Van Schaick House
Why it's listed
Built around 1735 by Wessel Van Schaick, this one-and-one-half-story brick house sits on Van Schaick Island at the mouth of the Mohawk River, land the family acquired in 1664 through Captain Goosen Gerritse Van Schaick. The walls are laid in English bond beneath a gambrel roof, with a five-bay east front, a central hall plan, three shed dormers and a brick chimney at each end. A wooden porch was added in the late 19th century. The house originally faced the Kings Highway, the main road north of Albany, and that position made it useful to armies. English generals used it as headquarters during the French and Indian War, and Generals Montgomery, Schuyler and Gates did the same in the Revolution. Plans for the Battle of Saratoga were made here, and Governor George Clinton ran the state government from the house for several days in August 1777. It is also noted as an early gambrel-roofed Dutch residence in the upper Hudson Valley.
Significance in brief: The house served as military headquarters for English generals during the French and Indian War and for Generals Montgomery, Schuyler and Gates during the Revolution. Plans for the Battle of Saratoga were made there, and Governor George Clinton used it as the New York State Capitol from August 22 to 25, 1777. Architecturally, it is one of the earliest gambrel-roofed buildings in the upper Hudson Valley.
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 71000528, listed March 18, 1971. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Van Schaick Ave. and the Delaware & Hudson RR track, Cohoes |
|---|---|
| County | Albany County |
| Listed | March 18, 1971 |
| Reference number | 71000528 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Wessel Van Schaick |
| Architectural style | Dutch residence with gambrel roof |
| Areas of significance | Military, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in good condition and altered, on its original site, and in use as a private residence at the time of nomination. |
| Coordinates | 42.76769, -73.68652 (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 71000528.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7913650
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.