{"nrhp_refnum":"78001856","name":"Rankin, John, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"440 Clinton St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Brooklyn","state":"NY","lat":40.681495125000026,"lon":-73.99849650499993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-11-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick Greek Revival house at 440 Clinton Street, at the corner of Clinton and Carroll Streets in Brooklyn, built in 1839 for merchant John Rankin by an unknown architect.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is a fine, severe yet dignified example of Greek Revival architecture with exceptional exterior and interior integrity. It closely resembles the now-demolished Brevoort House, attributed to A.J. Davis. It also reflects the formal life of a wealthy merchant in what was then rural Brooklyn.","narrative":"Built in 1839 for John Rankin, a wealthy merchant, this three-story brick house at 440 Clinton Street in Brooklyn is a Greek Revival residence by an unknown architect. It was originally set in rural farm country; the surrounding area is now residential. The exterior has a stone raised basement, stone door and window trim, a wide wooden cornice, and carved anthemion stone posts beside the entrance stairs. Inside, a central hall runs the length of the house between two very large parlors, and much original pilaster and molding detail survives, along with original marble fireplaces on the upper floors. Later changes include replaced main-floor mantels, a mahogany stairway, altered window muntins, marquees, and a modern garage and chapel added at the rear for the funeral business now in the building. The nomination values the house for its architectural integrity and for its close resemblance to the demolished Brevoort House, attributed to A.J. Davis.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in private ownership; houses an undertaking establishment, with the owner living on the third floor. Condition listed as excellent and altered.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.382281-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/78001856.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78001856/d0412e88c1-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78001856/d0412e88c1-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Beyond My Ken","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Rankin_House_440_Clinton_Street_Brooklyn.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Beyond My Ken</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Rankin_House_440_Clinton_Street_Brooklyn.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75318503","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Rankin_House_(Brooklyn)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14706682"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/brooklyn/rankin-john-house-78001856/"}