Building at 73 Mansion St.
Why it's listed
Built around 1890 at the corner of Mansion Street and Balding Avenue in Poughkeepsie, this two and one-half story wood-frame house was constructed for Charles F. Cossum, a local real estate attorney whose office was three blocks away. It rests on a painted brick foundation under its original slate roof. Its design shows the Queen Anne style through projecting and cutaway bay windows, a hipped roof with cross gables, a pyramidal corner tower, clapboard and decorative shingle walls, and porches with turned posts and spindlework. Inside, the original asymmetrical plan survives, along with oak flooring, pocket doors, plaster medallions and an elaborately detailed staircase. No architect is identified. The house was listed for its architecture and for its high degree of preserved original design and materials. In the 1930s it became the home office of Dr. Victor A. Bacile, who lived there until 1985. It has since been carefully restored and now houses a law office.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a distinguished example of Queen Anne residential architecture in Poughkeepsie under Criterion C. It shows informal planning, complex picturesque massing, varied materials and rich exterior and interior ornament. It also retains an outstanding level of integrity of design and materials.
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 97000531, listed June 4, 1997. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 73 Mansion St., Poughkeepsie |
|---|---|
| County | Dutchess County |
| Listed | June 4, 1997 |
| Reference number | 97000531 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c1890 |
| 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 law office; recently restored using the federal investment tax credit program. A non-contributing c1950 concrete block garage is on the property. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 41.70706, -73.92708 (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 97000531.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q1003019
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.