A Fredonia complex is one of 25 properties and districts recommended by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to add to the State and National Registers of Historic Places. The nominations include an intact 1905 metal casting foundry complex in Hudson, an 1873 house that reflects Syracuse’s layered history of immigration, urban renewal, and grassroots preservation, a cohesive group of Colonial Revival apartment buildings in Kenmore built during the 1920s and 1930s suburban housing boom, and an amendment to the 1971 nomination for Revolutionary-era Senate House in Kingston to include its 1920s commemorative museum annex.

The nominations were reviewed March 12 at a meeting of the New York State Board for Historic Preservation.

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Acting Commissioner Kathy Moser said, “These nominations highlight the depth and diversity of New York’s historic places and the communities that value them. Through this work, we help identify and document the places that tell New York’s story while connecting property owners and communities with resources that support the preservation and revitalization of these historic places.”

State and National Register listing can assist owners in revitalizing properties, making them eligible for various public preservation programs and services, such as matching state grants and federal and state historic rehabilitation tax credits.

The only site nominated in Chautauqua County was the Middlesex Gardens Apartment Complex. It was constructed between 1947 and 1949 by Middlesex Denef, Inc. in the village of Fredonia and is a notable example of a mid-1900s Colonial Revival “garden apartment,” a housing type that gained popularity in the post World War II era. Characterized by low-rise, multi-unit buildings arranged across landscaped grounds with shared courtyards, green spaces, and parking areas, the complex reflects both functional planning and aesthetic trends of its time. The buildings feature simplified Colonial Revival detailing, including red brick walls, classical door surrounds, symmetrical facades with centered entrances, and white pedimented dormers. The apartments were designed to complement the company’s planned subdivision along Middlesex Drive.

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Deputy Commissioner for Historic Preservation Daniel Mackay said, “The Division for Historic Preservation is committed to expanding the State and National Registers of Historic Places. Listing historic places in the State and National Registers helps ensure that the buildings, landscapes, and stories that shape New York’s communities are recognized. These nominations both document our shared heritage and open the door to preservation resources that support revitalization, strengthen local identity, and encourage pride of place.”

New York State continues to lead the nation in the use of historic tax credits, with $9.6 billion in total rehabilitation investments from 2019-2025. Since 2006, the historic tax credit program has stimulated over $16.4 billion in project expenditures in New York State, creating significant investment and new jobs. According to a report, between 2019 to 2023, the credits in New York State generated 91,386 jobs and over $1.79 billion in local, state and federal taxes.

The State and National Registers are the official lists of buildings, structures, districts, landscapes, objects, and sites significant in the history, architecture, archaeology and culture of New York State and the nation. There are more than 131,000 historic properties throughout the state listed in the National Register of Historic Places, either individually or as components of historic districts. Property owners, municipalities, and organizations from communities throughout the state sponsored the nominations.

Once recommendations are approved by the Commissioner, who serves as the State Historic Preservation Officer, the properties are listed in the New York State Register of Historic Places and then nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, where they are reviewed by the National Park Service and, once approved, entered in the National Register. More information, with photos of the nominations, is available on the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation website.