{"nrhp_refnum":"02000137","name":"Merchant, Walter, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"188 Washington Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Albany","county":"Albany County","state":"NY","lat":42.655999902000076,"lon":-73.76231015099995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-03-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick and brownstone Italianate townhouse at 188 Washington Avenue in Albany, New York, built in 1869 for produce dealer Walter Merchant. A rear carriage house/garage and an iron fence and gate are also part of the property.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is an outstanding local example of the Italianate style, with Renaissance Revival elements, applied in an urban setting. It is a rare surviving freestanding brownstone dwelling in a neighborhood now dominated by modern development. Its intact interior, carriage house and cast iron fence add to its significance.","narrative":"Built in 1869 at 188 Washington Avenue in Albany, this two-story brick townhouse has a finely cut brownstone front and was built for Walter Merchant, a local produce dealer. He bought a neighboring lot, demolished the buildings on the combined parcels, and put up a five-bay Italianate house with quoins, a bracketed cornice and a recessed, segmental-arched entrance. Inside, the center-hall plan keeps original trim, mantels, stained glass, and coffered and paneled woodwork. A seven-bay brick carriage house on Spring Street and a cast iron fence and gate also survive. The basement was converted to a medical office in the early twentieth century. The house is listed as an outstanding local example of Italianate design in an urban setting. It is one of few such dwellings left on this stretch of Washington Avenue, and it recalls the wealth that Albany's growth after the Erie Canal brought to its merchant class.","period_of_significance":"1869","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Late Victorian/Italianate (with Renaissance Revival elements)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Restored in the 1990s; now used as offices (commerce/trade).","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:53.706649-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/02000137.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02000137/4fb14798db-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02000137/4fb14798db-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"This image or media was taken or created by Matt H. Wade. To see his entire portfolio, click here.@thatmattwade This image is protected by copyright! If you would like to use it, please read this first.","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Walter_Merchant_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">This image or media was taken or created by Matt H. Wade. To see his entire portfolio, click here.@thatmattwade This image is protected by copyright! If you would like to use it, please read this first.</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Walter_Merchant_House.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"100004669","name":"Washington Avenue Corridor Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/new-york/washington-avenue-corridor-historic-district-100004669/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75316275","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Merchant_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7965620"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/albany-county/merchant-walter-house-02000137/"}