Owning a house in a Saratoga Springs historic district

This guide is for people who own, or are thinking about buying, an older house in one of Saratoga Springs’ historic districts. It explains what the districts are, how local design review works, and what it means for everyday projects, from paint and windows to porches and additions. It is a practical overview, not legal advice, so confirm specifics with the city before you start work.

Two kinds of historic district

Saratoga Springs has historic districts at two levels, and they work differently.

National Register districts

Five contiguous National Register historic districts cover much of the older city: Broadway (listed 1979), Union Avenue (1978), the East Side (1982), the West Side (1994) and the Canfield Casino and Congress Park area. National Register listing is mostly honorary for private owners. It recognizes a place’s significance and can open the door to historic tax credits, but by itself it does not restrict what you do with your house.

Local historic districts

The city’s own districts are the ones that come with rules. In 1977, Saratoga Springs adopted a local preservation ordinance to protect buildings and neighborhoods from demolition, insensitive rehabilitation and out-of-character new construction. Changes to buildings inside those local districts go through a review process. The city says the goal is to protect architectural character while giving owners flexibility to adapt their buildings. The city’s historic districts page explains the program and links to maps.

What review usually covers

Review focuses on what the public sees from the street. Projects that commonly need attention include:

• Replacing windows, doors or original trim.
• Changing siding or roofing materials.
• Rebuilding, enclosing or removing porches.
• Additions, new garages and carriage-house conversions.
• Demolition of all or part of a building.
• New construction on a vacant lot inside a district.

Interior work generally is not part of design review, though it still needs building permits when it involves structure, plumbing or electrical systems.

How to approach a project

A little planning saves months. Our read, from how these processes usually go:

• Confirm whether your property is in a local district before you design anything. The city’s maps are the authority, not a listing.
• Call the city’s planning staff early. Staff can tell you whether a project needs full review or a simpler sign-off.
• Hire people who have done historic work in the city. Architects and contractors who know the process write better applications.
• Photograph what is there now, especially original details, before any work starts.
• Build the review timeline into your schedule, especially for spring and summer projects when contractors book up.

Where the historic houses are

Most historic housing sits in a few neighborhoods, each with its own character.

• The East Side has Victorians, colonials and four-squares on narrow lots, many from the late 1800s and early 1900s, including several by local architect R. Newton Brezee.
• Union Avenue has large Queen Anne, Colonial Revival and Gothic houses from the 1860s into the early 1900s.
• North Broadway has some of the city’s largest Victorian houses on deep lots.
• The West Side has modest 19th-century cottages and two-family houses built for the resort’s working class, plus the Greek Revival houses of Franklin Square.

Buying an older house

An old house in a historic district can be wonderful and expensive at the same time. Before you buy:

• Get an inspector who knows older construction, including knob-and-tube wiring, old plumbing, slate roofs and stone foundations.
• Ask for utility bills. Heating a large Victorian through an upstate winter is a real cost.
• Ask the seller what work was done and whether it went through review. Unapproved changes can become your problem.
• Check whether the house has a carriage house or barn, and what it can legally be used for.

Help and resources

The city’s planning office handles local review. For the history of a particular house, the Saratoga Springs History Museum in the Canfield Casino and the local history collection at the Saratoga Springs Public Library are good places to start.

Good to know

District boundaries and review procedures can change. Confirm with the city before you sign a contract or start work.

Know something we should add or fix in this guide? Tell us.