Erie Canal (Enlarged), Lock Number 18, 252 North Mohawk Street, Cohoes, Albany County, NY

Significance: Lock 18 of the Enlarged Erie Canal was part of a scheme to reduce the number of locks between Albany and Schenectady, thus making transportation easier and speedier on what was one of the most difficult stretches of the canal. Promoters of the Enlarged Erie Canal, which was designed by some of the outstanding engineers of the day, believed that by doubling the locks on the canal, and by increasing the size of the locks and the canal bed itself, the economy of New York State would be improved and the chances of competition from railways lessened. Although the lock now contains no water, it remains a fine specimen of canal era masonry work.
Survey number: HAER NY-11
Building/structure dates: 1841 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: ca. 1969
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 66000530