{"nrhp_refnum":"97001620","name":"Van Gelder, David, Octagon House","other_names":["Springside"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"47 Division St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Catskill","county":"Greene County","state":"NY","lat":42.21787192700003,"lon":-73.87338176299994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1998-01-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, eight-sided brick house built about 1860 on a 2.2-acre parcel on Division Street in the Village of Catskill, Greene County, New York, with a later kitchen wing and a non-contributing garage.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is a rare surviving example of the Octagon mode in the Upper Hudson Valley and the only one of its type in Greene County, one of 120 octagons identified in New York State. It follows Orson Squire Fowler's 'superior plan' and also shows Italianate features, making it an important regional example of that style. It retains a high degree of architectural integrity despite neglect.","narrative":"Built about 1860 on Division Street in the Village of Catskill, this eight-sided brick house was raised for David Van Gelder on land his father, Peter, bought in the village. David was also a noted builder of covered bridges in the region. The house follows the octagon form promoted by phrenologist Orson Squire Fowler in 1848, with four large rooms around a central stair hall that rises to a cupola, and small triangular spaces serving as entry, study, pantry and closets. Italianate details include bracketed eaves, round-arched cupola windows, paneled pilasters, marble mantels and original architraves. A triangular brick kitchen wing was probably added in the mid-1870s. It is the only octagon house in Greene County and one of about 120 identified in New York State. Years of neglect left the house and its Picturesque grounds overgrown and damaged, but it remains largely intact and is being restored.","period_of_significance":"ca.1860","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Mid-19th Century/Octagon Mode, with Italianate detailing","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Described as suffering neglect and water damage over the past decade but remarkably intact and undergoing an extensive private restoration; grounds were overgrown and being cleared.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:51.034957-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/97001620.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97001620/3eeba1ffb0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97001620/3eeba1ffb0-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Philbjohnsnyc","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Front_from_driveway.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Philbjohnsnyc</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Front_from_driveway.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75318073","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Van_Gelder_Octagon_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5240603"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/greene-county/van-gelder-david-octagon-house-97001620/"}