{"nrhp_refnum":"74001294","name":"Fairchild Mansion","other_names":["Masonic Temple"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"318 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Oneonta","county":"Otsego County","state":"NY","lat":42.455945274000044,"lon":-75.05895619599994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-02-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Science","Politics/Government","Architecture","Communications","Invention"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick mansion at 318 Main Street, Oneonta, Otsego County, New York, built in 1867 as a two-story Italian villa and enlarged and remodelled in the Queen Anne style after 1891. It later served as a Masonic Temple.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the mansion is important for its association with George W. Fairchild, a U.S. Congressman and early promoter of the company that became IBM, and his son Sherman M. Fairchild, a noted inventor. It is also cited as one of the best examples of late 19th-century domestic architecture in the Oneonta area and the only large residence left in the city center.","narrative":"Built in 1867 as a two-story Italian villa with a flat roof, this brick house on Main Street in Oneonta was transformed after George W. Fairchild bought it in 1891. In 1897 he added a tower, a third floor, chimneys and a heavy imported Belgian tile roof, using Queen Anne details such as a candlesnuffer tower roof, flaring cornices and a porte-cochere. Further interior work followed in 1915, producing six fireplaces, six baths and rooms panelled in mahogany, oak, cherry and other woods. Fairchild was a congressman from 1906 to 1918 and a leading promoter of the company that became IBM. His son Sherman, born and raised here, became a prominent inventor, known for an aerial camera used in World War II. A Masonic lodge acquired the house in 1929, keeping most of the furnishings. Though surrounded by modern development, it remains the only large residence left in central Oneonta and a reminder of the prosperous 1890s.","period_of_significance":"19th Century","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Italian villa remodelled in Queen Anne style","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and used by a Masonic lodge since 1929; interior furnishings donated by the Fairchild heir remain in place, and the exterior retains its 1890s appearance.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.287996-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/74001294.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001294/96c2dc56e6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001294/96c2dc56e6-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fairchild_Mansion_Apr_10.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fairchild_Mansion_Apr_10.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"03001245","name":"Oneonta Downtown Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/new-york/oneonta-downtown-historic-district-03001245/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75320929","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_Mansion","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5430081"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/otsego-county/fairchild-mansion-74001294/"}