Barber-Mulligan Farm
Why it's listed
This is a 640-acre working farm on the border of Livingston and Monroe Counties in western New York, with 35 buildings grouped in five clusters. The main house, built in 1850 by Aaron Barber II, combines Greek Revival Doric details with an Italianate hipped roof and balustrade. Nearby stand Greek Revival outbuildings and three large Italianate barns added by his son, Aaron Barber III, who also built two tenant houses around 1870 and 1890. An earlier cobblestone house of the 1830s, mixing Federal and Greek Revival features, and the Hartwell house are the oldest buildings. The Barbers expanded the farm through wheat production and later a herd of short-horned cattle. The Mulligan family bought it in 1920 and in 1930 hired architect Herbert Stern to remodel the main house sympathetically. The farm is notable for its architectural variety, its intact nineteenth-century character, and its continued agricultural use within an unspoiled rural landscape.
Significance in brief: The farm preserves a large collection of nineteenth-century rural buildings in Greek Revival, Cobblestone, Italianate and late eclectic styles that illustrate the development of a large farm in western New York. It is also valued for its high historic integrity and intact rural setting, and for its continued agricultural use.
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 80002647, listed May 19, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | NE of Avon at 5403 Barber Rd., Avon |
|---|---|
| County | Livingston County |
| Listed | May 19, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80002647 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Aaron Barber II; Aaron Barber III; Herbert Stern (1930 remodeling) |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Cobblestone, Italianate and late nineteenth-century eclectic |
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Active working farm in excellent condition; residential buildings are occupied by people associated with the farm. |
| Acreage | 637.1 |
| Coordinates | 42.93664, -77.71525 (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 80002647.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4859577
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.