{"nrhp_refnum":"76001264","name":"Putnam County Courthouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"At jct. of NY 52 and NY 301","address_restricted":false,"city":"Carmel","county":"Putnam County","state":"NY","lat":41.42628734700003,"lon":-73.67837838299994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-08-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, gable-ended frame courthouse with a classical temple-form portico, located near the center of Carmel village in Putnam County, New York, on a rise overlooking Lake Gleneida. It was built in 1814 and remodeled around 1847.","why_significant":"It has been the focal point of Putnam County's political and legal activity since 1814 and is described as one of the county's most important historic landmarks. Its c. 1847 giant portico carries carved wooden Corinthian capitals copied from the Monument of Lysicrates in Athens, popularized through nineteenth-century builder's guides. It survives as an important Classical Revival period structure.","narrative":"Putnam County Courthouse sits near the center of Carmel village on a rise above Lake Gleneida. The original building went up in 1814, two years after the county government was formed, and local builder and forge owner James Townsend was paid for the work, including ironwork for the jail. Outgrowing the first building by the 1840s, the county considered moving to Cold Spring, but a deed clause kept the courthouse on its site. Around 1847 the structure was expanded and updated into a temple form. A pedimented front with four fluted Corinthian columns, corner pilasters, and a square cupola gives it a Classical Revival appearance. The carved wooden capitals copy those on the Monument of Lysicrates in Athens, a design spread through American builder's guides. The exterior remains largely unchanged from that remodeling, while the interior has been modernized. The building continues to serve as a courthouse and jail.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"James Townsend","architectural_style":"Classical Revival (Greek Revival)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Still used as a courthouse and jail; condition marked excellent and altered, with the interior largely subdivided and modernized.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.215262-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/76001264.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76001264/3dc8233ecd-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76001264/3dc8233ecd-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"The original uploader was Anthony22 at English Wikipedia.","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PC_Courthouse_800.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">The original uploader was Anthony22 at English Wikipedia.</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:PC_Courthouse_800.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75321044","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putnam_County_Courthouse_(New_York)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7262326"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/putnam-county/putnam-county-courthouse-76001264/"}