{"nrhp_refnum":"09000378","name":"Gates, Benjamin Franklin, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"13079 W. Lee Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Albion","county":"Orleans County","state":"NY","lat":43.16687086750005,"lon":-84.27509223513508,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2009-06-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Exploration/Settlement"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A farmhouse at 13079 West Lee Road (NY 31A) in the town of Barre, near Albion, Orleans County, New York, built about 1831 for Benjamin Franklin Gates. It stands on a 29-acre property with a barn, a carriage barn and a privy.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is architecturally significant as a largely intact vernacular Federal/Greek Revival farmhouse and as an example of stacked-plank construction. It is also significant for Benjamin Franklin Gates, an early settler who started the town's pioneer tannery, which employed skilled immigrant workers after the Erie Canal opened.","narrative":"Built around 1831 on the north side of West Lee Road in the town of Barre, this two-story farmhouse with one-story wings combines a Federal form with Greek Revival details such as a full front pediment, heavy entablature and wide corner pilasters. Its walls are made of one-inch planks stacked flat and nailed together, a method that used timber cleared from farmland and did not require specialized joinery skills. The house sits on a 29-acre property whose boundaries have not changed since 1831, with a hand-hewn post-and-beam barn, a carriage barn and a privy. Benjamin Franklin Gates, the first owner, is credited as the town's pioneer tanner. His tannery grew over time and employed skilled workers from several countries, a development tied to the Erie Canal's effect on western New York's economy. The house remains largely as built, with its original footprint and many original windows and clapboards, and it illustrates early settler life in the region.","period_of_significance":"ca. 1831-1853","architect_builder":"unknown","architectural_style":"Federal; Greek Revival","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"Still used as a single dwelling; the house is largely intact, and part of the property is farmed.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:53.90171-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/09000378.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09000378/246e7a29f9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09000378/246e7a29f9-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Pubdog (talk)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Benjamin_Franklin_Gates_House_Nov_10.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Pubdog (talk)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Benjamin_Franklin_Gates_House_Nov_10.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75320801","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin_Gates_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4888634"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/orleans-county/gates-benjamin-franklin-house-09000378/"}