Hoosick Falls Historic District
Encyclopedia
The Hoosick Falls Historic District is located in the downtown section of the village of that name
in New York
, United States
. It is an eight-acre (3.2-ha) area concentrated along Church, Classic and John streets (NY 22
) south of the Hoosick River.
Most of its 40 buildings remain largely intact from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a period when Hoosick Falls was economically prosperous due to the mills and factories that drew on the river and its power. In 1980 it was recognized as a historic district
and added to the National Register of Historic Places
.
north of Elm Street. Just north of the post office
it moves west to take in the properties on the west side of Main Street, then the properties on the east side of Main at the John Street intersection.
It continues along the south side of Classic Street to the east line of the properties one lot west of where High Street carries 22 north toward Cambridge
. From there it continues north to the river, then west along its bank to Church Street. At Classic it extends westward to include the properties on the west side, and then returns to where it began.
In this area there are 40 buildings. Many are commercial or mixed-use
multistory structures dating from the 1880s to the 1920s. Only one is a modern intrusion. Most are in the predominant styles
of their era, primarily Italianate
and Second Empire, with a few Georgian Revival
structures from the 20th century. The few residences are mostly in the Stick-Eastlake style of the late 19th century. Open space consists of a few vacant lots and one parking lot
.
just before the Revolutionary War
. After the war, they built a gristmill
on the river and the first bridge. In 1827, a half-century after its founding, the settlement was incorporated
as a village.
Other entrepreneurs from New England
came to the village to set up textile mills along the river as well. The most prominent manufacturer in the village, Walter A. Wood
, came in 1836. He patent
ed a mower
17 years later, in 1853, and began manufacturing both mowers and reaper
s. After the Civil War
, his company, the Walter A. Wood Mowing and Reaping Machine Manufactory, moved into an old cotton factory on the north side of the Hoosick. Four years later a new facuility had to be built.
Wood's company became the world's leading manufacturer in its product line by the end of the century. At its peak it employed 2,000 local residents, and Wood served two terms as a member of the House of Representatives
for the district. He built the large three-story Wood Block, which dominates downtown Hoosick Falls. The company eventually closed in 1924 after competition from John Deere
's motorized equipment, fires and other means of generating power for business made it less profitable.
Hoosick Falls, New York
Hoosick Falls is a village in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 3,182 at the 2010 census, a decline of 254 since 2000. During its peak around 1900, the village had a population of about 7,000...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is an eight-acre (3.2-ha) area concentrated along Church, Classic and John streets (NY 22
New York State Route 22
New York State Route 22 is a north–south state highway in eastern New York in the United States. It runs parallel to the state's eastern edge from the outskirts of New York City to a short distance south of the Canadian border. At , it is the state's longest north–south route and...
) south of the Hoosick River.
Most of its 40 buildings remain largely intact from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a period when Hoosick Falls was economically prosperous due to the mills and factories that drew on the river and its power. In 1980 it was recognized as a historic district
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
and added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Geography
The district is shaped roughly like an upside down letter "L", around the axis of the three streets Route 22 follows through that area of the village. It starts in the south with the properties at 59 and 60 Church Street, a few lotsLot (real estate)
In real estate, a lot or plot is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner. A lot is essentially considered a parcel of real property in some countries or immovable property in other countries...
north of Elm Street. Just north of the post office
U.S. Post Office (Hoosick Falls, New York)
The U.S. Post Office in Hoosick Falls, New York, is located on Main Street a block south of downtown. It is a brick building erected in the mid-1920s, serving the 12090 ZIP Code, which covers the village of Hoosick Falls and surrounding portions of the Town of Hoosick.It took the government nine...
it moves west to take in the properties on the west side of Main Street, then the properties on the east side of Main at the John Street intersection.
It continues along the south side of Classic Street to the east line of the properties one lot west of where High Street carries 22 north toward Cambridge
Cambridge (village), New York
Cambridge is a village in Washington County, New York, United States. The population was 1,925 at the 2000 census. The village of Cambridge is partly in the town of Cambridge and partly in the town of White Creek...
. From there it continues north to the river, then west along its bank to Church Street. At Classic it extends westward to include the properties on the west side, and then returns to where it began.
In this area there are 40 buildings. Many are commercial or mixed-use
Mixed-use development
Mixed-use development is the use of a building, set of buildings, or neighborhood for more than one purpose. Since the 1920s, zoning in some countries has required uses to be separated. However, when jobs, housing, and commercial activities are located close together, a community's transportation...
multistory structures dating from the 1880s to the 1920s. Only one is a modern intrusion. Most are in the predominant styles
Architectural style
Architectural styles classify architecture in terms of the use of form, techniques, materials, time period, region and other stylistic influences. It overlaps with, and emerges from the study of the evolution and history of architecture...
of their era, primarily Italianate
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
and Second Empire, with a few Georgian Revival
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
structures from the 20th century. The few residences are mostly in the Stick-Eastlake style of the late 19th century. Open space consists of a few vacant lots and one parking lot
Parking lot
A parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....
.
History
Hoosick Falls was first settled by two men from ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
just before the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. After the war, they built a gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
on the river and the first bridge. In 1827, a half-century after its founding, the settlement was incorporated
Municipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
as a village.
Other entrepreneurs from New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
came to the village to set up textile mills along the river as well. The most prominent manufacturer in the village, Walter A. Wood
Walter A. Wood
Walter Abbott Wood was a U.S. Representative from New York.Born in Mason, New Hampshire, Wood moved to New York in 1816 with his parents, who settled in Rensselaerville...
, came in 1836. He patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
ed a mower
Mower
A mower is a machine for cutting grass or other plants that grow on the ground. Usually mowing is distinguished from reaping, which uses similar implements, but is the traditional term for harvesting grain crops, e.g...
17 years later, in 1853, and began manufacturing both mowers and reaper
Reaper
A reaper is a person or machine that reaps crops at harvest, when they are ripe.-Hand reaping:Hand reaping is done by various means, including plucking the ears of grains directly by hand, cutting the grain stalks with a sickle, cutting them with a scythe, or with a later type of scythe called a...
s. After the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, his company, the Walter A. Wood Mowing and Reaping Machine Manufactory, moved into an old cotton factory on the north side of the Hoosick. Four years later a new facuility had to be built.
Wood's company became the world's leading manufacturer in its product line by the end of the century. At its peak it employed 2,000 local residents, and Wood served two terms as a member of the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for the district. He built the large three-story Wood Block, which dominates downtown Hoosick Falls. The company eventually closed in 1924 after competition from John Deere
John Deere
John Deere was an American blacksmith and manufacturer who founded Deere & Company, one of the largest and leading agricultural and construction equipment manufacturers in the world...
's motorized equipment, fires and other means of generating power for business made it less profitable.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Rensselaer County, New York