{"nrhp_refnum":"02000302","name":"Van Benschoten House and Guest House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Margaretville Mountain Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Margaretville","county":"Delaware County","state":"NY","lat":42.16735223300003,"lon":-74.66837619599994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-04-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Entertainment/Recreation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story Queen Anne style farmhouse and guest house built about 1890, with two barns on a 5.7-acre parcel on Margaretville Mountain Road, north of Margaretville, Delaware County, New York.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is a large, distinctive example of Queen Anne design showing how farm architecture evolved in Delaware County at the end of the nineteenth century. It is also significant for the theme of recreation, because its many bedrooms and boarding-house features reflect the growth of Catskill summer tourism. It reflects the success of farmer Nelson Van Benschoten and his family.","narrative":"High on the southern slope of Margaretville Mountain, north of the village of Margaretville, stands a large Queen Anne style farmhouse built around 1890 by Nelson Van Benschoten and his son William Francis. The two-story house has four gabled pavilions rising from a hipped-roof core, an octagonal tower, a slate roof of many planes, and a deep veranda across the south front. Its plan includes a family center section, a kitchen wing and a west wing of bedrooms intended for summer boarders. The dry-laid bluestone basement survives from an earlier tenant farmhouse. A c1920 cow barn and a poultry house and machinery shed also remain on the 5.7-acre parcel. The property was recognized for its architecture and for what it shows about recreation in Delaware County. Summer tourism became a major part of the local economy in the late nineteenth century, and the house combines a working farm residence with features shared by hotels and boarding houses of the period. Its exterior and interior retain a high level of integrity.","period_of_significance":"1867-1936","architect_builder":"unknown","architectural_style":"Late Victorian, Queen Anne","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Historic and current functions are listed as single dwelling and hotel; the exterior is described as largely intact to its c1890 construction.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:52.596146-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/02000302.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75317283","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Benschoten_House_and_Guest_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7913144"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/delaware-county/van-benschoten-house-and-guest-house-02000302/"}