{"nrhp_refnum":"75001237","name":"Draper, John W., House","other_names":["Draper Park"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"407 Broadway","address_restricted":false,"city":"Hastings-on-Hudson","county":"Westchester County","state":"NY","lat":40.99098483000006,"lon":-73.87937022599993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1975-05-15","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1975-05-15","areas_of_significance":["Science"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story frame cottage with attic at 407 Broadway (Draper Park) in Hastings-on-Hudson, Westchester County, New York, probably built around 1840 as the home of scientist John W. Draper.","why_significant":"The house is significant for its association with John W. Draper, a 19th-century chemist, physiologist and historian who lived there from 1840 until his death in 1882. His photochemistry and spectrum research advanced science, and his historical writing applied scientific concepts to intellectual history. The house itself is described as having no particular architectural importance.","narrative":"This modest two-story frame cottage with an attic at 407 Broadway in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, was probably built around 1840 in the vernacular style of its period. It has flared eaves with brackets on the first story, vertical and horizontal boarding, and a small brick extension on the west side, all dating from the Draper period. The house is valued for the man who lived in it. John W. Draper, born in England in 1811, moved here in 1840 and stayed until his death in 1882. A professor at the University of the City of New York and a founder of its medical school, he improved the daguerreotype process and was the first to photograph the moon. He also wrote a leading physiology textbook and major works of intellectual history and Civil War history. An observatory once used by Draper and his son Henry no longer survives. The house has seen no significant alterations since Draper's granddaughter donated it to a preservation society.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Vernacular frame cottage","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in excellent condition and unaltered, with exterior and interior integrity intact; occupied and owned by a private preservation society.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.711093-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/75001237_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75001237/51acbcf0dc-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75001237/51acbcf0dc-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Daniel Case","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HenryDraperObservatory.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Daniel Case</a>, <a href=\"http://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:HenryDraperObservatory.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75316140","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Draper_Observatory","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6264145"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/westchester-county/draper-john-w-house-75001237/"}