Stapleford-Hover-Whitney House
Why it's listed
Standing at the corner of North Main and East First Streets in Vermont, Illinois, this two-story brick house dates to about 1855 and was built as an I-house with a central hall, five-bay front and rear ell. Its original Greek Revival features include a sidelit entry with transoms, stone sills and lintels, and a three-part window with fluted pilasters above the door. In the early 1870s Dr. A. L. Hoover had the roof raised and added bracketed cornices and a Gothic Revival and Italianate porch. In 1892 George and Adriana Whitney added a two-story polygonal bay with stained glass, replaced the six-over-six windows with one-over-one sash, and installed Eastlake-style trim and a parquet dining room floor. Local carpenter William H. Daugherty built the bay. The house was recognized for architecture because it layers several mid- and late-19th-century styles on an earlier form, and no other home in the village shows that same combination.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is locally significant under Criterion C for architecture. It combines an I-house form and Greek Revival detailing with later Italianate, Gothic Revival and Queen Anne updates. The form states it is the only intact example in Vermont of a mid-19th-century house with late Victorian remodelings.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 96001291, listed November 7, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 401 N. Main St., Vermont |
|---|---|
| County | Fulton County |
| Listed | November 7, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96001291 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | C. 1855 - 1892 |
| Architect / builder | William H. Daugherty, Builder 1892 Renovations |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single dwelling; a small kitchen addition was built in 1991. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.29751, -90.42727 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 96001291.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q23073824
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.