{"nrhp_refnum":"10000032","name":"Bird Homestead","other_names":["Bouton-Bird-Erikson Homestead"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"600 Milton Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Rye","county":"Westchester County","state":"NY","lat":40.96160176300003,"lon":-73.68879419799998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2010-02-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Science"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small-farm complex at 600 Milton Road in Rye, Westchester County, New York, with a Greek Revival wood-frame house built in 1835, an 1885 barn and a late 19th-century waterfront outbuilding, on 1.17 acres reaching to tidal Blind Brook.","why_significant":"The homestead is nominated under Criterion B for its long association with Henry Bird, Roland T. Bird and Junius Bird, three scientists who made nationally significant discoveries in entomology, paleontology and archeology. It is also significant under Criterion C as a very intact example of a Greek Revival house with its outbuildings, retaining nearly all of its historic fabric.","narrative":"Set back from Milton Road in Rye, New York, the Bird Homestead is a small-farm complex of three buildings on just over an acre running down to the tidal Blind Brook. The main house was built in 1835 in the Greek Revival style and keeps its six-over-six windows, recessed entry with sidelights, corner pilasters and side-hall plan. A late 19th-century north wing, an 1885 timber-frame barn and a waterfront workshop raised on posts above the tide complete the property. The Bird family owned it from 1852 until 2009. Three family members became nationally prominent scientists: Henry Bird in entomology, Roland T. Bird in paleontology and Junius Bird in archeology, whose excavations in Chile and Peru were of international importance. Henry Bird's carved woodwork survives in the library and kitchen. Because the family held the site so long, the buildings retain a rare degree of integrity. The City of Rye purchased the homestead in 2009.","period_of_significance":"1835-1982","architect_builder":"unknown","architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"Owned by the Bird family from 1852 until 2009, when the City of Rye bought it. Maintenance was deferred for years: roofs are deteriorated and porches and outbuilding sag, but no defining features need replacement.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:47.831949-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/10000032.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10000032/c4c36ef1e4-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10000032/c4c36ef1e4-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Barry Eagel","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bird_Homestead_Rye_NY_DSCN2013.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Barry Eagel</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bird_Homestead_Rye_NY_DSCN2013.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75322959","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_Homestead","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4915861"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/westchester-county/bird-homestead-10000032/"}