A stately but weathered factory stands on watch over the west entry to the historic Village of Seneca Falls in Seneca County.
The bulk of the 314 Fall Street complex was completed in 1916 to house the production and offices of the Seneca Falls Machine Company, manufacturers of scroll saws, table saws, and lathes used to make machines for the early automobile industry.
During the Second World War, the factory turned out artillery shells for the Allies and reached a peak employment of around 200 workers, making it one of the village’s largest employers. In the postwar period, an office addition was completed on the complex’s east side, and the firm refocused on specialty machining jobs.
Production slowed and employment fell with globalization and deindustrialization in the late twentieth century. The plant was put up for sale in 2006, but the complexity of the property discouraged buyers.
The factory’s disrepair increasingly greeted visitors entering the village from the west; the older portion of the building was condemned in January 2017 owing to the lack of a functioning fire suppression system. Finally, after fourteen years on the market, the property was purchased in 2020, with the new owner quickly completing stabilizing repairs.
In 2023, the complex was determined eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, opening the possibility that historic rehabilitation tax credits might be available to facilitate the conversion of the building’s more than 100,000 square feet of well-preserved former manufacturing space and 14,000 square feet of office space to uses that would once again make the property a driver for dynamism in Seneca Falls.
Moreover, rehabilitation of this highly visible structure would make for a better welcome and bolster the unique sense of history that draws people to live, learn, work, and play in Seneca Falls.
The Landmark Society of Western New York has included the Seneca Falls Machine Company Plant in its 2026 Five to Revive — a list that identifies opportunities for targeted strategic revitalization. The list calls attention to sites across Western New York in need of rehabilitation.
Through this list, the organization hopes to facilitate investment and protect the area’s architectural heritage, by working with owners, developers, investors, and other partners to create connections and reactivate buildings in their communities.
Learn more about the 2026 Five to Revive.
Read more about Historic Preservation in New York State.
Photo of Seneca Falls Machine Company, ca. 2025 provided by The Landmark Society of Western New York.
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