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Academy Street Historic District (Poughkeepsie, New York)

Buildings and structures in Poughkeepsie, New YorkHistoric districts in Dutchess County, New YorkHistoric districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)NRHP infobox with nocatNational Register of Historic Places in Poughkeepsie, New York
Academy Street, Poughkeepsie, NY
Academy Street, Poughkeepsie, NY

The Academy Street Historic District is a historic district located along that street between Livingston and Montgomery streets in the city of Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. It is a few blocks from US 9, just northeast of Springside, Matthew Vassar's never-completed estate that is now a National Historic Landmark. Its 140 acres (56 ha) contain 46 buildings, mostly houses, in a variety of 19th and early 20th-century architectural styles. It was the first planned neighborhood in the city.Originally part of Bronson Smith's 1805 farm, the land today part of the district was sold to a group of speculators in 1836. While the financial crisis that ensued the following year set back home construction, later on in the 19th century the purchase proved fruitful as many, many homes were built on it in a mix of styles, with houses near the north end of the district, closer to downtown Poughkeepsie, having smaller lots and yards than the ones further away. Christ Church, also built during this time, remains largely unaltered and is considered a contributing property.In the late 1970s, 85% of the residents voted in favor of establishing the district, after seeing how successful the nearby Garfield Place Historic District had been at enhancing property values and preserving that neighborhood's historic character. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The district designation has spurred the redevelopment and restoration of homes within and has been used as a selling point by real estate agents.Today it is one of three historic districts recognized under city zoning and subject to special architectural rules enforced by the city's Historic District and Landmark Preservation Commission (HDLPC). The HDLPC's jurisdiction over the district is not supreme; in 1986 the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ruled that the city's Planning Board was to be lead agency and have primary jurisdiction over a proposed 18-unit condominium complex within the district.Notable former residents include William Allen Adriance (154 Academy St), farming equipment manufacturer, father of actress Jan Sterling, and founder of Adriance Memorial Library, the main public library in Poughkeepsie.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Academy Street Historic District (Poughkeepsie, New York) (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Academy Street Historic District (Poughkeepsie, New York)
Academy Street,

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N 41.693333333333 ° E -73.928888888889 °
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Academy Street 154
12601
New York, United States
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Academy Street, Poughkeepsie, NY
Academy Street, Poughkeepsie, NY
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Nearby Places

Garfield Place Historic District
Garfield Place Historic District

The Garfield Place Historic District is a small residential neighborhood in southern Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. It is a 20-acre (8.1 ha) area covering all properties on Garfield Place, which runs for two blocks between Franklin and Montgomery streets, as well as some on nearby sections of Montgomery and Barclay. In 1972 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today's Garfield Place was originally part of a 53-acre (21 ha) area known as the "Little Commons", owned by the van Kleeck family, when Poughkeepsie was incorporated as a village in 1799. In the first decades of the new century, it grew rapidly and a man named Bronson French bought a portion of the Little Commons. In turn he sold it to a partnership of four local businessmen in 1836, who saw it as desirable for upscale homes since it was close to the center of the village and situated on a hill with commanding views of the Hudson River.They surveyed the property and subdivided it into building lots shortly afterward. At auction, the lots sold for an average of $25 per square foot. However, the Panic of 1837 slowed the economy shortly afterwards, and ground was not broken until the early 1850s when Joseph Corlies, one of the partners, built himself the house at 28 Garfield as a demonstration of what sort of home could be built on the new street.Others followed, lured by advertising that cited the quietness of the streets, the view of the river and its proximity to the growing city's downtown. By the 1880s South Liberty Street had been pretty much built out. In 1881, the street's name was changed to Garfield Place in memory of recently assassinated President James A. Garfield. The last lots would be developed in the early 20th century.The houses continued to remain among the city's most desirable addresses, and later on a carriage house originally built for Corlies' home was converted into another residence, 30 Garfield. The street's success as one of the city's first historic districts led the residents of neighboring Academy Street to seek the same status in 1982. It is subject to special architectural rules enforced by the city's Historic District and Landmark Preservation Commission (HDLPC).