Don Rittner

Schenectady's Stockade Don Rittner

Located in upstate New York on the western banks of the Mohawk River, Schenectady's stockade is recognized as the first historic district of New York State and has been protected by strict zoning laws since the 1960s. As one of the oldest European-settled areas in the Unites States, the stockade contains the highest concentration of historic buildings in the country. During the early 19th century, the stockade had become a center for business, but a major fire in 1819 swept most of it away. Remarkably, more than 40 buildings have remained a part of the landscape for more than two centuries. As a result, a mix of architecture from 17th-century Dutch to modern exists within the four blocks that make up the stockade. Through photographs and maps, Schenectady's Stockade: New York's First Historic District tells the story of one of America's earliest communities.