{"nrhp_refnum":"84003276","name":"Shute Octagon House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"McGuire School Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Duanesburg","county":"Schenectady County","state":"NY","lat":42.775760307500036,"lon":-74.21895105522435,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-10-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A mid-nineteenth-century octagon-shaped farmhouse with a side wing and historic outbuildings on a 41.6-acre farm on McGuire School Road in Duanesburg, Schenectady County, New York, built in the 1850s by master carpenter Alexander Delos \"Boss\" Jones for John Shute.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is a representative example of the octagon mode popularized by Orson S. Fowler, and the work of Duanesburg's most prolific and skilled mid-nineteenth century master carpenter, Boss Jones. It is also one of a few Boss Jones houses built with stacked plank construction. The intact outbuildings and surviving farm setting add to its significance.","narrative":"Set on a 41.6-acre farm along McGuire School Road in Duanesburg, this octagon house was built in the 1850s by master carpenter Alexander Delos \"Boss\" Jones for John Shute. The two-story, eight-sided main block has a low-pitched polygonal roof topped by a widow's walk, with Greek Revival details including an encircling entablature, broad corner pilasters and a trabeated entrance. A one and one-half story wing is contemporary with the main block, and a large porch with porte-cochère was added around 1906. The house follows the octagon mode promoted by Orson S. Fowler, and it is one of only two surviving octagons in the town. It is also one of three known Boss Jones houses built with stacked plank construction. Seven nineteenth-century outbuildings, including barns, sheds and a brick smokehouse, remain on the property, preserving the historic farm setting. The Shute family held the land from about 1788 until 1911.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Alexander Delos (Boss) Jones","architectural_style":"Octagon mode with Greek Revival features","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition listed as excellent; still used as a residence and working farm, with a porch added ca. 1906 and a new roof.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:41.326792-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/84003276.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84003276/233f48d7ec-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84003276/233f48d7ec-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Schenectady County","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shute_Octagon_House_Oct_09.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Schenectady County</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shute_Octagon_House_Oct_09.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75314588","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shute_Octagon_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7505615"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/schenectady-county/shute-octagon-house-84003276/"}