Church Park Historic District
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.
Church Park Historic District | |
U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
First Presbyterian Church and park, 2015 | |
| Location | Goshen, NY |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Middletown |
| Coordinates | 41°24′07″N 74°19′22″W |
| Area | 1,020 acres (410 ha) |
| Built | 18th-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 NRHP | November 17, 1980 |
| Boundary increase | September 15, 2004 |
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, 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.