{"nrhp_refnum":"79003115","name":"Stickney, George, House","other_names":["House with round corners"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"NE of Woodstock at 1904 Cherry Valley Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Woodstock","county":"McHenry County","state":"IL","lat":42.300766493000026,"lon":-88.35251586599998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-05-14","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story yellow brick house at 1904 Cherry Valley Road, northeast of Woodstock in McHenry County, Illinois, begun in 1849 and completed in 1856 by George Stickney. Its square plan has all four corners rounded.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is a highly unusual variation of the High Victorian Italianate style, and that its rounded corners are unique in American architecture. It also notes the house was built by George Stickney, a New England immigrant and the first white settler of Nunda Township. The Stickneys were Spiritualists, and the rounded corners are said to have denied hiding places to spirits.","narrative":"Northeast of Woodstock, Illinois, stands a two-story yellow brick house whose square plan has four rounded corners. George Stickney began building it in 1849 and finished it in 1856. Its Italianate styling is restrained but carefully handled, with brick pilasters, arched windows with wooden tracery, a leaded-glass fan over the door, and a porch with Doric columns and a balcony above. Inside, double parlors flank the entrance hall, and a ballroom spans the front of the second floor, with rounded corners continuing indoors. The house was listed chiefly for this unusual design, described as unmatched among Illinois buildings that combine rounded corners with Italianate detailing. Stickney, a New England immigrant, was the first white settler of Nunda Township in 1835. He and his wife Sylvia were Spiritualists who held seances, and local tradition says the corners were omitted so spirits would have nowhere to hide. After years of abandonment, the house has been restored for family living.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"George Stickney","architectural_style":"High Victorian Italianate (unusual variation with rounded corners)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in good condition; it was abandoned for many years and deteriorated, but the current owners have maintained and restored it for living use. The ballroom has been divided to make two bedrooms.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:34.60148-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/28/8936/28893628/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/79003115.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79003115/30ac88d96b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79003115/30ac88d96b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.5","author":"Andy McMurray","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_Stickney_House3.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Andy McMurray</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.5</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_Stickney_House3.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893628","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Stickney_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5544858"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/mchenry-county/stickney-george-house-79003115/"}