{"nrhp_refnum":"95000529","name":"Bond, Col. William M. and Nancy Ralston, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"143 Ontario St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lockport","county":"Niagara County","state":"NY","lat":43.171329187000026,"lon":-78.69860119699996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1995-04-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, three-bay brick house with a one-and-one-half story side wing at 143 Ontario Street in Lockport, Niagara County, New York, built in 1823 for Col. William M. and Nancy Ralston Bond. The architect or builder is unknown.","why_significant":"The house is significant under Criterion C as a distinctive, intact example of early nineteenth-century domestic architecture in Lockport. Built in 1823, the year the first stone was laid for the Erie Canal locks, it is one of the earliest brick houses in Niagara County. It combines Federal-period form and massing with emerging Greek Revival features such as the broad cornice and frieze, flat stone lintels and a Doric columned entrance.","narrative":"Built in 1823 at 143 Ontario Street in Lockport, this brick house was begun by Col. William M. Bond and Nancy Ralston Bond about the time construction started on the Erie Canal locks that gave the city its name. It has two stories and three bays, with a one-and-one-half story side wing, a limestone rubble foundation and side gable roofs. The form recalls the Federal period, while the broad cornice and frieze, wide flat stone lintels and a doorway framed by fluted Doric columns point to the emerging Greek Revival style. The Bonds lost their Lockport holdings to debt in 1831, and the house passed to a relative, Jesse Hawley. Later owners were mostly members of the Bond and Ralston families. In 1921 it was divided into three apartments, with a spiral staircase and a rear addition, though the original plan and moldings largely survive. It is one of the earliest brick houses in Niagara County and is now used as a museum.","period_of_significance":"1823-1921","architect_builder":"unknown","architectural_style":"Early Republic; Mid-19th Century (late Federal/early Greek Revival)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Current function is listed as museum (recreation and culture); historic function was single dwelling. Later converted to three apartments in 1921, with some alterations since reversed.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:50.295686-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/95000529.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95000529/88476914e4-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95000529/88476914e4-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Pubdog (talk)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bond_House_Jun_09.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Pubdog (talk)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bond_House_Jun_09.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75320082","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Col._William_M._and_Nancy_Ralston_Bond_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5141798"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/niagara-county/bond-col-william-m-and-nancy-ralston-house-95000529/"}