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The Downtown Ossining Historic District is located at the central crossroads of Ossining, New York, United States, and the village's traditional business district known as the Crescent. Among its many late 19th- and early 20th-century commercial buildings are many of the village's major landmarks—three bank buildings, four churches, its village hall, former post office and high school. It was recognized as a historic district in 1989 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as one of the few downtowns in Westchester County with its social and historical development intact. One of its contributing properties, the First Baptist Church of Ossining, had already been listed on the Register in 1973. The Old Croton Aqueduct, a portion of which passes through the district, was listed on the Register the following year and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1992. Among the architects represented in the district are Robert W. Gibson, Isaac G. Perry and James Gamble Rogers. Ossining began at the crossroads in the late 18th century, and continued to prosper as industry developed along the nearby shore of the Hudson River, along with Sing Sing prison and the railroad. It soon became Westchester's first incorporated village. The downtown area was fully developed by then, but two events later in the century reshaped it. The aqueduct was built through the area to carry water to New York City, requiring the demolition of some buildings. In the early 1870s several fires destroyed other buildings; most that remain thus date from that period to the early 1930s.〔 Later in the 20th century the buildings on the south side of Main Street were demolished as part of urban renewal efforts. Some of the oldest buildings on the other side were also lost in another fire. Little has been built to replace them, and the village has only recently begun serious redevelopment efforts although the area has become home to restaurants and home-furnishings stores that cater to the area's Latin American and Portuguese immigrant populations. A comprehensive plan adopted in the early 21st century has led to new zoning for the area meant to encourage mixed-use development. It also called for the expansion of the district to include Highland Cottage and some other buildings; this was granted in 2013. ==Geography== The district is a area shaped roughly like an upside down "Y". Its boundaries mostly follow lot lines and curbs. It is built around South Highland Avenue (U.S. Route 9), the main north-south through road, and Main Street, which leads west to the river. At its northern end is the village municipal building along Croton Avenue (New York State Route 133). It includes the bank building at the corner with South Highland and then crosses the street to follow the rear line of all the properties on Main Street, the area traditionally known as the Crescent due to the curve resulting from the area's topography. This takes it to the southwest, crossing the aqueduct trailway. At Brandreth Street it veers westward to take in two properties on Central Avenue, then returns to take in the properties as far west as 119 Main Street.〔 Then it returns eastward along Main, crossing the aqueduct again to the north side of Church Street. It turns south to follow the rear lines of the properties along South Highland, two commercial buildings and Trinity Episcopal Church, then returns to South Highland at Maple Place. It follows the east side of the road to Emwilton Place, where it turns east to include Ossining United Methodist Church. Past the church it turns north again to include all the buildings of Ossining High School while excluding its more modern athletic facilities. At the high school's north boundary it turns west again to the rear lines of properties on South Highland, and follows them back to village hall.〔 The 37 buildings and structures within these boundaries are overwhelmingly commercial structures, usually brick buildings of two or three stories. The rest are institutional, either religious or governmental in use. All but 14 are considered contributing properties.〔 Within the district the land slopes slightly to the north and west, anticipating steeper drops of almost 100 feet (30 m) to the Sing Sing Kill gorge and Hudson respectively. As a result of its proximity to these bluffs there is a view across the Hudson, nearly three miles (5 km) wide at this point, to Hook Mountain and other peaks of the Palisades between Nyack and Haverstraw in Rockland County. To the east and south are the residential neighborhoods of Ossining. Just south of the district's southern boundary on the west side of South Highland is Highland Cottage, also listed on the Register. The village's 2009 comprehensive plan called for expanding the historic district boundaries, at least for local purposes.〔Village of Ossining, ; April 2, 2008; p. 52; retrieved June 28, 2011〕 Four small areas have been proposed for inclusion. They include the additional properties on Central Avenue, a westward expansion along Main Street, Highland Cottage and the building to the east of the municipal building on Croton Avenue at the northeast corner of the district. These areas were added to the district in 2013.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Downtown Ossining Historic District」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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