The Gateway Center, located at 31 Water St., Jamestown, is the former location of the Empire Worsted Mills, which closed in 1955. The building has been nominated by the state and national registers of historic places. P-J photo by Dennis Phillips

A turn-of-the-century city brick and masonry mill facility has been nominated by the state and national registers as a historic place.

Last week, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced 10 projects preserving state history, ranging from a Dutch colonial settlement to the Civil Rights period, have received 2019 State Historic Preservation Awards. He also announced a dozen historic locations around the state that were nominated for listing on the state and national registers of historic places, which includes the former Empire Worsted Mills, which is now the Gateway Center, located at 31 Water St.

Being nominated to be a state and national historic place can provide building owners with grants and tax credits to support rehabilitation projects.

“New York has transformed over centuries into a state defined by its diverse history, and there is no better way to see that history than in our unique architecture and places,” said Cuomo. “These historic awards and nominations will proudly preserve the lives and stories of countless New Yorkers into the future.”

The Empire Worsted Mills was once a location where hundreds of people worked during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The mills closed in 1955.

The Gateway Center is currently home to several agencies, including the Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County, St. Susan Center and Community Helping Hands.

Since 2018, officials with Southern Tier Environments For Living, Community Helping Hands and the Jamestown YWCA have been working on a project to renovate much of the building to develop apartment units on the second, third, and fourth floor of the building, which would be known as the Gateway Lofts.

The project has not started because of a ruling by the city Planning Commission in October 2018 on the State Environmental Quality Review, or SEQR, process.

New York’s State Historic Preservation Office is a division of State Parks, which helps communities identify, evaluate, preserve and revitalize historic, archeological and cultural resources.

Once recommendations are approved by the state historic preservation officer, the properties are listed on the New York State Register of Historic Places. Properties are then nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, where they are reviewed and, once approved, entered into the National Register.