Church Park Historic District

Last updated
Church Park Historic District
First Presbyterian Church, Goshen, NY.jpg
First Presbyterian Church and park, 2015
USA New York location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location Goshen, NY
Nearest city Middletown
Coordinates 41°24′07″N74°19′22″W / 41.40194°N 74.32278°W / 41.40194; -74.32278 Coordinates: 41°24′07″N74°19′22″W / 41.40194°N 74.32278°W / 41.40194; -74.32278
Area1,020 acres (410 ha)
Built18th-20th century
Architect Thornton Niven, Richard Upjohn, Calvert Vaux and N. Van Sickle
Architectural style Federal style, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival
NRHP reference No. 80002735  (original)
04000991  (increase)
Significant dates
Added to NRHPNovember 17, 1980
Boundary increaseSeptember 15, 2004

The Church Park Historic District is a historic district and part of downtown Goshen, the seat of Orange County, New York, United States. It takes its name from the large triangular park formed at the center of the village by Main Street (NY 207), Park Place and South Church Street. It is defined as bounded by Green Street on the south, Main Street, Webster Avenue, and then back across Main at Erie Street across the Historic Track to Kelsey Lane, South Church Street, South Street and back to Green. There are 107 buildings and three objects within the district.

Contents

At the north end of the triangle are First Presbyterian Church, whose distinctive spire dominates the village's skyline, giving the district its name. It was first designated when added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 as bounded by Park, Main and Webster. In 2004 it was expanded to its current boundaries.

The village designated the area an Architectural Design District a few years after the district was added to the Register. This provides for review of design elements for any new construction within its boundaries to ensure that they conform to its historic character, [1] which stands as a stark contrast to the brutalist, Paul Rudolph-designed Orange County Government Center to the north of the district. Most of the properties within are either churches, county government buildings or professional offices, with residential uses taking up the side streets. There is some retail along the west side of Main Street near the southwestern corner of the district, where it abuts Goshen's main downtown shopping district.

Significant contributing properties

The district's 1,020 acres (4 km²) includes three contributing properties that are Registered Historic Places in their own right. Foremost among them is the Historic Track, a National Historic Landmark where harness racing has taken place since 1838, making it the oldest continuously operated horse racing facility in the U.S. In front of it, on Main Street near the north end of the district, is the Tudor Revival Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame. Facing the church from across Main is the county's 1841 courthouse, a magnificent Greek Revival structure designed by popular local architect Thornton Niven.

The Orange Blossoms monument Orange Blossoms statue, Goshen NY.jpg
The Orange Blossoms monument

Just north of the church is Orange County's 1887 government building, and in the middle of the intersection of Main and Park is a Theo Alice Ruggles Kitson statue commemorating the "Orange Blossoms", a locally raised regiment that fought with distinction in the Civil War. The Goshen United Methodist Church, almost as tall as its neighbor, adjoins the old courthouse.

At the corner of Park and South Church, another monument remembers the village's sacrifice during the Revolutionary War. A granite obelisk marks the mass grave of the local militiamen who died in the disastrous Battle of Minisink. It took 43 years for locals to make the trip to the battle site and retrieve what bones they could.

Main Street to the north of the intersection is wide and lined with historic buildings on both sides. They include a house from which President Ulysses S. Grant watched the horse races in 1873 and the early 20th-century school building which now serves as main offices for the Goshen Central School District.

See also

Related Research Articles

Goshen (village), New York Village in New York, United States

Goshen is a village in and the county seat of Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 5,777 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area as well as the larger New York metropolitan area.

Goshen, New York Town in New York, United States

Goshen is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 13,687 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the Biblical Land of Goshen. It contains a village also called Goshen, which is the county seat of Orange County. The town is centrally located in the county.

Dutch Reformed Church (Newburgh, New York) Historic church in New York, United States

The Dutch Reformed Church is one of the most prominent architectural landmarks in Newburgh, New York. It was designed by Alexander Jackson Davis in 1835 in the Greek Revival style just after the dissolution of his partnership with Ithiel Town. It is his only surviving church in that style and is considered to be his latest building still standing that largely reflects his original vision. The church stands at 132 Grand Street, just north of the Newburgh Free Library.

United States Post Office (Goshen, New York) United States historic place

The U.S. Post Office in Goshen, New York, United States, is located on Grand Street downtown in the village of Goshen. It serves ZIP Code 10924, roughly contiguous with the village and town. The brick Colonial Revival building was completed in 1936, and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

1841 Goshen Courthouse United States historic place

The 1841 Goshen Courthouse is located along Main Street in the center of Goshen, New York, the seat of Orange County, New York, United States. It was designed by popular local architect Thornton M. Niven in a Greek Revival style, meant to be a twin of the one he had already built in Newburgh, which at that time shared seat duties with the larger city. Construction of the building was approved by the county legislature in April 1841 and began shortly thereafter.

Historic Track United States historic place

The Historic Track is a half-mile harness racing track in Goshen, New York. It was opened in 1838 and has been in operation ever since, the oldest continuously operated horse racing track in North America.

Montgomery–Grand–Liberty Streets Historic District Historic district in New York, United States

The Montgomery–Grand–Liberty Streets historic district was the first of two to be designated in the city of Newburgh, New York, United States. It runs along the three named north-south streets in the northeast quadrant of the city and includes 250 buildings in its 1,010 acres (4.1 km2). The later East End Historic District is nearby.

Downtown Santa Ana United States historic place

Downtown Santa Ana (DTSA), also called Downtown Orange County, is the historic city center of Santa Ana and the county seat of Orange County, California. It is the institutional center for the city of Santa Ana as well as Orange County, a retail and business hub, and has in recent years developed rapidly as a regional cultural, entertainment and culinary center for Orange County.

Main Street Historic District (Danbury, Connecticut) Historic district in Connecticut, United States

The Main Street Historic District in Danbury, Connecticut, United States, is the oldest section of that city, at its geographical center. It has long been the city's commercial core and downtown. Its 132 buildings, 97 of which are considered contributing properties, include government buildings, churches, commercial establishments and residences, all in a variety of architectural styles from the late 18th century to the early 20th. It is the only major industrial downtown of its size in Connecticut not to have developed around either port facilities or a water power site.

Mill Street–North Clover Street Historic District Historic district in New York, United States

The Mill Street–North Clover Street Historic District is located along those streets and Main Street in western Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. It is an irregularly-shaped area of 27 acres (11 ha) between US 9 and downtown Poughkeepsie, located on the slope up from the Hudson River. There are roughly 139 historic buildings, and very few new ones.

Village of Monroe Historic District Historic district in New York, United States

The Village of Monroe Historic District, also known as the Smith's Mill Historic District, is located in Monroe, New York, United States. It is an irregularly shaped 81-acre (33 ha) area containing 36 properties, primarily residential but with some churches and commercial buildings, in the center of the village, just east of its downtown. In 1998 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

United States Post Office (Albion, New York) United States historic place

The U.S. Post Office in Albion, New York, is located on South Main Street in the center of town. It serves the 14411 ZIP Code, covering the village and town of Albion plus neighboring sections of the towns of Barre and Gaines.

Orleans County Courthouse Historic District Historic district in New York, United States

The Orleans County Courthouse Historic District is one of two located in downtown Albion, New York, United States. Centered on Courthouse Square, it includes many significant buildings in the village, such as its post office and churches from seven different denominations, one of which is the tallest structure in the county. Many buildings are the work of local architect William V.N. Barlow, with contributions from Solon Spencer Beman and Andrew Jackson Warner. They run the range of architectural styles from the era in which the district developed, from Federal to Colonial Revival.

Dublin Village Historic District Historic district in New Hampshire, United States

The Dublin Village Historic District encompasses the historic village center of Dublin, New Hampshire. Dublin's center developed in the 19th century after its original village center was abandoned due to harsher winter conditions nearer Dublin Pond. The district extends along Main Street from its junction with Lake Street in the west to the junction with Old County Road in the east, and includes sections of Old Common Road, Harrisville Road, and Church Street. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Farmington Historic District (Farmington, Maine) Historic district in Maine, United States

The Farmington Historic District encompasses much of the main central business district of Farmington, Maine. Farmington was settled in the 1770s, and experienced its most rapid growth after being named the shire town of Franklin County in 1838, with a secondary spurt of redevelopment after a major fire in the 1880s. Its central business district encompasses many of the town's historic resources, and its most significant commercial and civic architecture. The district, which includes more than 130 resource over 85 acres (34 ha), was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

Goshen Historic District (Goshen, Indiana) Historic district in Indiana, United States

Goshen Historic District is a national historic district located at Goshen, Elkhart County, Indiana. The district encompasses 751 contributing buildings and 1 contributing site in the central business district and surrounding residential sections of Goshen. The town was developed between about 1840 and 1930, and includes notable examples of Italianate and Queen Anne style architecture. Located with in the district are the separately listed Elkhart County Courthouse and Goshen Carnegie Public Library. Other notable buildings include the Kindy Block (1881), Central Block (1882), Spohn Building (1909), Harper Block (1888), Noble Building, Jefferson Theater (1907), General Baptist Church (1859), First Methodist Church (1874), and St. James Episcopal Church (1862).

Rutland Courthouse Historic District United States historic place

The Rutland Courthouse Historic District encompasses an architecturally cohesive area of civic and residential buildings in Rutland, Vermont. Roughly bounded by Court, Washington, South Main, and West Streets, the district was principally developed between 1850 and 1875, and includes a number of prominent municipal and county buildings, including the Rutland County courthouse, the Rutland Free Library, and the Grace Congregational United Church. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Bethel Village Historic District United States historic place

The Bethel Village Historic District encompasses the historic core of the village of Bethel in the town of Bethel, Vermont, USA. The L-shaped district extends along Main and Church Streets, including many of the village's commercial and civic buildings, as well as a significant number of 19th and early 20th-century residences. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, and was slightly enlarged in 1990.

Chelsea Village Historic District United States historic place

The Chelsea Village Historic District encompasses the historic village center of Chelsea, Vermont, the shire town of Orange County. Developed in the first half of the 19th century as a regional service and transportation hub, the village exhibits a significant number of Greek Revival buildings, augmented with primarily later civic and commercial buildings. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

High Street (Columbus, Ohio) North-south street in Columbus, Ohio

High Street is a major thoroughfare in Central Ohio, predominantly in Franklin County and Columbus. It stretches from the northern border of Columbus in Delaware County south to the southern boundary of Franklin County just past Columbus's municipal boundaries. The street is considered one of Columbus's two main roads, along with Broad Street.

References

  1. "Projects". Garling Associates. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-07-26.