House at 520 Hostageh Road
Also known as: Lyndhurst
Why it's listed
Lyndhurst, the house at 520 Hostageh Road in Rock City, Cattaraugus County, was built in 1903 as a seasonal cottage. It is a frame building clad in cedar shingles, rising two and a half stories under hipped roofs, with an L-shaped front porch. Its flared roof, deep overhangs, knee braces and decorative verge board give it the look of a Swiss chalet within a Craftsman design. Inside, oak floors, fir wainscoting, original panel doors, gas fireplaces and leaded glass windows survive, along with two sleeping porches under the attic eaves. The house sits on a wooded 1.30-acre lot with a gambrel-roofed barn that includes the original privy. It was listed for its architecture, as an intact early example of the Craftsman style in a hamlet where few early houses keep their integrity. Rock City grew around a trolley park that opened in 1901. The house was converted to year-round use in 2006 with insulation, storm windows and radiant floor heating.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the cottage is architecturally significant as an intact, representative early twentieth-century Craftsman house in Rock City. It combines Craftsman features with Swiss cottage and Carpenter Gothic elements and retains much original interior woodwork. It is also tied to the development of Rock City Park, a trolley park opened in 1901.
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 09000038, listed February 20, 2009. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 520 Hostageh Rd., Rock City |
|---|---|
| County | Cattaraugus County |
| Listed | February 20, 2009 |
| Reference number | 09000038 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1903 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Late 19th & Early 20th Century American Movements: Craftsman, Swiss Cottage |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Converted from a seasonal cottage to a year-round residence in 2006; currently in residential use. |
| Acreage | 1.3 |
| Coordinates | 42.01723, -78.47097 (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 09000038.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5914381
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.