Helen Hill Historic District, national historic district located at Saranac Lake, Essex County and Franklin County, New York
The Helen Hill Historic District is a residential area in Saranac Lake containing homes built from the late 1800s through the early 1900s. The houses display various architectural styles including Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Tudor, and Craftsman, ranging from large homes with gabled roofs and bay windows to smaller, simpler houses with modest details.
The neighborhood developed primarily between 1896 and 1930, a period of intensive construction activity in Saranac Lake. One house on Shepard Avenue, built in the 1850s, predates most other structures and marks an earlier phase of settlement before the district's major expansion.
Helen Hill takes its name from early residents of the neighborhood and remains part of Saranac Lake's local identity. The homes, particularly the porches designed for medical treatment, show how the community was shaped by its role as a health retreat and how daily life centered around caring for patients.
The district is best explored on foot, with tree-lined streets and well-maintained lawns that make for a pleasant walk. The area spans two counties, so visitors should allow plenty of time to view the homes and appreciate their architectural details.
The Adelaide Crapsey Cottage was home to an American poet who wrote some of her finest work while attempting to recover from tuberculosis. The house represents a rare intersection of American literary history and the health retreat's medical mission within the district's architecture.
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