Fischel, Harry, House
Also known as: Fairlawn
Why it's listed
Fairlawn, the Harry Fischel House, sits on Main Street at the south end of the village of Hunter in Greene County, New York. It began around 1840 as a small Greek Revival cottage and was greatly enlarged in 1904 into a Queen Anne style residence. The frame house has clapboard and patterned shingle walls, an octagonal corner tower with a bellcast roof, and a wraparound verandah with turned posts and pierce-work trim. Inside, the 1904 stair hall, parquet floors, mantels and matchstick-paneled rooms survive, along with one original Greek Revival mantel. The property was listed for its architecture and for its link to Harry Fischel, a Russian-born Orthodox Jew who became a New York builder and philanthropist. Fischel funded schools, hospitals and a synagogue in Hunter, and his summer home there housed Jewish immigrants fleeing Nazi Germany. The nomination calls the house one of the finest residences in Hunter and an important local landmark.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a highly intact, representative example of Queen Anne residential architecture in Greene County. It is also significant in Social History through its association with Jewish philanthropist Harry Fischel, who bought the house in 1904 and used it as a summer residence.
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 00000348, listed April 21, 2000. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 6302 Main St., Hunter |
|---|---|
| County | Greene County |
| Listed | April 21, 2000 |
| Reference number | 00000348 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1840-ca. 1949 |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century Greek Revival; Late Victorian/Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as Domestic/Hotel; the rear wing has been partly renovated for guest chambers. |
| Acreage | 2.8 |
| Coordinates | 42.21119, -74.21507 (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 00000348.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5668831
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.