Howland, Charles- William H. Chase House
Why it's listed
Built in 1840, this two-story limestone house on Cayuga Street in Union Springs was financed by George Howland, a New Bedford whaling magnate who invested in the village's mills, for his son Charles. The five-bay, center-hall dwelling uses locally quarried stone and shows Greek Revival styling, including a trabeated entrance with a massive stone lintel and Doric columns. Inside, original room arrangements, molded door and window surrounds, classical fireplace surrounds and a fine front staircase survive. Charles Howland soon moved away, and the house passed to his sister Elizabeth and her husband William H. Chase, a prominent gentleman farmer. By the late nineteenth century it served as a dormitory for Oakwood Seminary. A stone barn, shed and smokehouse remain behind the house on about eight acres, a fraction of the original estate of roughly 100 acres. The property was listed for its architecture and its link to local agriculture.
Significance in brief: The house is presented as an outstanding, remarkably intact example of mid-19th-century Greek Revival domestic architecture in Union Springs, a finely crafted vernacular adaptation of high-style trends. With its stone barn, shed, smokehouse and farm setting, it also recalls the farming history of the Springport-Union Springs area. It is tied to the Howland family, who developed milling in the village, and to gentleman farmer William H. Chase.
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 04001456, listed January 5, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 188 Cayuga St., Union Springs |
|---|---|
| County | Cayuga County |
| Listed | January 5, 2005 |
| Reference number | 04001456 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1840 - ca. 1900 |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century: Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current use is single-family dwelling; the house retains its original room layout and most decorative details, though its parapet, balustrades, front porch and formal garden were lost. |
| Acreage | 8 |
| Coordinates | 42.84612, -76.68982 (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 04001456.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5079192
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.