{"nrhp_refnum":"74001296","name":"Aiken House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"NE corner of Riverside and Aiken Aves.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Rensselaer","county":"Rensselaer County","state":"NY","lat":42.635556517000055,"lon":-73.74894545099994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-12-31","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Federal-period brick townhouse at the northeast corner of Riverside Avenue and Aiken Avenue in Rensselaer, New York, built about 1816 by William Akin, founder of what became the city of Rensselaer.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is a superb example of Federal-period architecture with unusually fine interior woodwork. It is also important as the home built by William Akin, who founded the village of Greenbush, later Rensselaer. It is thought, though not documented, to have been designed by Albany architect Philip Hooker.","narrative":"Built around 1816, the Akin House is a brick townhouse near the Hudson River in Rensselaer, New York. It was built by William Akin, who bought land from Stephen Van Rensselaer in 1810 and went on to found the village of Greenbush, later the city of Rensselaer. The main block is two and a half stories, with Flemish bond brickwork on the street-facing sides, stepped gable ends with four chimneys, and sandstone lintels and sills. The south gable has an unusual arrangement of two oval windows flanked by two round ones. Inside, Federal woodwork includes door frames with cornices and paneled pilasters, and a curved stair hall divided by an arch on Ionic columns. The house is thought to be the work of Albany architect Philip Hooker, though the evidence is circumstantial. Vacant for several years and damaged by fires, including one in 1973, it was listed for its architecture and its link to Rensselaer's founder.","period_of_significance":"19th Century","architect_builder":"Thought to have been designed by Philip Hooker (not documented); built by William Akin","architectural_style":"Federal period","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as empty for several years, in fair-to-deteriorated condition, and damaged by several fires including one in 1973; a local historical society hoped to acquire it as a headquarters.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:38.806876-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/74001296.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001296/bd419bfb1e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001296/bd419bfb1e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Doug Kerr from Albany, Upstate New York, United States","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aiken_House_Rensselaer_NY_Oct_10.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Doug Kerr from Albany, Upstate New York, 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:Aiken_House_Rensselaer_NY_Oct_10.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75321173","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aiken_House_(Rensselaer,_New_York)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4696939"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/rensselaer-county/aiken-house-74001296/"}