Hochul announces nominations for of historic places register, including Schoellkopf Hall

Listing on registers helps to ensure preservation through public & private investments

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the New York State Board for Historic Preservation recommended adding 11 properties to the state and national registers of historic places.

"These nominations showcase New York's diverse history through preserving important places where New Yorkers have lived, learned, worked and built communities," Hochul said. "By adding these sites to our historic registers, we are recognizing the critical role that they play in telling our state's story. I hope these landmarks will inspire, educate and entertain future generations and help connect New Yorkers to our past."

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

In Western New York, Schoellkopf Hall in Niagara Falls was nominated. Dedicated in 1930 as a dormitory for the now-defunct DeVeaux School and situated within the bounds of DeVeaux Woods State Park on the edge of Niagara River, this stone and concrete building is a representative example of 20th-century Collegiate Gothic institutional design that combines traditional Gothic design motifs with contemporary fireproofing and rational planning principles. Designed by prominent Rochester-based architect C. Storrs Barrows (who was a graduate of the DeVeaux School), its construction was funded by area philanthropist Paul A. Schoellkopf of the Buffalo, Niagara & Eastern Power Co.

Over the past decade, the state has approved the use of rehabilitation commercial tax credits for more than 1,000 historic properties, driving more than $12 billion in private investment.

A study by the National Park Service on the impact of the tax credit on jobs and tax revenue in New York state found that, between 2016 and 2020, the credits generated 74,220 jobs nationally and more than $1.3 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 120,000 historic properties throughout the state listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 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 on the New York State Register of Historic Places and then nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, where they are reviewed and, once approved, entered on the National Register.

More information, with photos of the nominations, is available on the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation website.

Commissioner Erik Kulleseid said, "State Parks is committed to preserving and promoting the remarkable range of historic resources found throughout New York. Our historic resources can have an integral role in New York's future, and the incentives that come with state and national registers recognition – like state and federal tax credits – can help stabilize historic structures as well as encourage investments in our local communities."

Deputy Commissioner for Historic Preservation at State Parks Daniel Mackay said, "We know that being listed on the state and national registers helps raise a community's appreciation of its past and enhances opportunities for preservation activities, and the variety of these nominations may encourage New Yorkers to consider the eligibility of their own local historic fabric. At the Division for Historic Preservation, we are committed to designating and supporting New York's historic resources and are proud of that ongoing work."