Stratton, Walter, House
Why it's listed
Set atop a small hillock on New Kingston Mountain Road in the Catskill foothills of Roxbury, this one-and-one-half story stone house was built in 1828 by farmer Walter Stratton, whose initials and the date appear on a stone over the west entrance. Its walls are random ashlar masonry on a fieldstone basement, under a gable roof, with a later wood-frame shed wing at the west end. Inside, a variation of the hall and parlor plan survives, with a large main living room and a smaller eastern section. The house is one of only six surviving stone houses in the town and one of three of its modest size, which makes it a rare local example of vernacular building. For most of the nineteenth century it belonged to a hundred-acre farm, until the half-acre lot was separated in 1891. Fieldstone walls still mark the lot. Later changes, including a new chimney, an enclosed stair and room divisions, show how occupants adapted the house while keeping its informal layout.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a rare surviving vernacular stone house in the town of Roxbury, one of only six extant stone houses and one of three of its one or one-and-one-half story form. It uses a variation of the hall and parlor plan and retains a high level of integrity. Its alterations also document how the occupants adapted the house over time.
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 02001660, listed December 31, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | New Kingston Mountain Rd., Roxbury |
|---|---|
| County | Delaware County |
| Listed | December 31, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02001660 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1828-c1900 |
| Architect / builder | Walter Stratton (builder); architect listed as unknown |
| Architectural style | no style (vernacular; hall and parlor plan) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as vacant; the house was sold in 2000 to the Manhattan Country School. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.25587, -74.61628 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 02001660.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7966212
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.