House at 18 Aurora Street
Why it's listed
Built around 1850, this two-story frame house on Aurora Street in Moravia, New York, is a Greek Revival residence on a former turnpike lined with similar Federal and Greek Revival homes. Its main block has a three-bay temple front with a side entrance, corner pilasters, a wide frieze band, six-over-six-light windows and a recessed front door with sidelights and a transom. The full pediment holds a sunburst design that is unusual in the area. A rear wing and a one-story side-gabled ell extend behind, and a Colonial Revival portico shelters the entrance. Inside, the original side hall layout survives, with heavy shouldered door architraves and Victorian parlor doors with glazed panels. The house was listed for its architecture as an excellent, largely intact example of Greek Revival housing from the village's early development. Later changes, including the porches, rear wing alterations and asbestos shingle siding, have not erased its period character. It is still used as a single dwelling.
Significance in brief: The house is argued to be an excellent and largely intact example of Greek Revival residential architecture in Moravia, representing early housing in the village. It retains its period features and integrity despite a later portico and asbestos shingle siding. Its sunburst design in the temple-front pediment is described as unusual locally.
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 95000058, listed February 24, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 18 Aurora St., Moravia |
|---|---|
| County | Cayuga County |
| Listed | February 24, 1995 |
| Reference number | 95000058 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1850 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century / Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Remains in use as a single-family dwelling; retains a high degree of period integrity apart from added porches, rear wing changes and asbestos shingle siding. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.71082, -76.42292 (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 95000058.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5914016
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.