House at 20 Aurora Street
Why it's listed
Located a short distance west of Moravia's Main Street business district, this two-story frame house on Aurora Street, a former turnpike, was built about 1840. It has a front-gabled main block and a one-story ell, extended about 1860, giving it an L-shaped plan. Its design is plain, with narrow corner pilasters, clapboard siding, a cut stone foundation and a shouldered architrave around the front door. Inside, the historic floor plan and finishes survive, along with evidence of vertical plank wall construction. A Greek Revival carriage house, probably from about 1850, stands on the property, with a wide frieze band, an open pediment and an original plank door. The house was listed for its architecture. Gabled ell houses like this were once common in Moravia, but most survivors have been heavily altered, and this one keeps an unusually high degree of period integrity. The carriage house is one of few local outbuildings with strong Greek Revival features.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a rare, intact example of early vernacular residential architecture in Moravia, retaining its period form, materials and detailing inside and out. It also illustrates vertical plank wall construction, a method common when it was built. The carriage house is one of the few surviving Moravia outbuildings with strong Greek Revival character.
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 95000059, listed February 24, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 20 Aurora St., Moravia |
|---|---|
| County | Cayuga County |
| Listed | February 24, 1995 |
| Reference number | 95000059 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1840-1860 |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century: Greek Revival (vernacular) |
| 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 | 42.71080, -76.42324 (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 95000059.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5914094
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.