{"nrhp_refnum":"11000275","name":"Sheldon, Hazard H., House","other_names":["Sheldon--Benham House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"539 4th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Niagara Falls","county":"Niagara County","state":"NY","lat":43.09380948800003,"lon":-79.05756298799997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2011-05-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Politics/Government"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story stone Italianate house with a brick kitchen block, built in 1857 at 539 Fourth Street in Niagara Falls, Niagara County, New York. The builder is unknown, and the house was purchased that year by lawyer Hazard H. Sheldon.","why_significant":"The house is argued to be locally significant under Criterion C as a rare example of the 'Italian Villa' style in Niagara County, popularized by A.J. Downing and pattern books. It is also significant under Criterion B for its association with Hazard H. Sheldon, who was active in Niagara Falls civic affairs, including Civil War recruitment and the 1889 village charter that led to the city's formation.","narrative":"Built in 1857 at 539 Fourth Street in Niagara Falls, this two-story, L-shaped house of dressed stone, likely quarried from the Niagara Gorge, follows the Italianate or Italian Villa mode. A low gable roof with paired brackets, a hipped porch with arched column tops, a full-height parlor bay and four-over-four windows define its exterior, while a brick kitchen block extends to the rear. Inside, the first floor keeps twelve-foot ceilings, a central foyer with the main staircase and elaborate plaster moldings. It is considered a rare local example of a style spread by A.J. Downing and pattern books. It is also tied to Hazard H. Sheldon, a lawyer who bought it in 1857 and lived there until his death in 1900. Sheldon recruited troops during the Civil War, served as captain in the 8th Heavy Artillery, held village and town offices, and helped create the 1889 village charter that led to the city of Niagara Falls.","period_of_significance":"1857-1900","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"Mid-19th Century: Italianate (Italian Villa)","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"Private single-family dwelling under ongoing restoration by its owners, with a new roof, repointed stone and window rehabilitation completed or underway, and interior plaster work still to be restored.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:48.296609-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/11000275.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/11000275/df0ba07678-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/11000275/df0ba07678-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Pubdog","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hazard_H._Sheldon_House_Jul_11.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Pubdog</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hazard_H._Sheldon_House_Jul_11.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75320141","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazard_H._Sheldon_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5687650"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/niagara-county/sheldon-hazard-h-house-11000275/"}