Peugnet, Captain Louis, House
Also known as: Bldg. #5
Why it's listed
Set on a slight rise facing the St. Lawrence River, this limestone house on Tibbetts Point Road was built between about 1837 and 1840 by Capt. Louis Peugnet, a French immigrant who had served as an officer in Napoleon's Corps d'Elite. It rises one and one-half stories, with five bays, a central entry, a steep gable roof and a full-width porch under a flared roofline. The walls are regularly coursed, square-cut local limestone, and the doorway has sidelights, thin pilasters and a heavily molded wood entablature in the Greek Revival manner. Its casement windows and porch recall French farmhouses of Canada and the Mississippi Valley. The land once belonged to Count Pierre Real's large farm, and Peugnet and his brothers bought part of it in 1837 and ran a military school. A nineteenth-century saltbox-roofed barn also stands on the 2.1-acre parcel. The house has been known as Wise Place since the 1920s and serves as a summer residence.
Significance in brief: The house is argued to be an exceptionally intact example of the vernacular masonry architecture used by Cape Vincent settlers in the first half of the nineteenth century. Its regularly coursed cut limestone, Greek Revival doorway, casement windows and flared-roof porch recall French colonial farmhouses and reflect the French heritage of its original owner, a former officer in Napoleon's army.
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 85002469, listed September 27, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Tibbetts Point Rd., Cape Vincent |
|---|---|
| County | Jefferson County |
| Listed | September 27, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85002469 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Architect and builder unknown |
| Architectural style | Vernacular masonry residential architecture with a Greek Revival style doorway |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in excellent condition and used as a summer residence; on its original site, with no threats known. |
| Acreage | 2.1 |
| Coordinates | 44.11739, -76.35336 (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 85002469.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5036719
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.