Phase IA Archaeological and Architectural

Transcription

Phase IA Archaeological and Architectural Assessment
LeCount Square Urban Renewal Project
Bounded by North Avenue, Huguenot Street, Anderson Street and
LeCount Place
Including Block 231, Lots 9, 15, 19, 23, and 27 and the adjacent
roadbeds of Anderson Street and LeCount Place
New Rochelle, Westchester County, New York
Phase IA Archaeological and Architectural Assessment
LeCount Square Urban Renewal Project
Bounded by North Avenue, Huguenot Street, Anderson Street and LeCount Place
Including Block 231, Lots 9, 15, 19, 23, and 27 and the adjacent roadbeds of Anderson Street and LeCount
Place
New Rochelle, Westchester County, New York
Prepared For:
Cappelli Enterprises, Inc.
115 Stevens Avenue
Valhalla, NY 10595
Prepared By:
Historical Perspectives, Inc.
P.O. Box 3037
Westport, CT 06880
Author:
Julie Abell Horn, M.A., R.P.A.
September 2005
MANAGEMENT SUMMARY
SHPO Project Review Number (if available): None
Involved State and Federal Agencies: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, United
States Postal Service
Phase of Survey: Phase IA Archaeological and Architectural Assessment
Location Information
Location: Block 231, Lots 9, 15, 19, 23, and 27 in New Rochelle, Westchester County, New York. The
block is bounded by Huguenot Street on the northwest, North Avenue on the southwest,
Anderson Street on the southeast, and LeCount Place on the northeast. The project site also
includes land south of Anderson Street between North Avenue and LeCount Place, formerly
known as Block 228, Lots 19 and 20, but which is now unlotted and is designated as “city
open space.” Last, the project site includes two roadbeds: Anderson Street from North
Avenue to LeCount Place, and LeCount Place from Anderson Street to Huguenot Street.
Minor Civil Division: 11942, New Rochelle
County: Westchester
Survey Area
Length: varies, irregularly shaped block and streets
Width: varies, irregularly shaped block and streets
Number of Acres Surveyed: ca. 2.7
USGS 7.5 Minute Quadrangle Map: Mount Vernon
Archaeological Survey Overview
Number & Interval of Shovel Tests: N/A
Number & Size of Units: N/A
Width of Plowed Strips: N/A
Surface Survey Transect Interval: N/A, urban area with paved surfaces
Results of Archaeological Survey
Number & name of precontact sites identified: None
Number & name of historic sites identified: None
Number & name of sites recommended for Phase II/Avoidance: None
Results of Architectural Survey
Number of buildings/structures/cemeteries within project area: 5
Number of buildings/structures/cemeteries adjacent to project area: numerous; dense urban area
Number of previously determined NRHP listed or eligible buildings/structures/cemeteries/districts: 1
NRHP listed building (U.S. Post Office) within project boundaries; 1 NRHP listed building (Pioneer
Building) within 1 block; 8 NRHP listed and 7 NRHP eligible buildings/structures within one mile
Number of identified eligible buildings/structures/cemeteries/districts: 2 NRHP potentially eligible
buildings within project site boundaries (Standard Star Building and Anderson Street Apartment
building); 11 NRHP potentially eligible buildings within 1-2 blocks of project site
Report Authors(s): Julie Abell Horn, M.A. R.P.A., Historical Perspectives, Inc.
Date of Report: September 2005
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MANAGEMENT SUMMARY....................................................................................................................... i
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................... ii
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................................1
METHODOLOGY..............................................................................................................2
BACKGROUND RESEARCH...........................................................................................2
A. TOPOGRAPHY AND HYDROLOGY.......................................................................2
B. GEOLOGY ..................................................................................................................2
C. SOILS ..........................................................................................................................2
D. CURRENT CONDITIONS .........................................................................................2
E. ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES WITHIN A ONE MILE RADIUS ..............................3
F. HISTORIC STRUCTURES AND DISTRICTS WITHIN A ONE MILE RADIUS ...4
G. HISTORY OF THE PROJECT SITE ..........................................................................6
H. ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES ............................................................................8
CONCLUSIONS...............................................................................................................12
A. PRECONTACT SENSITIVITY ................................................................................12
B. HISTORIC PERIOD SENSITIVITY ........................................................................12
C. DISTURBANCE RECORD ......................................................................................12
D. ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES ..........................................................................14
RECOMMENDATIONS ..................................................................................................14
REFERENCES .................................................................................................................16
FIGURES
PHOTOGRAPHS
ii
FIGURES
1.
Proposed LeCount Square Project Site on Mount Vernon, New York 7.5 Minute Quadrangle (U.S.G.S.
1999).
2.
Proposed LeCount Square Project Site on modern map (Sanborn 1990).
3.
Proposed LeCount Square Project Site footprint (courtesy Cappelli Enterprises, Inc.).
4.
Orientation of photographs and location of surveyed architectural resources (City of New Rochelle
Assessment Office).
5.
Proposed LeCount Square Project Site on soil map (USDA 1994).
6.
Proposed LeCount Square Project Site on modern tax map (City of New Rochelle Assessment Office).
7.
Map of the Village of New Rochelle, Westchester County, N.Y. (Dripps 1858)
8.
Plan of the Borough of New Rochelle, Westchester County, New York (Beers 1867)
9.
Village of New Rochelle (Bromley 1881)
10.
Insurance Maps of New Rochelle, N.Y. (Sanborn 1892)
11.
Village of New Rochelle (Bien 1893)
12.
13.
Part of the City of New Rochelle (Bromley 1901)
14.
15.
Part of the City of New Rochelle (Bromley 1911)
16.
17.
Insurance Maps of New Rochelle, N.Y. (Sanborn 1911, corrected to 1924)
18.
City of New Rochelle (Hopkins 1919, corrected to 1931)
19.
Insurance Maps of New Rochelle, N.Y. (Sanborn 1951).
20.
Map Documented Structure and Standing Structures Map with Location of Proposed Phase IB Excavation
Trenches (base map courtesy of Cappelli Enterprises, Inc.).
iii
PHOTOGRAPHS
(Locations and orientations shown on Figure 4)
1.
One-story building located on Lot 9, constructed in 1981. View looking north across Anderson Street.
2.
Strip of paved asphalt on north side of Lot 9 building, at boundary of Lot 19. View looking southwest from
sidewalk along LeCount Place.
3.
Four-story building located on Lot 15, constructed by 1924. View looking east across North Avenue. Onestory Planned Parenthood building on Lot 19 abuts on left.
4.
Strip of paved asphalt on northeast side of Lot 15 building, at boundary of Lot 9. View looking northwest
from sidewalk along Anderson Street.
5.
One-story Planned Parenthood building, constructed by 1951, and surrounding parking lot located on Lot
19. View looking west across LeCount Place.
6.
Paved parking lot surrounding Planned Parenthood building on Lot 19. View looking southwest from
sidewalk along LeCount Place.
7.
Paved parking lot surrounding Planned Parenthood building on Lot 19. View looking northeast from
sidewalk along North Avenue. Standard Star building on Lot 23 abuts on left.
8.
Standard Star building on Lot 23, constructed in 1924 (on right). Post office and strip of grass on Lot 27
abuts on left. View looking northeast across North Avenue
9.
Western side of Standard Star building with restaurant entrance on Lot 23. Paved parking lot surrounding
Planned Parenthood building on Lot 19 abuts on left. View looking northwest across LeCount Place.
10.
U.S. Post Office on Lot 27, at corner of North Avenue and Huguenot Street, constructed in 1936. View
looking east across North Avenue.
11.
Parking lot and distribution center at rear of U.S. Post Office on Lot 27. View looking west across
LeCount Place.
12.
U.S. Post Office on Lot 27, at corner of North Avenue and Huguenot Street, showing basement level.
View looking northeast from entryway along Huguenot Street.
13.
City Open Space south of Anderson Street, showing raised landscaped area and driveway leading into
Block 228. View looking south across Anderson Street from Block 231.
14.
City Open Space south of Anderson Street, showing walkways, landscaped areas, lampposts, and irrigation
hoses. View looking northwest from Block 228, with North Avenue in the background.
15.
Anderson Street roadbed, with City Open Space on left and Block 231 on right. View looking southwest
across LeCount Place intersection.
16.
Anderson Street roadbed, with City Open Space on left and Block 231 on right, showing patches in
pavement covering utility work. View looking southwest.
17.
LeCount Place roadbed, with Block 231 on left. View looking north across Anderson Street intersection.
18.
Northern end of LeCount Place roadbed, with Block 231 on left. View looking northwest.
19.
Block 231, Lot 9. 15 Anderson Street. View looking northwest across Anderson Street.
iv
20.
Block 231, Lot 15. 5 Anderson Street. View looking north across Anderson Street.
21.
Standard Star Building, Block 231, Lot 23, 251 North Avenue. View looking north from North Avenue.
22.
Block 228, Lot 1. 451 Main Street (2 LeCount Place). View looking west across Main Street and LeCount
Place intersection.
23.
Block 228, Lot 1, 451 Main Street (2 LeCount Place). View looking south across LeCount Place.
24.
Block 228, Lot 3, 455-457 Main Street. 451 Main Street on right; 459 Main Street on left. View looking
north across Main Street.
25.
From right to left: Block 228, Lots 5, 7 and 8; 459 and 463 Main Street and 199-201 North Avenue. View
looking southwest across Main Street.
26.
Block 228, Lot 8, 199-201 North Avenue. View looking northeast across North Avenue.
27.
From right to left: Block 228, Lots 8 and 9, 203-205 North Avenue and 207 North Avenue. 199-201 North
Avenue on right. View looking northeast across North Avenue.
28.
From right to left: Block 228, Lots 9 and 10, 207 North Avenue and 209 North Avenue. View looking
northeast across North Avenue.
29.
Block 228, Lot 11, 211-213 North Avenue. 209 North Avenue on right. View looking northeast across
North Avenue.
30.
From right to left: Block 228, Lots 13 and 15; 215-225 North Avenue. View looking northeast across
North Avenue.
31.
Block 228, Lot 18; 2-10 Anderson Street. View looking east across North Avenue at Anderson Street.
32.
Block 228, Lot 23; 28 LeCount Place. View looking southwest across LeCount Place.
33.
Block 228, Lot 29, 14 LeCount Place. View looking southwest across LeCount Place.
34.
Pioneer Building, Block 230, Lot 56, 14 Lawton Street. View looking southwest across Lawton Street.
35.
Bank of New York Building, Block 229, Lots 9 and 10, 491 Main Street. View looking north across Main
Street.
36.
Bank of New York Building, Block 229, Lots 9 and 10, 491 Main Street. View looking north across Main
Street.
37.
Union Baptist Church Building, Block 211, Lot 43, 438-440 Main Street. View looking west across
intersection of Main Street and Locust Street.
v
I.
INTRODUCTION
Cappelli Enterprises, Inc. has proposed a new development project called LeCount Square (Figures 1-3), located on
Block 231, Lots 9, 15, 19, 23, and 27 in New Rochelle, Westchester County, New York. The block is bounded by
Huguenot Street on the northwest, North Avenue on the southwest, Anderson Street on the southeast, and LeCount
Place on the northeast. Before Anderson Street was cut through in the 1890s (and LeCount Place in the midtwentieth century), the project site was part of a larger block bounded by Huguenot Street, Rose Street, Main Street,
and Hudson Street. In addition to Block 231, the project site also includes land south of Anderson Street between
North Avenue and LeCount Place, formerly known as Block 228, Lots 19 and 20, but which is now unlotted and is
designated as “city open space.” Buildings along Anderson Street on Block 228 adjoin the city open space land to
the southeast. Last, the project site includes two roadbeds: Anderson Street from North Avenue to LeCount Place,
and LeCount Place from Anderson Street to Huguenot Street. Before LeCount Place was laid out this area was part
of Block 231, and was designated Lots 7 (fronting Anderson Street) and 38 (fronting Huguenot Street).
Historical Perspectives, Inc. (HPI) has undertaken a Phase IA Archaeological and Architectural Assessment of the
proposed LeCount Square development site in order to: 1) identify any potential archaeological resources that might
have been present on the site, 2) examine the construction history of the study site in order to estimate the
probability that any such potential resources might have survived and remain on the site undisturbed, and 3) to
identify potentially significant architectural resources on the project site and within the general vicinity. For this
Assessment, the archaeological Area of Potential Effect (APE) is the entire proposed development site (Figure 2),
while the architectural APE extends to the blocks adjoining the project site.
This Phase IA Archaeological and Architectural Assessment was prepared to satisfy the requirements of New York
State’s environmental review process and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, and complies with
the standards of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (NYSOPRHP) (New
York Archaeological Council 1994; NYSOPRHP 2005). The HPI project team consisted of Julie Abell Horn, M.A.,
R.P.A., who conducted the research and wrote the report; Nora Lucas, Architectural Historian, who conducted the
architectural survey and identified potentially significant resources; Luc Litwinionek, M.S., R.P.A., who prepared
the Map Documented Structures graphic; and Cece Saunders, M.A., R.P.A. who managed the project and provided
editorial and interpretive assistance.
II.
METHODOLOGY
The present study entailed review of various resources.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Historic maps were reviewed at the New Rochelle Public Library, the Map Division of the New York
Public Library, and using various online websites. These maps provided an overview of the topography
and a chronology of land usage for the study site.
Building data cards, which summarize the dates of new building, demolition, and alterations, were
reviewed at the City of New Rochelle Bureau of Buildings.
The Department of Public Works and other offices at the City of New Rochelle’s City Hall were visited in
order to obtain current data about the location and depths of buried utilities in the APE. These offices did
not have current data for this portion of New Rochelle. Cappelli Enterprises, Inc. provided limited utility
location information as part of this project’s overall survey, although not all utilities were shown on the
maps and depths of the utilities were not given.
Selected deeds for the project site were reviewed at the Westchester County Land Records office in White
Plains.
Available nineteenth century city directories and federal censuses for New Rochelle were reviewed at the
New York Public Library. Unfortunately most city directories that included New Rochelle only listed
businesses at this time; residential listings were not included until after 1878, and even then exact addresses
were not given, making identification of residents on the project site difficult.
Several primary and secondary sources concerning the general history of the area were also reviewed at the
New Rochelle Public Library, and using online resources.
1
•
•
A site file search was conducted at the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic
Preservation (NYSOPRHP). All archaeological sites and inventoried historic structures within one mile of
the project site were documented.
Last, site visits were conducted on July 28 and August 31, 2005, to assess any obvious or unrecorded
subsurface disturbance related to potential archaeological resources (Photographs 1-18). Architectural
resources were photographed on August 16, 2005 (Photographs 19-37). The location and orientation of the
photographs are shown on Figure 4.
III.
BACKGROUND RESEARCH
A.
TOPOGRAPHY AND HYDROLOGY
The project site is located on a roughly rectangular shaped parcel, bounded by city streets on two sides and existing
buildings on the other two sides. Elevations are highest at the corner of North Avenue and Huguenot Street, where a
benchmark indicates the elevation is 94 feet above mean sea level. The property slopes downward slightly towards
the south and east. As will be described below, the project site currently supports a number of twentieth century
buildings interspersed by paved surface parking areas, as well as roadways and landscaped open space.
Nineteenth century maps of the vicinity of the study area record the topography and environment of the area prior to
modern development. The present site originally was located in an upland section of downtown New Rochelle, with
the nearest bodies of water (Long Island Sound and its inlets and perennial creeks) located approximately 0.5 mile in
any direction (USGS 1891). A comparison of historic elevations with modern elevations in the project site vicinity
suggests that the elevations have not changed much over time, although the imprecision of nineteenth century
topographic maps makes a specific determination difficult. It is likely, however, that there has been some grading
on the project site for construction of the various buildings.
B.
GEOLOGY
The project site lies in the Hudson Valley region, which is described in geological terms as lying in the New
England Upland Physiographic Province, a northern extension of the Great Appalachian Valley (Schuberth
1968:74). Metamorphic rocks of the Hudson Highlands form the mountains and hills of southeastern New York.
Bedrock beneath Westchester County is part of the Manhattan Prong, a rolling lowland area composed of
metamorphic rocks of Early Paleozoic age (Isachsen et al. 1991:46). These rocks include Lowerre Quartzite and
Manhattan Schist beneath hills, and Inwood Marble, which is easily eroded, in the valleys. Much of the bedrock is
covered by Atlantic Coastal Plain deposits.
C.
SOILS
All of the soil within the project site is classified as “Urban Land” (Figure 5). Urban land is described as areas in
which 60 percent or more of the ground surface contains buildings or other structures. Examples include parking
lots, shopping centers, industrial parks, and institutional sites. Where soils have not been altered by urban
construction and/or excavation, such as between buildings or structures, soil typically consists of Riverhead,
Chatfield, Sutton, and Unadilla soils (USDA 1994).
To date, no soil borings have been conducted on the project site, and so specific subsurface conditions on the
property are unknown.
D.
CURRENT CONDITIONS
The project site is located within an urban section of downtown New Rochelle, and consists of buildings
interspersed by parking lots. The following is a description of the different lots that comprise the project site (see
Figure 6), and their characteristics.
2
Block 231, Lot 9; 15 Anderson Street
This lot contains a one-story brick building, constructed in 1981, which covers the large majority of the lot
(Photograph 1). There is a thin strip of asphalt paving on the northern side of the building, at its boundary with Lot
19 (Photograph 2).
This lot contains a four-story brick building over the majority of the lot (Photograph 3). The bottom floor has shops,
and the upper floors have apartments. The building was constructed in 1924. There is a small area in the rear of the
building that is covered with asphalt paving (Photograph 4).
Block 231, Lot 19; 247 North Avenue
This lot contains a one-story brick building on the southern portion of the lot, which presently houses Planned
Parenthood (Photograph 5). The building was constructed in 1941. The remainder of the lot contains paved asphalt
parking lots, with gates and fencing at both ends (Photographs 6 and 7).
This lot contains the two-story brick and stone Standard Star building, which was constructed in 1924 (Photograph
8). At the LeCount Place frontage of this lot, the building façade has been retrofitted with stucco and now houses an
establishment called Casanova Gold (Photograph 9).
This lot contains the New Rochelle United States Post Office and its associated parking lot (Photographs 10 and 11).
The building is 1-2 stories high, with a basement (Photograph 12). It was built in 1936, and replaced an older and
smaller U.S. Post Office building, which was constructed in 1914 on the lot.
City Open Space, former Lots 19 and 20, Block 228
This area, which is bisected by a paved driveway leading from Anderson Street into a parking lot to the south on
Block 228, contains a mixture of pedestrian walkways and raised landscaped areas with trees and low lying plants
(Photographs 13 and 14). There are numerous subsurface and at-grade utilities visible within this area, including a
recessed power box with a large meter along the Anderson Street frontage, various subsurface drainage channels,
electric lampposts, and a network of irrigation hoses along the ground surface.
Anderson Street between North Avenue and LeCount Place
This streetbed, which is 50 feet wide, carries two lanes of traffic (Photographs 15 and 16). In addition to the water
and sewer lines that run under the street, various patches in the pavement attest to additional utility lines that have
been installed under the surface. Depths of these buried utilities are unknown.
LeCount Place between Anderson Street and Huguenot Street, former Block 231, Lots 7 and 38
This streetbed, which is 68 feet wide, carries two lanes of traffic and has a lane of parking on both sides
(Photographs 17 and 18). Various utility lines are located under the pavement, although again their depths are
unknown.
E.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES WITHIN A ONE MILE RADIUS
Records on file at the NYSOPRHP and the NYSM indicate that there are seven precontact and one historic period
archaeological sites within one mile of the project site. The majority of the precontact sites are located on
3
Davenport’s Neck, approximately one mile from the project site along the Long Island Sound. These sites are
summarized in the table, below.
NYSOPRHP
Site #
Additional Site
#
NYSM 5199
NYSM 5200
NYSM 5202
NYSM 7256
Distance from
APE
1 mile southeast
1 mile south
0.5 mile southeast
1 mile southeast
NYSM 7257
1 mile southeast
NYSM 7258
1 mile southeast
NYSM 7708
1 mile southwest
0.25 mile west
A11942.000009
F.
Time Period
Site Type
Contact
No information
No information
Late Archaic, Transitional,
Middle Woodland?, Late
Woodland
Middle Woodland?, Late
Woodland
Woodland
No information
Historic
Village
Shell middens
Shell middens
No information
No information
No information
Shell middens
Unknown
HISTORIC STRUCTURES AND DISTRICTS WITHIN A ONE MILE RADIUS
Records on file at the NYSOPRHP indicate that within one mile of the project site there are nine individual
structures and one historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) [including the U.S. Post
Office on the project site]; seven individual structures determined eligible for the NRHP, and an additional 34
structures that have building inventory forms (of these, 32 have been determined not eligible for the NRHP and two
are “undetermined”). These resources are summarized in the table, below.
NRHP and
NYSOPRHP
Site Numbers
04NR05343
11942.000887
90NR02487
11942.000745
90NR02485
11942.000656
02NR04923
90NR02482
11942.000004
90NR02484
11942.000005
90NR02483
11942.000748
90NR02483
11942.000749
00NR01581
11942.000370
00NR01581
11942.000371
11942.0010
Resource Name
Location
Distance from Project
Site
NRHP
Determination
Rochelle ParkRochelle Heights HD
U.S. Post Office-New
Rochelle
Pioneer Building
Varies
0.3 mile north
Listed
255 North Avenue
Within project site
Listed
14 Lawton Street
1 block west
Listed
Wildcliff
Leland Castle, College
of New Rochelle
Davenport House
42 Wildcliff Road
29 Castle Place
0.7 mile southeast
0.9 mile south
Listed
Listed
157 Davenport Avenue
0.8 mile southeast
Listed
First Presbyterian
Church of New
Rochelle
Lewis Pintard House
Pintard Avenue
0.5 mile southwest
Listed
Pintard Avenue
0.5 mile southwest
Listed
Knickerbocker Press
50 Webster Avenue
0.6 mile southwest
Listed
American White Cross
Laboratories, former
Knickerbocker Press
New Rochelle RR
Station
52 Webster Avenue
0.6 mile southwest
Listed
Railroad Place
0.1 mile west
Eligible
4
NRHP and
NYSOPRHP
Site Numbers
11942.000764
11942.000768
11942.000766
11942.000765
11942.000767
11942.000778
11942.000038
11942.000752
11942.000758
11942.000763
11942.000769
11942.000770
11942.000772
11942.000791
11942.000879
11942.000762
11942.000759
11942.000789
11942.000757
11942.000831
11942.000829
11942.000830
11942.000755
11942.000783
11942.000761
11942.000889
11942.000882
11942.000883
11942.000753
11942.000754
11942.000828
11942.000756
11942.000786
Resource Name
Location
Site
NRHP
Determination
Shell Interlocking
Tower (Signal Tower
#22 NYNH&H RR)
Terrytoons Film
Studios
Trinity/Huguenot
Memorial Cemetery
Trinity Church
Huguenot Trust
Co./Spoken Arts
Building
Second Presbyterian
Church Complex
End of Bartel Street in
RR right-of-way
0.5 mile southwest
Eligible
38 Centre Street
0.3 mile west
Eligible
NNE of Trinity Church,
Huguenot Street
311 Huguenot Street
310 North Avenue
0.2 mile southwest
Eligible
0.2 mile southwest
0.1 mile northwest
Eligible
Eligible
473-475 North Avenue
0.5 mile northwest
Eligible
15 The Boulevard
125 Remington Place
7 Colonial Place
Centre Avenue
0.6 mile north
0.6 mile northwest
0.6 mile northwest
0.3 mile southwest
Not eligible
Not eligible
Not eligible
Not eligible
19 Franklin Avenue
46 Coligni Avenue
34 Lawn Avenue
0.2 mile southeast
0.8 mile northwest
0.2 mile northwest
Not eligible
Not eligible
Not eligible
1-15 Huguenot Street
200 Centre Avenue
131 Chauncey Avenue
46 Clinton Place
21 Clove Road
22 Colonial Place
Division Street
0.5 mile northeast
0.5 mile south
1 mile northwest
0.2 mile southeast
0.9 mile northwest
0.6 mile northwest
0.2 mile west
Not eligible
Not eligible
Not eligible
Not eligible
Not eligible
Not eligible
Not eligible
Division Street
0.2 mile west
Not eligible
Division Street
0.2 mile west
Not eligible
21 Edgewood Park
4 Ferdinand Place
0.7 mile west
0.8 mile northwest
Not eligible
Not eligible
136 Fifth Avenue
80 Grove Avenue
60 Horton Avenue
70 Horton Avenue
46 Trinity Place
44 Madeleine Avenue
Memorial Highway
0.8 mile north
0.5 mile southwest
0.7 mile northwest
0.7 mile northwest
0.5 mile south
0.8 mile west
0.2 mile west
Not eligible
Not eligible
Not eligible
Not eligible
Not eligible
Not eligible
Not eligible
37 Rochelle Place
147 Sickles Avenue
0.4 mile northwest
0.5 northwest
Not eligible
Not eligible
Centre Avenue Bridge
NH 16.37 spanning
Amtrak/Metro-North
Tracks
Queen Anne House
(Bellantoni) at NYS
Thruway
Apartment Building
Brown Residence
Ferraro Residence
Marzelli Residence
BIN 1049890 over
Metro-North RR
BIN 1091390 over I95
BIN 1091400 over
Metro-North RR
Cassone Residence
Graves-Wright
Residence
Burton Residence
Hartley Houses
Hartley Houses
BIN 1091380 over I95
Grimes Residence
Vennochi Residence
5
NRHP and
NYSOPRHP
Site Numbers
11942.000886
11942.000780
11942.000880
11942.000881
11942.000771
11942.000888
11942.000877
G.
Resource Name
Location
Site
NRHP
Determination
Metro-North RR: New
Haven Line Bridge
MP 16.10 over
Webster Avenue
Antonioli
Hartley Houses
Hartley Houses
Residence
Webster Avenue
0.6 mile southwest
Not eligible
45 West Castle Place
51 Winthrop Avenue
81 Winthrop Avenue
95-99 Winthrop Avenue
31 Jones Street
271 North Avenue
0.8 mile south
0.7 mile northwest
0.7 mile northwest
0.7 mile northwest
0.6 mile southwest
Across street to
northwest
Not eligible
Not eligible
Not eligible
Not eligible
Undetermined
Undetermined
HISTORY OF THE PROJECT SITE
The project site falls within the large Thomas Pell holdings, which he purchased from “Indian Chief Wampage” on
November 14, 1654. This acreage, or Pelham Manor, included all of the lands east of the Hutchinson River to
Mamaroneck, including City Island, Hunter’s Island, and the other islands bordering the shore and all of the towns
of Pelham and New Rochelle. The Boston Post Road, running from lower Manhattan to Boston, was laid out in the
1670s across Pelham Manor. This road still runs along Huguenot Street adjoining the project site. In 1689, twothirds of the Pelham Manor was sold to Jacob Leisler for a settlement of French Huguenots, the religious group
responsible for the founding of New Rochelle (Westchester 1986:13-14). The Huguenots purchased tracts of land,
generally parallel narrow strips totaling 50-60 acres each, directly from Leisler after 1690; many farms stayed in the
same family for multiple generations (Bolton 1905, Vol. I:689).
Due to the paucity of historic maps depicting downtown New Rochelle during the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries, little is known of the project site’s development during this period. Besly’s tavern, a popular center for
town activity since about 1760, was located on the opposite side of Huguenot Street from the project site, at it’s
junction with North Avenue, by at least the Revolutionary period. About 1800, the Westchester Turnpike Road
(present Main Street) opened just south of the project site, diverting much business from the Boston Post Road,
including Besly’s tavern. In an effort to reclaim lost patronage, the proprietor of the tavern had a road cut through
from Huguenot to Main Street in about 1815; this road, which borders the project site, later was called Rose Street
and today has been widened to form part of North Avenue (Nichols 1938:48-49).
In the mid-nineteenth century, the first detailed maps were made of New Rochelle. By issuance of the 1858 Dripps
map, the northern portion of the project site (modern Lots 19, 23, 27, and the northern end of LeCount Place)
contained a number of structures, including a Baptist church along Rose Street, a building labeled Secor (also
spelled Seacor in historic accounts) and several additional unnamed structures along Huguenot Street, and a
slaughterhouse in the center of the block (Figure 7). The southern portion of the present project site, including Lots
9, 15, Anderson Street and the City Open Space, was part of the large LeCount property and was undeveloped.
According to local scholars, the Baptist church was the Salem Baptist Church of New Rochelle. In 1849, 15 local
Baptists had formed this church, and that year they purchased land on the east side of Rose Street (now North
Avenue), on the south side and adjacent to the present Standard Star building, and began construction of the church
building. The church was completed by the end of 1850, and remained in use until 1870, after which a new building
was constructed at Main and Locust Streets, off the project site (Seacord and Hadaway 1938:69). No historic
accounts have been found to suggest that the church property on the APE ever included an associated cemetery. The
former church footprint falls within the northwestern end of modern Lot 19. The slaughterhouse was also within
modern Lot 19, but in the center of the lot. The Secor house and the other unidentified structures were within the
present post office property on modern Lot 27, and at the northern end of modern LeCount Place. Minimal change
was depicted on the project site during the 1860s, 1870s, and into the 1880s. The 1867 Beers map (Figure 8) and the
1881 Bromley map (Figure 9) show virtually the same conditions on the block as the 1858 Dripps map. The only
difference is that on the 1881 Bromley map (Figure 9), the Baptist Church had been demolished.
6
Identifying residents and businesses on the project site during the nineteenth century is difficult, as city directories
for the area only listed businesses (and not residents) until the late 1870s, and did not note specific addresses.
Census records similarly did not indicate specific addresses until the twentieth century and so were only useful when
they could be tied to names in other sources, such as directories or deeds. Nonetheless, some information could be
gleaned about the project site during the nineteenth century using these archival resources.
Much of modern Block 231 was owned by wealthy residents, but appears to have been rented out. For example,
most of Lots 19, 23, and parts of Lot 27 were purchased by the Mahlstedt family by 1864, and continued to be held
by generations of this family through the early twentieth century (see Liber 718, 1864:175 for the original deed).
However, the family owned numerous other parcels in New Rochelle, and did not ever live on the project site.
Rather, this property seems to have been leased or rented, often to occupants who could not be traced in the archival
record. Similarly, the southern end of the APE was owned by the LeCount family until the 1890s, when Anderson
Street was laid out and the remaining acreage was carved into building lots. Although city directories listed a
carriage and coach maker on the Main Street end of the LeCount property (attributed to Walter LeCount in 18601861, and 1866 and to Revere and Kershaw in 1868-1869 and 1872-1873), the portion of this property that falls
within the APE appears to have been undeveloped during this period and no additional occupants could be traced.
(Boyd 1860-1861; Gopsill 1866; Curtin 1868-1869, 1872-1873).
The portion of modern Lot 27 that now contains the post office building was owned by Lewis Seacor, who similarly
did not live on the property, but rented it out. In 1866 Seacor sold Lot 38 (now the northern portion of LeCount
Place) to fresco painter Charles Schmidt (Liber 605, 1866:229). Schmidt and his family are listed in the 1870
federal census, and may have lived on this lot through 1877, when it was bought by Ida Steinhardt (Liber 940,
1877:187). The Steinhardt family appears to have occupied the lot briefly, as Bernard Steinhardt was listed as an ice
cream vendor living and working on Huguenot Street in 1878 (Shaw 1878-1879). In 1879, the Steinhardts sold the
lot to Albert Heinrici, and in 1883, Heinrici sold the property to Peter Burke, a contractor who was listed as a
resident of Huguenot Street in 1884 (Liber 972, 1879:122; Liber 1025, 1883:420; Boyd 1884-1885). Burke then
sold the lot in 1887, and residents again could not be traced in the archival record.
The series of Sanborn Fire Insurance maps, begun in 1887 for New Rochelle, is invaluable in tracing the buildings
on the APE through the remainder of its history. By the publication of the first Sanborn map, in 1887, the former
Baptist Church location now supported a 1.5 story structure used by Miller and Lambden to store flour, feed, hay,
and straw. The dwelling closest to Rose Street was also shown, although the coverage of the block was limited to
the western side of the block. In 1892, when an update to the Sanborn map was published, the entire block was
shown (Figure 10). This map indicates that in addition to the Miller and Lambden storage facility, modern Lot 19
now also contained the Ingalls and Mahlstedt Coal and Wood Yard. The former slaughter house building is depicted
as an unused two-story planing mill, suggesting that there had been some adaptive reuse of the structure in between
map publications. A dwelling is shown at the northern end of modern LeCount Place.
The 1892 Sanborn map also shows that by this time, two critical developments had occurred on the project site.
First, Anderson Street and LeCount Place had been cut through, although the portion of LeCount Place that
presently forms the eastern border of the block had not yet been laid out and this area was still covered by the
interior of the block. The former LeCount family property, shown on earlier maps, had been sectioned into building
lots, although within the project site none of these lots (corresponding to Block 231, Lots 9 and 15, and the City
Open Space formerly known as Block 228, Lots 19 and 20) had been developed. Second, this map clearly shows
that water pipes had been laid under the city streets. According to Nichols (1938:106), the New Rochelle Water
Company was incorporated in 1885 and by 1888 many residents were hooked up to city water. The date that
buildings on the project site would have been hooked up to piped water appears to be between 1887 and 1892,
suggesting that any houses built after this period would have had access to piped water and would not have had to
rely on backyard water features like wells and cisterns.
The project site continued to exhibit new development through the 1890s. The 1893 Bien map (Figure 11) shows
that the first house had been built along the north side of Anderson Street, at the corner of Rose Street on modern
Lot 15. The planing mill and the adjoining property (modern Lots 19, 23, and 27) were labeled Mahlstedt. The
1896 Sanborn map (Figure 12) indicates that two additional houses had been constructed along the north side of
Anderson Street, on modern Lot 9; while a dwelling and a store and dwelling were now situated on Block 228, Lots
19 and 20 (the current City Open Space). Additionally, a 2.5 story laundry building was present at the LeCount
7
Place end of modern Lot 19, a dwelling was in place at the LeCount Place frontage of modern Lot 23, and two
additional houses had been built along Huguenot Street, on modern Lot 27. In the center of the project site, the
former planing mill was now noted as storage for hay and feed, and the operation attributed to A. Glasser Flour and
Feed.
Although the 1901 Bromley map illustrates virtually the same conditions as the 1896 Sanborn map (an additional
house is shown along the north side of Anderson Street), it does indicate that the properties along Huguenot Street
(now modern Lot 27) was owned by the A. Mahlstedt Estate and the property in the center of the block (now
portions of modern Lots 19 and 23) was owned by J. Lambden (Figure 13). The 1903 Sanborn map again shows
similar conditions on the APE, but notes the former Miller and Lambden building as the Metropolitan Express
Company and the former hay and feed storage building was now the Chas. H. Coe Livery (Figure 14). The laundry
building at the eastern side of modern Lot 19 was now noted as tenements.
In 1911, both Bromley and Sanborn published maps of the area. The Bromley map (Figure 15) indicates that
modern Lot 27 was divided into three separate properties, owned by A.H. Payne (at the corner of Rose), P. Murphy
(in the center), and J.A. Mahlstedt (on the LeCount Place end). J.A. Mahlstedt also owned the center of the block,
which corresponds to modern Lots 19 and 23. Within the modern City Open Space, former Lot 20 was attributed to
H.C. Meyer. The Sanborn map (Figure 16), which appears to depict slightly later conditions, shows that the P.
Murphy house along Huguenot Street had been demolished, and that the Payne property also contained another one
story building for marble and stone cutting. The entire property was noted as occupied by the New Rochelle Cut
Stone Company. The building along Rose Street on modern Lot 19 noted as the Metropolitan Express Company on
the previous Sanborn edition, was here shown as a garage and stores. It is possible that portions of this building
were reconstructed in between publications; while the footprint of the structure remained similar, the interior
portions appear changed.
The 1910s and 1920s saw increased changes to the project site. In 1914 a post office building made of stone was
built on the property at the corner of Huguenot and Rose Streets (now part of modern Lot 27). This building was the
precursor to the current post office building on the block. By 1924, when the updated edition of the 1911 Sanborn
map was made (Figure 17), three additional buildings had been constructed on the APE. A concrete block garage
had been built to the east of the post office (in the center of modern Lot 27), the Standard Star printing office and
press room building had been constructed on Lot 23, and the Anderson Apartments (with stores at the street level)
had been built on modern Lot 15. The Standard Star building and the apartment building remain on the block today.
The former Coe livery stable had also been demolished by this time, leaving a small one-story shed in its place.
A 1929 Hopkins map, updated to 1931, shows that by this time, modern Lot 19 was completely void of structures, as
was the eastern ends of modern Lots 23 and 27 (Figure 18). Curiously, the post office building is shown as a hybrid
form between the original 1914 building and the present building, which was constructed in 1936. Although the
shape of the building shown on the map is similar to the present building, its footprint is much smaller. This
suggests that the map may have been projecting conditions that were not yet realized.
The 1951 edition of the Sanborn map (Figure 19) illustrates that only a few dwellings still remained on the APE by
this time, located along Anderson Street. The former dwellings on Block 231, Lot 38 (modern LeCount Place) and
Block 228, Lot 20 (part of the City Open Space) had been razed. The present post office, with its current footprint,
is shown at the corner of Huguenot Street and North Avenue (formerly Rose Street), and the one-story building now
occupied by Planned Parenthood on modern Lot 19, built in 1941, also is depicted.
The most recent Sanborn map for the APE was published in 1990 (see Figure 2). By this period, LeCount Place had
been cut through from Anderson to Huguenot Street, creating the modern boundary of Block 231. Similarly, the
City Open Space on Block 228 is depicted as a “pedestrian way.” One new building had been constructed (in 1981)
on the APE: the one-story brick faced building at the corner of Anderson Street and LeCount Place, on modern Lot
15. The remaining undeveloped portions of the APE are shown as parking lots.
H.
ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES
As described in the Methodology section, the architectural survey entailed a file search at the NYSOPRHP to
document all previously identified architectural resources within one mile of the project site, archival research to
8
establish dates of construction and alterations for all the buildings surveyed, as well as a field survey during which
notes and photographs were taken. The architectural survey included all of the buildings on the project site itself
(Block 231), as well as all of the buildings on adjacent Block 228, since the proposed LeCount Square development
will extend to the edge of the extant buildings along the current Anderson Street frontage of this block.
Additionally, several notable buildings located within one or two blocks of the project site were included in the
survey, since they appear to represent distinct examples of their type. Of note, a number of additional buildings
located along Main Street were not surveyed as part of this study, but are similar in type and age to many of the
buildings described below.
The surveyed buildings are identified below, both by their addresses, their Block and Lot numbers, and if relevant,
their building names. Locations of the surveyed buildings are shown on Figure 4. All photographs were taken of
the buildings’ street frontages. For each building, the construction date and alterations are reviewed, the building
style is discussed, and the integrity and potential NRHP eligibility of the structure is summarized.
Block 231
15 Anderson Street, Lot 9
This one-story brick building was constructed in 1981 to house retail stores (Photograph 19). It has since been
partially converted into a daycare facility, and was enlarged in 2000. The building is of a nondescript, modern style,
and is less than 50 years old. It does not meet the requirements for NRHP eligibility.
5 Anderson Street, Lot 15
This four-story brick building, which was constructed in 1924 and was known as the Anderson Street Apartments,
(Photograph 20; also see Photograph 3) has stores on the bottom floor and apartments on the upper floors. A new
cellar apartment was added to the building in 1996, and the storefronts have been modified several times as
businesses changed. It appears, however, that the majority of the alterations to this building have been at the ground
floor level, and in its interior spaces. This building, a two-part commercial block with classical revival details, is
more than 50 years old and retains much of its original construction and features, particularly on the Anderson Street
façade and the upper floors on the North Avenue façade. It appears to meet the requirements for NRHP eligibility.
247 North Avenue, Lot 19
This one-story brick building was originally constructed in 1941 as a store. It has been altered several times, most
recently from a retail establishment to a medical clinic for Planned Parenthood (see Photographs 5 and 6). Both the
interior and exterior of this building have been modified from its original design. Although this building is more
than 50 years old, its extensive alterations and current nondescript architectural style suggest that it does not meet
the requirements for NRHP eligibility.
This two-story brick and stone building was constructed in 1924 to house the offices and press for the Standard Star
one of New Rochelle’s local newspapers (Photograph 21; also see Photograph 8). While the original part of
building remains intact (there were various interior renovations in the 1960s), an addition was built on the LeCount
Place frontage of the building for a restaurant in the 1970s. This restaurant has been altered several times; most
recently the building façade was covered with stucco and now houses an establishment called Casanova Gold (see
Photograph 9). Although the LeCount Place portion of the building has been altered, the remaining areas of the
building retain most of their original construction details and features. The Beaux Arts façade along North Avenue
is a particularly striking example of the colonial revival style. The building appears to meet the requirements for
NRHP eligibility.
This one story brick building with a basement is the New Rochelle United States Post Office (see Photograph 10). It
was completed in 1938, replacing an older and smaller post office building, which was constructed in 1914 on the
9
lot. The building is listed on the NRHP under the Thematic Resource of “United States Post Offices in New York
State, 1858-1943.” However, the nomination form states that the original terra cotta exterior, which was an unusual
but integral component of its Art Moderne style, was replaced in the 1960s and the lobby was completely
remodeled. The form concludes that due to these changes, “the building has substantially lost its integrity of design
and materials with the exception of three murals placed in the lobby in 1940, which still remain.” The murals,
painted by local artist David Hutchinson, were commissioned by the United States Treasury Department during the
Depression.
Block 228
451 Main Street (2 LeCount Place), Lot 1
This three story brick building was completed in 1903, originally as lodging rooms for the Masonic Hall
(Photographs 22 and 23). An addition was built in 1927. In 1956, the building was converted to house businesses
and an elevator was installed. In 1979, it was converted from a furniture store and Masonic Hall to offices. New
doors, windows, and a general exterior renovation were completed in 1991. The Main Street façade of this building,
which is a two-part commercial block, exhibits a neo Greek or classical revival architectural style, while the
LeCount Place façade has classical revival details. The building is more than 50 years old, and retains most of its
original features. It appears to meet the requirements for NRHP eligibility.
455-457 Main Street, Lot 3
This three story brick building, used originally as stores and offices, was completed in 1905 (Photograph 24). A one
and a half-story brick storage building addition was completed in 1925. The storefront was replaced in 1987. This
building, a two-part commercial block with classical revival details, is more than 50 years old and retains much of
its original construction and features. It appears to meet the requirements for NRHP eligibility.
459 Main Street, Lot 5
This two-three story brick building, originally used as a factory, was completed in 1905 (Photograph 25). Most of
the alterations appear to have occurred inside the building. It was converted from a furniture store to offices in
1975. This building, a two-part commercial block with classical revival details, is more than 50 years old and
retains much of its original construction and features. It appears to meet the requirements for NRHP eligibility.
463 Main Street, Lot 7
The data card for this address appears to be lost at the Bureau of Buildings, but historic maps suggest that this three
story brick building was built between 1893-1896 (Bien 1893; Sanborn 1896) (Photograph 25). This building, a
two-part commercial block with classical revival details, is more than 50 years old and seems to retain much of its
original construction and features. It appears to meet the requirements for NRHP eligibility.
199-201 North Avenue, Lot 8
No information was available at the Bureau of Buildings about the date of construction of this three story brick
building, which sits at the corner of Main Street and North Avenue (Photographs 25 and 26). However, historic
maps suggest that it was built between 1887-1892 (Sanborn 1887, 1892). The building contains retail
establishments on the ground floor and apartments on the top two floors. There have been numerous alterations to
the buildings, generally on the first floors to modify business spaces. The cornice along the rooftop also has been
altered. This building, a two-part commercial block with classical revival details, is more than 50 years old and
despite various alterations, retains much of its original construction and features. It appears to meet the
requirements for NRHP eligibility.
No information was available at the Bureau of Buildings about the date of construction of this three story brick
building, which is located on the same lot as the 199-201 North Avenue building and separated by a one-story
10
structure (Photograph 27). Historic maps suggest that the three story building was constructed between 1896-1901,
while the one-story building was erected between 1903-1911 (Sanborn 1896, 1901, 1903, 1911). The three story
building has stores on the ground floor and apartments on the upper two floors, while the one story building is a
strictly retail establishment. Like the other buildings on the lot, these structures have had various alterations, mostly
in the first floors business spaces. This building, a two-part commercial block with classical revival details, is more
than 50 years old and retains much of its original construction and features. It appears to meet the requirements for
NRHP eligibility.
This three story brick building was completed in 1900 (Photographs 27 and 28). It sustained some fire damage,
which was repaired in 1926, and also has had other interior alterations and a change to the store front. This building,
a two-part commercial block with classical revival details, is more than 50 years old and retains much of its original
construction and features. It appears to meet the requirements for NRHP eligibility.
There is conflicting data as to when this three story brick building was completed (Photograph 28). The Bureau of
Buildings data card indicates a construction date of 1900, but historic maps suggest that the original two story
building, which housed the Evening Star prior to 1924, when its new building was constructed on Block 231, was
not completed until after 1903 (Sanborn 1903, 1911). Later, the third story on the North Avenue façade of the
building was added. Despite the alterations to this building, a two-part commercial block with classical revival
details, it retains much of its original construction and features and is more than 50 years old. It appears to meet the
requirements for NRHP eligibility.
This one-two story brick building was constructed in 1912 as a theater (Photograph 29). According to the data card
on file at the Bureau of Buildings, this structure has had numerous substantial alterations, both to its interior and
exterior, and is now used for retail purposes. Although the building is more than 50 years old, the extensive
alterations have significantly changed its look, so much so that it no longer embodies a recognizable architectural
style. The building does not appear to meet the requirements for NRHP eligibility.
215-225 North Avenue, 2-10 Anderson Street, Lots 13, 15, and 18
Although this bank of one-story retail stores was built in stages from 1900 to 1969, they now all exhibit a standard
modern style, having been significantly altered over the ensuing years on both their interiors and exteriors from their
original designs (Photographs 30 and 31). Again, although the shells of some of these buildings are more than 50
years old, the extensive alterations have significantly changed their look, so much so that the buildings no longer
embody a recognizable architectural style. These buildings do not appear to meet the requirements for NRHP
eligibility.
28 LeCount Place, Lot 23
This property contains a one-story brick bank building, constructed in 1973 in the neo colonial revival style
(Photograph 32). The building is less than 50 years old. It does not meet the requirements for NRHP eligibility.
14 LeCount Place, Lot 29
This two-story brick building was completed in ca. 1930, and houses a mortuary (Photograph 33). The building is
essentially unchanged from its original construction and use. A one-part commercial building with colonial revival
details, it appears to meet the requirements for NRHP eligibility.
11
Within one-two blocks of project site
Pioneer Building, 14 Lawton Street, Block 230, Lot 56
As described above, this two-story brick commercial building, constructed in 1892, is listed on the NRHP
(Photograph 34). It was built to house the first official headquarters of New Rochelle’s weekly newspaper, The
Pioneer, and also housed the city’s first library (O’Brien 1983).
Bank of New York Building, 491 Main Street, Block 229, Lots 9 and 10
This three-story brick bank building was completed in 1901, and had an addition built in 1926 (Photographs 35 and
36). The main doors, originally revolving, were replaced in 1969. Most other alterations have been to the interior of
the building. The bank structure is a largely unaltered example of a colonial revival style building. It appears to
meet the requirements for NRHP eligibility.
Union Baptist Church Building, 438-440 Main Street, Block 211, Lot 43
According to the Bureau of Buildings, this stone church was completed in 1910 and had an addition built in 1928
(Photograph 37). However, historic maps show a Baptist church on this lot by 1881 (Bromley 1881), and historic
accounts indicate that after the Salem Baptist Church moved from Block 231 in 1870, it relocated to Main and
Locust Streets. Thus, the Bureau of Buildings data may be in error. The church had alterations in 1945 (at which
point the steeple was razed) and 1952. The two and a half-story house adjoining the church on the lot was
completed in 1899. The church exhibits a Romantic or possibly Romanesque architectural style, and its original
construction and features are largely intact. It appears to meet the requirements for NRHP eligibility.
IV.
CONCLUSIONS
A.
PRECONTACT SENSITIVITY
From what is known of precontact period settlement patterns in Westchester County, most habitation and processing
sites are found in sheltered, elevated sites close to wetland features, major waterways, and with nearby sources of fresh
water. Based on the criteria for the location of precontact sites in their natural state, the project site would not have been
a likely location to host precontact cultural remains, as it is at least 0.5 mile from the nearest natural water source. For
this reasons, HPI assigns a low precontact sensitivity to this project site.
B.
HISTORIC PERIOD SENSITIVITY
Historic maps and other archival records indicate that portions of the APE were developed with a church, houses and
businesses (including a slaughter house that was later turned into a planing mill) by at least the 1850s. Much of this
development predated the introduction of municipal water in the 1890s, suggesting that shaft features such as wells,
cisterns, privies, and cesspools could be present in former rear yard areas of the APE. Additionally, architectural remains
of the church and the slaughterhouse/planing mill could survive under the present ground surface. For these reasons,
historical archaeological sensitivity for the property is high in areas that were developed prior to the 1890s, and have
not been disturbed by later construction (see below).
C.
DISTURBANCE RECORD
Since the APE consists of various building lots and streetbeds that have had distinct developmental histories, it is useful
to discuss disturbance to the project site according to these divisions.
This lot has been extensively disturbed by construction in 1981 of the one-story brick building that covers the
majority of the lot. Although there is a thin strip of asphalt paving on the northern side of the building, at its
boundary with Lot 19, it should be assumed that builder’s trenches for this structure and other construction related
activities on the property have destroyed any potential archaeological resources in this area as well.
12
This lot also has been extensively disturbed by construction in 1924 of the four-story brick building that covers the
majority of the lot. Again, although there is a small area in the rear of the building that is covered with asphalt
paving, it should be assumed that builder’s trenches for this structure and other construction related activities on the
property also have destroyed any potential archaeological resources in this area.
Portions of this lot have been disturbed by the series of buildings that has been constructed on this property. Along
the North Street frontage, these include the twentieth-century garage occupied by the Metropolitan Express
Company, and the current Planned Parenthood building, which partially overlaps the former footprint of the garage.
Along the LeCount Place side of the lot, a tenement building was constructed by 1896, and remained on the property
through the mid-1920s. The remainder of the lot, however, which currently is covered with paved asphalt parking
lots, may be relatively undisturbed by construction activities and should be considered sensitive for archaeological
resources associated with the nineteenth-century Baptist Church, slaughter house/planing mill, and rear yards of
houses along Huguenot Street, which were in use through the mid-1890s.
The entire footprint of this lot has been disturbed by construction in 1924 of the Standard Star building and
subsequent alterations to the LeCount Place end of the building to house the restaurant.
The portion of this lot that contains the New Rochelle United States Post Office building should be considered
completely disturbed. However, the associated parking lot fronting LeCount Place may be relatively undisturbed, as
most of this area formerly contained the rear yards of houses facing Huguenot Street. It appears that any
underground storage tanks would have been located within the Post Office building and not in the parking lot area
(JM Associates, Inc. 2005). The southern side of the parking lot in particular should be considered sensitive for
archaeological resources associated with the nineteenth-century houses on this part of the APE.
City Open Space, former Lots 19 and 20, Block 228
It appears that much of this area has been disturbed by construction of the City Open Space, which included
installation of numerous utilities.
Anderson Street between North Avenue and LeCount Place
This streetbed has been disturbed by installation of water and sewer lines that run under the street; various patches in
the pavement attest to additional utility lines that have been installed under the surface.
LeCount Place between Anderson Street and Huguenot Street, former Block 231, Lots 7 and 38
This streetbed has been disturbed by installation of various utility lines located under the pavement. However,
project maps provided by Cappelli Enterprises, Inc. suggest that because this stretch of LeCount Place was not
created until the mid-twentieth century, there may be fewer utilities under this streetbed than under adjacent older
streets. For example, the section of LeCount Place near Huguenot Street appears to only contain storm drains and
associated catch basins; other typical utilities such as electrical and gas lines may run under sidewalks rather than
under the street itself. That said, the Environmental Site Assessment for the project area notes a past fuel spill from
an equipment failure somewhere within LeCount Place, although the exact location was not noted. The report says
“creek surface water was affected and cleanup standards were met,” which suggests that soil remediation and/or
removal within at least a portion of LeCount Place had to have occurred (JM Associates, Inc. 2005).
13
D.
Results of the architectural survey identified one historic resource within the project site that is listed on the NRHP
(the U.S. Post Office Building) and two historic resources that appear to meet requirements for NRHP eligibility (the
Standard Star Building and the Anderson Street Apartments). The remaining buildings on the project site do not
appear to meet requirements for NRHP eligibility due to recent construction or and/or extensive alterations.
Additionally, the architectural survey identified nine buildings on adjacent Block 228 that appear to meet
requirements for NRHP eligibility. Generally, these buildings were constructed during the 1890s or the 1900s, with
one building (the mortuary) constructed in ca. 1930. The majority of the buildings exhibit a similar two-part
commercial block style, with classical revival detailing. The exception is the former Masonic Hall at the corner of
Main Street and LeCount Place, which has a neo Greek or classical revival façade.
Last, the architectural survey identified three notable buildings within one-two blocks of the project site. The
Pioneer Building on Lawton Street is already listed in the NRHP. Two additional buildings, the Bank of New York
building and the Union Baptist Church building, one constructed in the early twentieth century and the other in the
late nineteenth or early twentieth century, appear to meet requirements for NRHP eligibility. Although not officially
surveyed as part of the current study, additional buildings along this stretch of Main Street were constructed at about
this same time and may meet also requirements for NRHP eligibility.
VII.
RECOMMENDATIONS
A.
PRECONTACT RESOURCES
As described above, HPI assigned the project site a low precontact sensitivity. As such, HPI recommends no
additional archaeological investigations are necessary for precontact resources.
B.
HISTORIC PERIOD RESOURCES
Historic period archaeological resources could exist under paved parking lots in undisturbed areas of the project site
where there was documented development prior to the 1890s, when piped city water became available and residents
and businesses decreased their reliance on backyard shaft features. Houses on the APE predating the 1890s were
located were along Huguenot Street; the remaining street fronts were not developed until after the 1890s. Yard
features and/or activity areas associated with former nineteenth-century buildings, such as the Salem Baptist Church
and the slaughterhouse/planing mill could also exist under surface parking lots if they have not been disturbed by
later construction episodes.
Phase IB archaeological testing is recommended in those areas of the project site where historic resources were
depicted on nineteenth-century maps and that do not appear to be disturbed. Figure 20 illustrates the location of
former and standing structures on the project site, and indicates the location of proposed Phase IB excavation
trenches. It should be noted, however, that the historic maps did not always agree with each other as to exact
footprints of structures; each map showed buildings in slightly different locations. Additionally, the older maps
often were not drawn to scale, making accurate overlays difficult to generate. The locations of structures depicted
on the 1858 map in particular should be considered approximate. The following table summarizes potential
archaeological resources by location.
Potential archaeological resources organized by building lots
Building Lot or Location
Potential Archaeological Resources
Block 231, Lot 9
None; entire lot disturbed from construction of extant building
Block 231, Lot 15
Block 231, Lot 19
Salem Baptist Church (1849-1870); slaughterhouse/planing mill (pre 18581893); Huguenot Street houses rear yard shaft features (pre 1858-1890s)
Block 231, Lot 23
Block 231, Lot 27
Huguenot Street houses rear yard shaft features (pre 1858-1890s)
LeCount Place roadbed
Huguenot Street houses rear yard shaft features (pre 1858-1890s)
14
Building Lot or Location
Anderson Street roadbed
City Open Space adjoining
Anderson Street
Potential Archaeological Resources
None; location and its vicinity were undeveloped prior to use as a road
None; location was undeveloped prior to 1890 when piped water became
available; much of the area also disturbed from construction of City Open Space
The proposed Phase IB testing program consists of several ca. 20-foot wide backhoe trenches at locations shown on
Figure 20, with precise locations to be determined based on field conditions. Since at least portions of the project
site have had documented fuel spills, and due to the nature of backhoe trenching, all Phase IB archaeological testing
should be conducted according OSHA regulations and according to applicable archaeological standards (New York
Archaeological Council 1994; NYSOPRHP 2005). Professional archaeologists, with an understanding of and
experience in urban archaeological excavation techniques, would be required to be part of the archaeological team.
C.
Within the project site, the architectural survey identified one building presently listed on the NRHP (the U.S. Post
Office) and two additional buildings (the Standard Star Building and the Anderson Street Apartments) that may be
eligible for the NRHP. Additionally, there are nine buildings on adjacent Block 228 as well as two buildings within
two blocks of the project site that appear to meet requirements for NRHP eligibility.
HPI recommends that formal NRHP evaluation of the Standard Star and the Anderson Street Apartments buildings
take place before any demolition or alteration to these buildings occurs as part of the proposed LeCount Square
Development Project. As of this writing, the project architects and planners are considering ways of preserving at
least some portions of the U.S. Post Office as a downtown postal retail center, and the Standard Star Building.
Further mitigation might entail documentation of the extant structures with additional historical research,
photographs, and measured drawings. Additionally, it is possible that the buildings on adjacent Block 228 identified
as part of this study may need to be formally evaluated for the NRHP as well. The Union Baptist Church and the
Bank of New York buildings may also need to be formally evaluated for the NRHP as individual structures.
15
VIII.
REFERENCES
Beers, J.
1867
Plan of the Borough of New Rochelle, Westchester County, New York. On file at the New Rochelle Public
Library.
Bien, J.
1893
Village of New Rochelle. On file at the New Rochelle Public Library.
Bolton, Robert
1905
The History of Several Towns, Manors, and Patents of the County of Westchester From its First Settlement
to the Present Time. 2 vols. Charles F. Roper, New York.
Boyd
1860-1 Boyd’s Westchester County directory. On microfilm at the New York Public Library.
1884-5 Boyd’s Westchester County directory. On microfilm at the New York Public Library.
Bromley & Co., G. W.
1881
Village of New Rochelle. On file at the New Rochelle Public Library.
1901
Part of the City of New Rochelle. On file at the New Rochelle Public Library.
1911
Part of the City of New Rochelle. On file at the New Rochelle Public Library.
City of New Rochelle Assessment Office
2005
City of New Rochelle Tax Map.
Curtin, D.
1868-9 Curtin's Westchester County directory. On microfilm at the New York Public Library.
1872-3 Curtin's Westchester County directory. On microfilm at the New York Public Library.
Dripps, M.
1858
Map of the Village of New Rochelle, Westchester County, N.Y. On file at the New Rochelle Public Library.
Gopsill, J.
1866
Gopsill’s Westchester County Directory. J. Gopsill, Jersey City, NJ.
Hopkins, G.
1919
City of New Rochelle. Corrected to 1931. On file at the New Rochelle Public Library.
Isachsen, Y.W., E. Landing, J.M. Lauber, L.V. Rickard and W.B. Rogers, eds.
1991
Geology of New York: A Simplified Account. Educational Leaflet No. 28. The New York State
Museum/Geological Survey, The University of the State of New York. The State Education Department,
Albany, New York.
JM Associates, Inc.
2005
Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, Lawton Street Urban Renewal Project, New Rochelle, Westchester
County, New York.
New York Archaeological Council (NYAC)
1994
Standards for Cultural Resource Investigations and the Curation of Archaeological Collections. New
York Archaeological Council.
16
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (NYSOPRHP)
2005
Phase I Archaeological Report Format Requirements.
Nichols, Herbert B.
1938
Historic New Rochelle. The Board of Education, New Rochelle, NY.
O’Brien, Austin
1983
National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form, Pioneer Building, 14 Lawton Street, New
Rochelle, New York.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Company
1887
Insurance Maps of New Rochelle, N.Y. On file at the New York Public Library.
1892
1896
1903
1911
1911
Insurance Maps of New Rochelle, N.Y. (corrected to 1924). On file at the New Rochelle Public Library.
1951
1990
Schuberth, Christopher J.
1968
The Geology of New York City and Environs. National History Press, Garden City, New York.
Seacord, Morgan H. and William S. Hadaway
1938
Historical Landmarks of New Rochelle. New Rochelle Trust Company, New Rochelle, NY.
Shaw, Frank D.
1878-9 Shaw's Westchester directory for 1878-79. Yonkers, NY.
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
1994
Soil Survey of Putnam and Westchester Counties, New York. United States Department of Agriculture, Soil
Conservation Service.
United States Federal Census
1870
New Rochelle, Westchester County.
United States Geological Survey (USGS)
1891
Harlem, New York 15 Minute Quadrangle.
1999
Mount Vernon, New York 7.5 Minute Quadrangle.
Westchester County Department of Planning (Westchester)
1986
“Archaeology Resources Study”. Division of Housing and Community Development.
Westchester County Land Records
1864
Liber 718, page 175. Hudson to Mahlstedt.
1866
Liber 605, page 229. Seacor to Schmidt.
17
1877
Liber 940, page 187. Schmidt to Steinhardt.
1879
Liber 972, page 122. Steinhardt to Heinrici.
1883
Liber 1025, page 420. Heinrici to Burke.
1887
Liber 1113, page 299. Burke to Taft.
18
Project Site
Figure 1: Proposed LeCount Square Project Site (USGS 1999).
Scale:
250 feet
Project site
Figure 2: Proposed LeCount Square Project Site on modern map (Sanborn 1990).
Scale
100 feet
Figure 3: Proposed LeCount Square Project Site footprint (courtesy Cappelli Enterprises, Inc.).
[Note that footprint includes current roadbeds of LeCount Place and Anderson Street]
Scale
100 feet
11
9
18 6
5
12
2
10
8
17
15, 16
21
7
13
3
31
20
4
1 19
14
32
33
23
30
37
29
28
22
24
27
25
26
34
35, 36
Figure 4: Orientation of photographs and location of surveyed architectural resources
(City of New Rochelle Assessment Office).
Scale
100 feet
Project site
Figure 5: Proposed LeCount Square Project Site on Westchester County soil map (USDA 1994).
Scale
250 feet
Project site
Figure 6: Proposed LeCount Square Project Site on modern tax map
(City of New Rochelle Assessment Office)
Scale
100 feet
Project site
Figure 7: Map of the Village of New Rochelle, Westchester County, N.Y. (Dripps 1858)
Scale
100 feet
Project site
Figure 8: Plan of the Borough of New Rochelle, Westchester County, New York (Beers 1867)
Scale
100 feet
Project site
Figure 9: Village of New Rochelle (Bromley 1881)
Scale
100 feet
Project site
Figure 10: Insurance Maps of New Rochelle, N.Y. (Sanborn 1892)
Scale
100 feet
Project site
Figure 11: Village of New Rochelle (Bien 1893)
Scale
100 feet
Project site
Scale
100 feet
Project site
Figure 13: Part of the City of New Rochelle (Bromley 1901)
Scale
100 feet
Project site
Scale
100 feet
Project site
Figure 15: Part of the City of New Rochelle (Bromley 1911)
Scale
100 feet
Project site
Scale
100 feet
Project site
Figure 17: Insurance Maps of New Rochelle, N.Y. (Sanborn 1911, corrected to 1924)
Scale
100 feet
Project site
Figure 18: City of New Rochelle (Hopkins 1919, corrected to 1931)
Scale
100 feet
Project site
Scale
100 feet
T
EE
T
NO
E
GU
R
ST
HU
UNITED STATES
POST OFFICE
02
7
NT
OU
Le C
02
3
CE
PLA
15 ANDERSON STREET
BUILDING
3
02
STANDARD STAR
BUILDING
H
RT
NO
9
00
PLANNED
PARENTHOOD
BUILDING
5
01
E
AV
ANDERSON STREET
APARTMENTS
NU
E
Legend
SO
ER
D
AN
STRUCTURES ON HISTORIC MAPS
1858 DRIPPS
ET
RE
T
NS
1892 SANBORN
1896 SANBORN
1911 SANBORN
1924 SANBORN
1951 SANBORN
STANDING STRUCTURES
PROPOSED PHASE IB
EXCAVATION TRENCHES
0
00
TAX LOT NUMBERS
PROJECT SITE BOUNDARIES
SOURCE: BASE MAP PROVIDED BY CAPPELLI ENTERPRISES, INC., VALHALLA, NY; DRIPPS 1858;
SANBORN INSURANCE MAPS 1892, 1896, 1911, 1924, AND 1951
PROPOSED LeCOUNT SQUARE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT SITE,
NEW ROCHELLE, WESTCHESTER CO., NY
FIGURE 20.
50
20
0
MAP DOCUMENTED STRUCTURE AND STANDING STRUCTURE MAP WITH
LOCATION OF PROPOSED PHASE IB EXCAVATION TRENCHES
50
0
100
20
150
40
200
250
60
300
80
FEET
100
METERS
Photograph 1: One-story building located on Lot 9, constructed in 1981. View looking north across Anderson
Street.
Photograph 2: Strip of paved asphalt on north side of Lot 9 building, at boundary of Lot 19. View looking
southwest from sidewalk along LeCount Place.
Photograph 3: Four-story building located on Lot 15, constructed by 1924. View looking east across North Avenue.
One-story Planned Parenthood building on Lot 19 abuts on left.
Photograph 4: Strip of paved asphalt on northeast side of Lot 15 building, at boundary of Lot 9. View looking
northwest from sidewalk along Anderson Street.
Photograph 5: One-story Planned Parenthood building, constructed by 1951, and surrounding parking lot located on
Lot 19. View looking west across LeCount Place.
Photograph 6: Paved parking lot surrounding Planned Parenthood building on Lot 19. View looking southwest
from sidewalk along LeCount Place.
Photograph 7: Paved parking lot surrounding Planned Parenthood building on Lot 19. View looking northeast from
sidewalk along North Avenue. Standard Star building on Lot 23 abuts on left.
Photograph 8: Standard Star building on Lot 23, constructed in 1924 (on right). Post office and strip of grass on Lot
27 abuts on left. View looking northeast across North Avenue.
Photograph 9: Western side of Standard Star building with restaurant entrance on Lot 23. Paved parking lot
surrounding Planned Parenthood building on Lot 19 abuts on left. View looking northwest across LeCount Place.
Photograph 10: U.S. Post Office on Lot 27, at corner of North Avenue and Huguenot Street, constructed in 1936.
View looking east across North Avenue.
Photograph 11: Parking lot and distribution center at rear of U.S. Post Office on Lot 27. View looking west across
LeCount Place.
Photograph 12: U.S. Post Office on Lot 27, at corner of North Avenue and Huguenot Street, showing basement
level. View looking northeast from entryway along Huguenot Street.
Photograph 13: City Open Space south of Anderson Street, showing raised landscaped area and driveway leading
into Block 228. View looking south across Anderson Street from Block 231.
Photograph 14: City Open Space south of Anderson Street, showing walkways, landscaped areas, lampposts, and
irrigation hoses. View looking northwest from Block 228, with North Avenue in the background.
Photograph 15: Anderson Street roadbed, with City Open Space on left and Block 231 on right. View looking
southwest across LeCount Place intersection.
Photograph 16: Anderson Street roadbed, with City Open Space on left and Block 231 on right, showing patches in
pavement covering utility work. View looking southwest.
Photograph 17: LeCount Place roadbed, with Block 231 on left. View looking north across Anderson Street
intersection.
Photograph 18: Northern end of LeCount Place roadbed, with Block 231 on left. View looking northwest.
Photograph 19: Block 231, Lot 9. 15 Anderson Street. View looking northwest across Anderson Street.
Photograph 20: Block 231, Lot 15. 5 Anderson Street. View looking north across Anderson Street.
Photograph 21: Standard Star Building, Block 231, Lot 23, 251 North Avenue. View looking north from North
Avenue.
Photograph 22: Block 228, Lot 1. 451 Main Street (2 LeCount Place). View looking west across Main Street and
LeCount Place intersection.
Photograph 23: Block 228, Lot 1, 451 Main Street (2 LeCount Place). View looking south across LeCount Place.
Photograph 24: Block 228, Lot 3, 455-457 Main Street. 451 Main Street on right; 459 Main Street on left. View
looking north across Main Street.
Photograph 25: From right to left: Block 228, Lots 5, 7 and 8; 459 and 463 Main Street and 199-201 North Avenue.
View looking southwest across Main Street.
Photograph 26: Block 228, Lot 8, 199-201 North Avenue. View looking northeast across North Avenue.
Photograph 27: From right to left: Block 228, Lots 8 and 9, 203-205 North Avenue and 207 North Avenue. 199201 North Avenue on right. View looking northeast across North Avenue.
Photograph 28: From right to left: Block 228, Lots 9 and 10, 207 North Avenue and 209 North Avenue. View
looking northeast across North Avenue.
Photograph 29: Block 228, Lot 11, 211-213 North Avenue. 209 North Avenue on right. View looking northeast
across North Avenue.
Photograph 30: From right to left: Block 228, Lots 13 and 15; 215-225 North Avenue. View looking northeast
across North Avenue.
Photograph 31: Block 228, Lot 18; 2-10 Anderson Street. View looking east across North Avenue at Anderson
Street.
Photograph 32: Block 228, Lot 23; 28 LeCount Place. View looking southwest across LeCount Place.
Photograph 33: Block 228, Lot 29, 14 LeCount Place. View looking southwest across LeCount Place.
Photograph 34: Pioneer Building, Block 230, Lot 56, 14 Lawton Street. View looking southwest across Lawton
Street.
Photograph 35: Bank of New York Building, Block 229, Lots 9 and 10, 491 Main Street. View looking north
across Main Street.
Photograph 36: Bank of New York Building, Block 229, Lots 9 and 10, 491 Main Street. View looking north
across Main Street.
HISTORIC RESOURCE INVENTORY FORM
NYS OFFICE OF PARKS, RECREATION
& HISTORIC PRESERVATION
P.O. BOX 189, WATERFORD, NY 12188
(518) 237-8643
OFFICE USE ONLY
USN:
IDENTIFICATION
Property name(if any) Standard Star Building
Address or Street Location 251 North Avenue
County Westchester
Owner
Town/City New Rochelle
Address
Nubreed Enterprises, Inc.
Village/Hamlet:
c/o Vincent D’Agnillo, 71-01 Austin St, Suite 203, Forest Hills, NY 11375
Current use
Original use Newspaper office and printing facility
Night club
Date of construction, if known
Architect/Builder, if known Lawrence L. Barnard, arch
1924
George Watson, builder
DESCRIPTION
Materials -- please check those materials that are visible
wood clapboard
wood shingle
vertical boards
plywood
stone
brick
poured concrete
concrete block
vinyl siding
aluminum siding
cement-asbestos
other:
Roof:
asphalt, shingle
asphalt, roll
wood shingle
metal
Foundation:
stone
Exterior Walls:
brick
poured concrete
concrete block
slate
other
Other materials and their location:
Alterations, if known:
Restaurant Conversion and Night Club
Condition:
excellent
good
Date: 1979 and 2001 Respectively
fair
deteriorated
Photos
Provide several clear, original photographs of the property proposed for nomination. Submitted views should represent the property as a
whole. For buildings or structures, this includes exterior and interior views, general setting, outbuildings and landscape features. Color
prints are acceptable for initial submissions.
Please staple one photograph providing a complete view of the structure or property to the front of this sheet. Additional views should be
submitted in a separate envelope or stapled to a continuation sheet.
Prepared by:
Telephone:
address
email :
Date
PLEASE PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION
IF YOU ARE PREPARING A NATIONAL REGISTER NOMINATION, PLEASE REFER TO THE ATTACHED INSTRUCTIONS
Narrative Description of Property: Briefly describe the property and its setting. Include a verbal description of the location (e.g., north side of NY 17,
west of Jones Road); a general description of the building, structure or feature including such items as architectural style (if known), number of stories,
type and shape of roof (flat, gabled, mansard, shed or other), materials and landscape features. Identify and describe any associated buildings,
structures or features on the property, such as garages, silos, privies, pools, gravesites. Identify any known exterior and interior alterations such as
additions, replacement windows, aluminum or vinyl siding or changes in plan. Include dates of construction and alteration, if known. Attach additional
sheets as needed.
The Standard Star building was constructed in 1924 in what was described by the architect, Lawrence J. Barnard, as a
“modified Italian Renaissance Style.” The building is sited on North Avenue and fronts only twenty feet on the street. The
original building extends 140 feet to accommodate the press room at the rear. The site was chosen because of it’s proximity
of the New Rochelle Post Office for newspaper delivery via mail.
The ornamentation of the narrow, two-story building is carefully detailed, yet restrained. The building rests on a molded,
polished granite foundation and is surfaced with a cast stone finish. The central entry is articulated as a double-height
arched doorway recessed. The windows and transoms are of a cast metal with a green bronze finish. At the spring of the
entry arch is a molded string course with an egg and dart motif; the archivolt is simply molded with a stylized acanthus leaf
motif and capped with a scrolled bracket with a central roping motif. This bracket rises to intersect a second, slightly larger
string course, the decoration of which echoes that of the archivolt. This string course supports a frieze in which THE
STANDARD STAR is incised in block letters, above which sits a classical cornice. The cornice is articulated with a course of
egg and dart molding beneath a denticulated cornice, beneath a double-molded course of polished granite stones, a
prominent molded drip course all topped by a simple flat parapet.
The round arched entry is classically decorated and all of the trim and decoration is of cast metal. The simple door flanked
by full-height sidelights flanked by narrow pilasters with a v-shaped roping motif; these form capitals within a cornice that
unites the door and sidelight. The cornice is ornamented with scrolling bulls-eye decoration, and capped by a simple
molding. The central element in the transom above the door is obscured by an air conditioning unit.
The pilasters flanking the door project through the transom to support a denticulated cornice capped by a winged oval
medallion with a lotus leaf cap and flanked by stylized lotus leaves, with similar leaves bracketing the edges of the cornice.
Above the cornice is a tri-partite paneled transom that replicates the three pattern and that is topped by a round arched
window with a central arched section with elongated panes within an arch of multi-paned glass, cut in a voussoired pattern
at the cap of the arch. The cap of the interior of the arch is articulated a coffered ceiling with foliate bas relief medallions.
The formal entry led to the main business area and is flanked by unornamented, symmetrical openings. That to the south
was designed as an entry to the upper story offices; the corresponding window to the north initially housed an illuminated
bulletin board that provided the news of the day. The north side of the building is articulated as a series of arched openings
at both stories designed to flood the work spaces with natural light.
The original Standard Star Building has been altered and added to over the course of the twentieth century. Building data
cards for the property, on file at the City of New Rochelle, indicate additions and alterations were made to the building in
1931 and 1946. More alterations are logged from 1949, 1966, 1968, and 1978. The last date was perhaps the most
significant, when an addition was built off the rear of the building (facing the LeCount Place side of the lot) to house a
restaurant and bar. In 2001, the restaurant was converted into a nightclub.
An advertisement for the building when it went up for sale in 2003 described its interior spaces:
At present, the 20,000 square foot property, supports a bi-level, patioed edifice, with two entrances and two
addresses, as the building spans the entire block from North Avenue to LeCount Place. The 251 North Avenue
entrance is twenty feet wide, and opens out to 78 feet wide on the 50 LeCount Place side. The ground floor has
1500 square feet of office space as well as 7,000 square feet of space housing a large dance floor, DJ booth, full
bar, a VIP room, a coat check room, and a 2,000 square foot outdoor patio. The 6,000 square foot second floor
housed the restaurant/catering facility with kitchen plus a 1,000 square foot outdoor patio. In addition, there are
2,000 square feet of second floor office space consisting of five offices plus bathrooms.
Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Agency
Narrative Description of Significance: Briefly describe those characteristics by which this property may be considered historically significant.
Significance may include, but is not limited to, a structure being an intact representative of an architectural or engineering type or style (e.g., Gothic
Revival style cottage, Pratt through-truss bridge); association with historic events or broad patterns of local, state or national history (e.g., a cotton mill
from a period of growth in local industry, a seaside cottage representing a locale's history as a resort community, a structure associated with activities of
the "underground railroad."); or by association with persons or organizations significant at a local, state or national level. Simply put, why is this property
important to you and the community. Attach additional sheets as needed.
The Standard Star building was built in 1924 and designed by Lawrence L. Barnard and built by George Watson.
Barnard is a familiar name in New Rochelle, but few references to his history or work were found; he appears to have been
a partner in Barnard and Wilder who designed the NEW ROCHELLE Fire Station No 3 in 1912, also in the Italian
Renaissance Style. (Sanchez P.389)
George Watson came to the United States from Scotland and began work as a carpenter. He moved to New Rochelle in
1886 became one of New Rochelle’s most significant builders and was responsible for many residential and institutional
buildings including: the Ninth Avenue Presbyterian Church, The First National Bank , First Mortgage and Guaranty Title
Company building, the Huguenot Y.M.C.A., and the circa 1920 wing of the New Rochelle Hospital.
In 1908 Watson wrote the City ‘s first building code and served as the city’s first building inspector. In addition to being a
builder and developer, he served sixteen terms as president of the Peoples Bank for Savings and had also served as
president of the First Mortgage and Guaranty Title Company of New Rochelle. Watson also served as a member of the
New Rochelle Board of Education.
The Standard Star, which is still published under the Gannett Imprint , was founded in 1923 and first published on July 2,
1923 with the merging of The Standard and The Star, New Rochelle’s two prior daily papers. In so doing:
“A situation unparalleled for 40 years in the history of the city, was created; there was henceforth, to be but one paper and
on that should be incumbent the responsibility of reflecting the life of the community from every angle and of reflecting it
accurately, honestly and completely.” (NYT July 2, 1924). Its first publisher was T. Harold Forbes.
Forbes, the son of George M. Forbes also a newspaper publisher was a vaudeville actor and dancer who appeared with
George M. Cohan in several productions. With his brothers George P. Forbes and Charles B. Forbes during the 1920s he
built up Westchester Newspapers, Inc, which published 11 newspapers in the county before it was sold to the Macy interests
in 1929 (NYT May 5, 1953). Subsequently he developed a series of newspapers in Long Island. He died in 1953 at the
age of 67.
The Standard Star building is an intact, well-detailed, if restrained, example of the Italian Renaissance Style, and significant
in New Rochelle’s building inventory. Although it has been altered, these changes occurred only on the LeCount Place
façade and the interior of the building. The original Standard Star building exterior remains largely unchanged. The style
tended to be more formal and traditional interpretations of Italian models than did the preceding Italianate style. The
popularity of the Italian Renaissance Style coincided with the popularity of the Georgian Colonial Revival style and
represented a general tendency away from the romantic or Gothic-inspired Shingle or Queen Anne.
The Italian Renaissance style was limited in occurrence and generally was associated with the work of a professional
designer. It’s origins in the United States stem from the Villard Houses, built in Manhattan by McKim, Mead & White in
1883. The Italian Renaissance style is characterized by symmetrical massing, use of arches as a fenestration and entry
motif, recessed entries, and full-length ground floor porches. Facades were generally masonry. The details are generally
borrowed from Italian originals.
With its formal massing, prominent parapet and cornice, graceful arched classically detailed entry, The Standard Star
building is an architecturally significant, architect-designed example of the Italian Renaissance style in New Rochelle. It is
further historically significant for its association with a long-published New Rochelle newspaper, that continues to comment
and report upon life in New Rochelle.
251 North Avenue, New Rochelle, New York, The Standard Star Building
Continuation Sheet
Bibliography
ExpressAuction.com, December 18, 2003.
New Rochelle Building Department Records
Standard Star, July 2, 1923, 1:5; July 3, 1923, 6:1; July 2, 1924, pp 1 and 3; October 15, 1924; pp, 16, 18, 19, 20-3;
October 16, 1924, p 1; Dec 8, 1924 p 14; Aug. 8, 1930 p 1.
New York Times, George Watson 77, Banker and Builder Obituary, October 13, 1939.
Significant
Contributing
Not Contributing
Overall LeCount
Square Project site
1, 3, 4
2
Standard Star Building (251 North Avenue) photograph locations and orientations on modern map (Sanborn 1990).
[Numbers refer to photographs]
Scale
100 feet
Photograph 1, North Avenue façade of Standard Star Building.
Photograph 2: LeCount Place façade of Standard Star Building (now Casanova Gold
nightclub)
Photograph 3: Detail of North Avenue façade of Standard Star Building.
Photograph 4: Detail of North Avenue façade of Standard Star Building.
HISTORIC RESOURCE INVENTORY FORM
NYS OFFICE OF PARKS, RECREATION
& HISTORIC PRESERVATION
P.O. BOX 189, WATERFORD, NY 12188
(518) 237-8643
OFFICE USE ONLY
USN:
IDENTIFICATION
Property name(if any) Anderson Street Apartments
Address or Street Location 5 Anderson Street
County Westchester
Town/City
New Rochelle
Address
Owner Anderson Development LLC
Architect/Builder, if known
1955 Central Park Avenue, Yonkers, NY 10701
Current use
Original use Residential apartments and stores
Kenneth, Norton, architect
Village/Hamlet:
Residential apartments and stores
Date of construction, if known 1923
DESCRIPTION
Materials -- please check those materials that are visible
wood clapboard
wood shingle
vertical boards
plywood
stone
brick
poured concrete
concrete block
vinyl siding
aluminum siding
cement-asbestos
other:
Roof:
asphalt, shingle
asphalt, roll
wood shingle
metal
Foundation:
stone
Exterior Walls:
Other materials and their location:
Alterations, if known:
Condition:
brick
poured concrete
concrete block
slate
other
Limestone
pressed metal cornice
Storefronts
excellent
Limestone
Date:
good
fair
?
deteriorated
Photos
Provide several clear, original photographs of the property proposed for nomination. Submitted views should represent the property as a
whole. For buildings or structures, this includes exterior and interior views, general setting, outbuildings and landscape features. Color
prints are acceptable for initial submissions.
Please staple one photograph providing a complete view of the structure or property to the front of this sheet. Additional views should be
submitted in a separate envelope or stapled to a continuation sheet.
Prepared by:
Telephone:
address
email :
Date
PLEASE PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION
IF YOU ARE PREPARING A NATIONAL REGISTER NOMINATION, PLEASE REFER TO THE ATTACHED INSTRUCTIONS
Narrative Description of Property: Briefly describe the property and its setting. Include a verbal description of the location (e.g., north side of NY 17,
west of Jones Road); a general description of the building, structure or feature including such items as architectural style (if known), number of stories,
type and shape of roof (flat, gabled, mansard, shed or other), materials and landscape features. Identify and describe any associated buildings,
structures or features on the property, such as garages, silos, privies, pools, gravesites. Identify any known exterior and interior alterations such as
additions, replacement windows, aluminum or vinyl siding or changes in plan. Include dates of construction and alteration, if known. Attach additional
sheets as needed.
The Anderson Street Apartments are located on the east side of North Avenue, north of its intersection with Anderson
Street. The building is set on a busy commercial thoroughfare. The residential entrance is on the Anderson Street
elevation, and discrete from the building’s commercial activity. Each elevation is treated as a primary façade; the north and
east elevations are unornamented.
The four-story building is designed in the Georgian Revival style and was executed in light tan brick with limestone trim. The
main façade, on Anderson Street is articulated in formal scheme with a prominent, nearly central entry, that is the elevation’s
focal point. The door itself has been replaced with modern glazing; the original surround is limestone and consists of a
simply molded casing within a jack-arched surround of stylized quoins. A limestone cornice that mimics the metal string
course delineating the second story sits slightly proud and is topped with a window with a simply molded limestone
surround, prominent lintel and that is flanked by scrolling arches that taper upwards. (Note that the motif of these arches is
echoed in a smaller scale in the signboard on the North Street façade). The entry is flanked by paired, narrow windows with
rectangular limestone surrounds with scrolled bases topped by lotus leaf finials.
Fenestration consists of single windows; at the ground floor to the east of the entry original 6/6 and 8/8 sash is visible.
Both primary elevations are treated similarly in decoration. The building rests on a limestone foundation and the brick
building’s corners are treated as stylized quoins. The second story is delineated by a projecting, molded metal string course
that sits at the sill levels of the second story sash. Window s rest on limestone sills and are topped with simple, jack
arched lintels of soldier brick laid flush with the façade. (Most windows have been replaced with modern glazing. A torus
molded limestone string course runs around the building above the quoins and the fourth floor windows. A simple brick
frieze is enlivened by bas-relief limestone diamonds above the quoins; and this is topped by a deeply projecting molded
cornice.
The Anderson Street elevation is laid out in a U shape, with paired symmetrically massed five-bay wings flanking a recessed
central element that provides for adequate interior light. Store fronts carry across the ground floor façade on this elevation,
but have been substantially altered with modern metal surrounds. Above the central storefront (at the recess of the U) is a
simple wooden sign board which echoes the scrolling limestone surround of the window above the entry.
The four-story building is designed in the “spirit of the Georgian Period” and executed in “light brick with limestone
enrichments.”
Narrative Description of Significance: Briefly describe those characteristics by which this property may be considered historically significant.
Significance may include, but is not limited to, a structure being an intact representative of an architectural or engineering type or style (e.g., Gothic
Revival style cottage, Pratt through-truss bridge); association with historic events or broad patterns of local, state or national history (e.g., a cotton mill
from a period of growth in local industry, a seaside cottage representing a locale's history as a resort community, a structure associated with activities of
the "underground railroad."); or by association with persons or organizations significant at a local, state or national level. Simply put, why is this property
important to you and the community. Attach additional sheets as needed.
The Anderson Street Apartments were built in 1923.
In an article in the December 5, 1923 issue of the Standard Star, the building was described as having “34 modern
apartments that will be a great help to relieving housing in the City. “
The 3, 4 and 5 room rental apartments had paneled living rooms “to be painted by the tenants scheme” and those with
dining alcoves had interior French doors. The article went on to say that “all rooms are outside, sunny and bright.”
The building was innovative for its time; a relatively early example of a large scale apartment building that was combined
with a commercial use. “The first floor is planned that the quiet seclusion and residential appearance of Anderson Strete is
in no way marred by the stores on the Rose Street (now North Avenue) front. In fact, the Anderson Street façade is simply
a high class apartment building with no sign of the commercial.”
The Anderson Apartments were designed by Kenneth Norton, an architect known for apartments on Park and Fifth Avenues
in Manhattan (Standard Star, December 5, 1923). A thorough search of Mr. Norton’s work was not possible, but it is
known that he acted as a supervising architect for several NY apartment buildings including a nineteen-story building built in
1950-1 designed by Emery Roth & Sons, and was credited as being the designer of the Arnold Constable store branch built
in Hempstead, Long Island, in 1940 (NYT March 20, 1940). ( Note: During this period, the Arnold and Constable families
lived locally in Mamaroneck and had a large store in New Rochelle).
The building is a well-detailed example of the Georgian Colonial Revival style. The Colonial Revival Style enjoyed an
enduring popularity in America. The 1876 Philadelphia Centennial exhibition is credited with awakening and popularizing a
generalized interest in our Colonial architectural heritage. It was not until the 1890s that the style became the most popular
style in American residential architecture. This was due, in part, to style setters McKim, Mead & White whose 1877 New
England study tour was widely publicized. In the 1880s they built several major Colonial Revival houses, and promoted the
style. The Georgian and Adam styles account for most of the Colonial Revival modes on the eastern seaboard, with Dutch
Colonial and Post-medieval English accounting for the rest. Although the style has been simplified over the years, the
Colonial Revival is still quite popular in America.
Whether a modest cottage, seaside mansion, or an apartment dwelling, the decorative detailing was inspired by the same
sources, American Colonial architecture.
The Colonial Revival is generally characterized by the symmetrical plan, massing and composition. Entries were made
prominent by the accentuation of an entry portico or formal surround, such as that on the Anderson Street Elevation. The
windows were typically double-hung with multi-pane glazing in the upper or both sashes. Windows were often enframed
or capped with a simple lintel or pediment. Cornices were generally prominent and simple and Georgian Colonial Revival
modes typically incorporated stylized quoining of brick or masonry in a nod to a quintessential characteristic of the
eighteenth-century American Colonial architecture from the Georgian period.
The remodeled storefronts on North Street do compromise the building; however, the remainder of the building survives with
a higher degree of architectural integrity and is architecturally significant as a good example of the style in New Rochelle.
Bibliography
New Rochelle Building Department Records
The Standard Star: “New Anderson Apartments” December 5, 1923 p. 1
The New York Times: “Proposed Apartment Financed” December 1, 1938 p. 43.
The New York Times: “Store Building Erected in Seventy-five Days.” March 20, 1940 p. 5
Significant
Contributing
Not Contributing
Overall LeCount
Square Project site
1
2, 3
5 Anderson Street Building photograph locations and orientations on modern map (Sanborn 1990).
[Numbers refer to photographs]
Scale
100 feet
Photograph 1: 5 Anderson Street, North Avenue façade.
Photograph 2: 5 Anderson Street, Anderson Street façade.
Photograph 3: Detail of 5 Anderson Street entry on Anderson Street.

Phase IA Archaeological and Architectural

Transcription

Similar documents

AB International

Take the Mural Quiz

Twelve Mile Wildlife Management Area

Plaza Las Americas - United Properties

The Regional Neonatal Follow

Subway Directions to Medgar Evers College Mathematics Department

Iluminate Your Style

Haddon Hall - Plymouth Housing Group

view weekly specials at:realcanadianliquorstore.ca

TO BENEFIT 89.7 WTMD