Chamberlain, Benjamin, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1816 for Johnstown attorney Benjamin Chamberlain, this brick townhouse stands on the corner of South Market and Clinton Streets, two blocks from the county courthouse. The house rises two and a half stories above a fieldstone foundation under a standing-seam metal roof. Its west front is divided into three bays by a blind arcade of rounded arches on brick pilasters, and stepped parapet gables with four tall chimneys mark the end walls. Elliptical attic windows hold the only original sash. A two-story rear wing once housed servants. Inside, the side-hall plan survives, along with the original staircase, baseboards, window casings and a molded mantel in the front parlor. Chamberlain sold the house in 1832 to lawyer John Frothingham, whose family kept it until 1875. The house is valued as a rare Federal townhouse in a frontier county seat, a form more common in larger New York communities, and was once called the finest brick house in the county.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a rare, substantially intact example of brick Federal period residential architecture in Johnstown and Fulton County. Its blind-arcaded front with brick pilasters, stepped-gable parapet ends and Adamesque details reflect a townhouse form seldom built outside New York's more cosmopolitan communities. It was also considered in the late nineteenth century to be the finest brick house in the county.
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 99000989, listed August 12, 1999. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 100 Market St., Johnstown |
|---|---|
| County | Fulton County |
| Listed | August 12, 1999 |
| Reference number | 99000989 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1816 |
| Architectural style | Early Republic/Federal |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Historic and current function is single-family dwelling; interior and sash were altered in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but the form retains considerable integrity. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 43.00420, -74.37227 (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 99000989.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4888383
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.