{"nrhp_refnum":"74001320","name":"Bolton Priory","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"7 Priory Lane","address_restricted":false,"city":"Pelham Manor","county":"Westchester County","state":"NY","lat":40.88692470500007,"lon":-73.79528142999999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-06-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Bolton Priory is a stone and brick Gothic/Elizabethan-style country house at 7 Priory Lane, Pelham Manor, Westchester County, New York, overlooking Pelham Bay. It was built for the Rev. Robert Bolton and completed in 1838 on a 3.7-acre wooded tract.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the Priory reflects the lifestyle and tastes of an influential mid-19th century family in rural Pelham and the early romantic movement in American country-house design. Andrew Jackson Downing illustrated it in his 1841 landscape gardening treatise and praised it as a highly unique residence in the old English style. It also preserves interior woodwork and stained glass made by Bolton's sons.","narrative":"Bolton Priory is a stone and brick country house on a wooded 3.7-acre tract overlooking Pelham Bay in Pelham Manor, New York. Completed in 1838 for the Rev. Robert Bolton, it combines a long two-story block, a gabled wing, and crenellated octagonal and square towers into a deliberately irregular, picturesque silhouette. Early in the 20th century a third story was added to part of the main block, but the exterior is otherwise little changed. Inside, mantels, bookcases and stained glass reflect work by Bolton's sons, including William Jay Bolton. Andrew Jackson Downing illustrated the house in his 1841 landscape gardening treatise and called it a highly unique residence in the old English style. It was listed as an early example of the romantic movement in American country-house design and as a reminder of Pelham's rural past. Bolton's daughter Nanette later ran a girls' school there, and the Allen family owned it from 1883 until 1968. Old formal gardens survive on the grounds.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific date 1838)","architect_builder":"Built for Rev. Robert Bolton; interior finishing by his sons, including stained glass by William Jay Bolton; Washington Irving is believed to have been closely associated with the design","architectural_style":"Romantic movement country house in the old English (Elizabethan) style","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition listed as excellent and essentially unaltered apart from an early 20th century third-story addition; at the time of nomination it was unoccupied and for sale, with the family that owned it from 1883 having left in 1968.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.200596-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/74001320.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001320/29d861a516-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001320/29d861a516-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"ALT55-VictorM","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bolton_Priory,_7_Priory_Lane_Pelham_Manor,_Westchester_County,_New_York.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">ALT55-VictorM</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bolton_Priory,_7_Priory_Lane_Pelham_Manor,_Westchester_County,_New_York.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75322961","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolton_Priory_(Pelham_Manor,_New_York)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14706192"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/westchester-county/bolton-priory-74001320/"}