{"nrhp_refnum":"82001226","name":"Squirrels, The","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"225 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Highland Falls","county":"Orange County","state":"NY","lat":41.367781284000046,"lon":-73.96390578526123,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-11-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story frame and clapboard estate house with a gate house at 255 Main Street, Highland Falls, Orange County, New York, overlooking the Hudson River. The original farmhouse dates to about 1845-50, with alterations and a gate house added around 1856.","why_significant":"The property is tied to John Bigelow, a noted journalist, author and diplomat who co-owned the New York Evening Post, and to architect Calvert Vaux, who planned the 1856 additions and the gate house. The nomination calls it one of the most significant estates in the Hudson Valley. Notable guests included Jefferson Davis, the Prince of Wales and Oscar Wilde.","narrative":"Perched on a cliff above the Hudson River in Highland Falls, The Squirrels began as a T-shaped farmhouse built about 1845-50. Journalist and author John Bigelow, co-owner of the New York Evening Post, bought it in 1856 and soon hired architect Calvert Vaux to plan additions. Vaux doubled the house with a two-story south wing, and the north wing was widened. In the early 1860s a one-story study was added on the north side. A one-story gate house in the Vaux style, with a slate mansard roof and decorative brackets, stands near Main Street. Bigelow later served as Consul to Paris and Minister to France, and was involved in the creation of the New York Public Library. William Cullen Bryant's family rented the house in 1863, and guests included Jefferson Davis, the Prince of Wales and Oscar Wilde. The link between Bigelow and Vaux makes it one of the most significant estates in the Hudson Valley.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Calvert Vaux (alterations and gate house); original architect and builder unknown","architectural_style":"Mid-19th century residential architecture; gate house described as in the Vaux style","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition listed as good; use remains residence and gate house; no threats known.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:42.410737-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/82001226.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82001226/96fed29883-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82001226/96fed29883-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"JERRYE &amp; ROY KLOTZ. M.D.","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:THE_SQUIRRELS,_HIGHLND_FALLS,_ORANGE_COUNTY,_NY.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">JERRYE &amp;amp; ROY KLOTZ. M.D.</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:THE_SQUIRRELS,_HIGHLND_FALLS,_ORANGE_COUNTY,_NY.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75314231","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Squirrels_(Highland_Falls,_New_York)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7766132"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/orange-county/squirrels-the-82001226/"}