Kemp, John Wolf, House
Also known as: Component No. 12
Why it's listed
Built around 1780, this two-story, L-shaped farmhouse at 216 Wolf Road in Colonie was constructed for John Wolf Kemp, also spelled Camp, a tenant farmer on the Van Rensselaer Manor. The five-bay house has a gable roof, a central hall plan, lightly scaled corner returns, a long rear wing, and a hipped-roof enclosed porch across the central bays. Windows have brick relieving arches and stone sills, and the entrance and parlor mantels carry Federal details. The house reflects a move away from the broad, heavy Georgian style toward taller, more refined Federal proportions. Tenant farming under the manor discouraged elaborate building in the eighteenth century, but settlement by New Englanders after the Revolution brought more substantial homes like this one. A nineteenth-century summer kitchen and privy remain on the 3.7-acre parcel, the remnant of the original farm, now surrounded by commercial development and Interstate 87. Later sheds, garages and greenhouses serve a vegetable farm.
Significance in brief: It is presented as a distinctive, modestly detailed example of Federal style architecture in Colonie, showing the shift from heavy Georgian massing to taller, more refined Federal proportions. It is also significant for its association with the Van Rensselaer Manor, whose tenant farmers dominated the town's early population.
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 85002714, listed October 3, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 216 Wolf Rd., Colonie |
|---|---|
| County | Albany County |
| Listed | October 3, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85002714 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as fair; still used as a farmhouse and a commercial vegetable farm, with deterioration noted as a threat. |
| Acreage | 3.7 |
| Coordinates | 42.72587, -73.79868 (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 85002714.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6264730
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.