{"nrhp_refnum":"08001081","name":"Ritter, Simon, Cobblestone Farmhouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"5102 NY Rt. 89","address_restricted":false,"city":"Varick","county":"Seneca County","state":"NY","lat":42.78096393250007,"lon":-76.77408252815107,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2008-11-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A cobblestone farmhouse with associated barns, a carriage/machine shed and a boathouse, on a 143.9-acre farmstead at 5102 Route 89 in Varick, Seneca County, New York, believed to date from the early 1830s.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is a substantially intact, representative example of cobblestone construction from the Early Period (ca. 1825-1835) in Seneca County. It is also a good example of vernacular Federal style domestic architecture, with a later Italianate overlay of paired brackets. It is reported to be the only cobblestone building ever built in Varick. The farm buildings are also significant as representative 19th century farm buildings.","narrative":"Set on the west side of Route 89 above Cayuga Lake in Varick, this cobblestone farmhouse anchors a 143.9-acre farmstead that began as dairy land and is now a vineyard. The two-story house, believed to date from the early 1830s, was built for Simon Ritter, who acquired the land in 1824. Its walls are variously colored field cobbles laid in horizontal rows, with limestone quoins, lintels and sills. A Federal-style entrance with sidelights and a transom contrasts with large paired brackets added under the eaves in the Victorian period, probably by the younger Simon Ritter. Two frame barns, one showing Pennsylvania Dutch/German features, a carriage shed, a limestone carriage step and a ca. 1900 boathouse complete the group. The house was listed for its architecture: it is a well-preserved example of early cobblestone construction, and the only cobblestone building ever built in Varick. Many other Seneca County examples have been lost or altered. Interior features are largely modern.","period_of_significance":"ca. 1830s-1900","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Mid-19th Century: Greek Revival (described in the text as late Federal/early Greek Revival with Italianate ornamentation)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Currently a single dwelling on a working vineyard farmstead; the interior is mostly modern, though the exterior is highly intact.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:52.583913-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/08001081.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75314642","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Ritter_Cobblestone_Farmhouse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7519650"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/seneca-county/ritter-simon-cobblestone-farmhouse-08001081/"}