Allen, Henry, House
Why it's listed
Built around 1877 at 12 East Cayuga Street, this two-story frame house in Moravia, New York, is a well-preserved example of Italianate residential design. It sits a short distance east of the Main Street business district on a street lined with nineteenth-century homes. The plan is essentially a rectangle with a notch removed from the northwest corner, so the western two bays of the five-bay facade are recessed. Paired brackets decorate the wide eaves of the hipped roof, and the two-over-two-light windows carry heavy hood moldings. The front porch has square posts with semicircular arches and jigsaw-cut ornament, and the house rests on a cut stone foundation. Inside, the historic floor plan and finishes survive. Henry Allen, a lumber dealer, had the house built and sold it in 1882. It was listed for its architectural value, since it keeps more period integrity than many other frame Italianate houses in the village and reflects Moravia's prosperity after the Civil War.
Significance in brief: The house is significant under Criterion C as an intact, representative example of Italianate residential architecture in Moravia, tied to the village's post-Civil War prosperity. It retains integrity of form, materials and detailing inside and out. It keeps more of its period character than many other frame Italianate houses in the village.
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 95000060, listed February 24, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 12 E. Cayuga St., Moravia |
|---|---|
| County | Cayuga County |
| Listed | February 24, 1995 |
| Reference number | 95000060 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1877 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single dwelling; the interior retains its historic floor plan and finishes. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.71314, -76.42084 (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 95000060.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5717249
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.