House at 36 South Main Street
Why it's listed
This two-and-one-half-story frame house on South Main Street in Moravia, New York, dates to about 1890 and is an example of Queen Anne residential design. It faces east on a residential block south of the business district, opposite the Moravia Central School. The house has a steeply pitched hipped roof with gabled bays projecting on three sides, ornamental roof cresting, a cut stone foundation and wood weatherboard walls. A full-width porch carries turned and jigsaw-cut ornament, including a sunburst in the entrance gable. The gables hold square-cut shingles, twelve-light windows and decorative vergeboard, and the rectilinear detailing reflects Eastlake influence. Deed records suggest it was built between 1886 and 1894, after land was sold by Capt. Edwin C. Pulver to his son-in-law Miles Cook. The house was listed for its architecture, as an intact and elaborately detailed example of the style tied to the village's prosperity after the Civil War. The interior keeps its original floor plan and finishes.
Significance in brief: The house is significant under Criterion C as an intact, representative and relatively elaborate example of Queen Anne residential architecture in Moravia. It is associated with the village's post-Civil War prosperity. The nomination calls it one of the finest and most elaborately detailed Queen Anne-style residences 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 95000064, listed February 24, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 36 S. Main St., Moravia |
|---|---|
| County | Cayuga County |
| Listed | February 24, 1995 |
| Reference number | 95000064 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1890 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently used as a single dwelling; the interior retains its historic floor plan and finishes. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.70779, -76.42141 (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 95000064.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5914278
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.