 1940s, most easily found sandstone was gone. Albion also faced challenges when the New York State Thruway opened near Batavia. This highway took over from both canals and railroads for moving goods.
Businesses closed, but the buildings were not torn down. The listing of the courthouse historic district nearby encouraged efforts to preserve and restore the business area too. In 1994, the district was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The village created a Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) to protect these historic areas. Their job is to keep the landmarks safe and make the village more appealing to visitors.
Protecting Albion's Historic Buildings
Citizens formed a group called the Albion Main Street Alliance (AMSA) to help bring life back to downtown Albion. They worked on organizing, promoting, and improving the design of the area. They put American flags on the street and cleaned up Canal Park. They also took pictures and mapped the buildings in the district. They organized community events and educational programs. The National Trust for Historic Preservation gave the village a grant in 2008 to help restore building facades.
Sometimes, the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) faced challenges. For example, they disagreed with the village mayor about a sign for a store. The commission felt the sign was not right for a historic area. The mayor thought the commission was making it too hard for businesses. Later, the mayor asked some commission members to step down, which caused problems for the group.
In 2009, the mayor resigned, and Dean Theodorakos, a village trustee and HPC member, became the new mayor. He wanted the village to apply for "Certified Local Government" (CLG) status from the National Park Service. This status would help protect the historic district even more. A state official said Albion was perfect for the program, praising its "wonderful buildings."
In 2010, the commission found out that the historic district had never been formally set up under local law. This meant they had to start over. This gave them a chance to think about making the district even bigger to include more historic homes and properties.
Important Buildings in the District
Almost all the buildings in the North Main–Bank Streets Historic District are considered important to its history. None of them are listed on the National Register by themselves yet.
- Burrows Block, 123–131½ North Main Street. This brick Greek Revival building is the oldest part, built in the 1830s. It's the only remaining commercial building that once faced the canal.
- Lorenzo Burrows House, 48 North Main. This is one of two large Greek Revival homes in the district, built around 1840.
- Citizen's Bank Building, 121 North Main. This is the only Renaissance Revival building in the district. It was finished in 1895 and updated in the 1920s.
- Granite Block, 52–60 North Main. This Italianate building is made of Medina sandstone. It was built after the 1866 fire and influenced other buildings nearby.
- Lee Porter House, 30 North Main Street. This 1826 brick Federal style house is the oldest in the district. It later had some Italianate features added.
- Pratt Opera House, 120 North Main. This three-story Romanesque Revival building from 1882 still has its theater inside.
- Sears Carriage Factory, 125 Liberty Street. This small, practical brick building from 1840 was expanded twice. It's one of the few remaining industrial buildings near the canal.
- W.G. Swan House, 34 North Main. This is the other large brick Greek Revival house from the 1840s, built by an early canal businessman.
- Village Hall and firehouse, 35–37 East Bank Street. This fancy building from 1873 still serves as both the village hall and fire station.
Images for kids
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35-59 N. Main St., October 2009
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58-120 N. Main St., October 2009 [includes Granite Block at left and Pratt Opera House at right]
