Onteora Park Historic District
Why it's listed
Onteora Park is a mountaintop summer colony of more than 875 acres on Onteora Mountain in Hunter, Greene County, about 2,500 feet above sea level. Residential development began in the 1880s and sits on a limited area of winding roads, while the rest remains woodland, hiking trails and a golf course regarded as one of the oldest in America. The district counts 111 contributing and 22 noncontributing resources, among them 94 buildings, with the noncontributing ones built after 1952. Cottages are mostly Shingle style, with log, fieldstone and stucco used, and nearly all are placed to face long mountain views. Early cottages were simple and small; larger, more elaborate designs followed from 1894, many by Dunham Wheeler, George Agnew Reid and Lewis A. Coffin. The setting also includes the site of Widow Parker's house, where painters Thomas Cole and Asher B. Durand stopped. Integrity of both buildings and landscape is described as outstanding, and the Onteora Club reviews alterations.
Significance in brief: The visible text covers only the description section, so the full statement of significance is not included. The district is notable for its well-preserved cottages, mostly in Shingle style, sited for panoramic mountain views, and for its old golf course and undeveloped land owned by the Onteora Club. Its cottages were designed by figures such as Dunham Wheeler, George Agnew Reid, Lewis A. Coffin and William Welles Bosworth, and the setting is tied to Catskill landscape painting.
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 03000023, listed February 12, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Onteora Club Property, Hunter |
|---|---|
| County | Greene County |
| Listed | February 12, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03000023 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Edward Payne (local builder); Dunham Wheeler; George Agnew Reid; Lewis A. Coffin (Polhemus and Coffin); William Welles Bosworth |
| Architectural style | Predominantly Shingle style, with Bungalow, Italianate, Queen Anne and Stick style examples |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Largely intact and in use as a residential community; the Onteora Club owns and maintains the undeveloped land, the golf course and ten buildings. Many lots once held cottages lost to fire or demolition. |
| Acreage | 875 |
| Coordinates | 42.21125, -74.14484 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 03000023.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7095016
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.