House at No. 176 South Main Street
Why it's listed
Standing on a gently sloping lot on South Main Street in Mount Morris, this two-story house began life around 1845 as a one-and-one-half-story brick school, the focal point of education in the village for much of the nineteenth century. Around 1900 it was enlarged to two full stories and given domestic features such as dormers and a front verandah. Today it is a five-bay, gable-roofed Colonial Revival residence with a brick first story, a clapboard second story, cornice returns, and a one-story porch with Tuscan columns. Most interior features from the early twentieth century survive, as does a hip-roofed frame garage with novelty siding. By 1902 the building was owned by a B. Swett, and the family is presumed to have remodeled it into a stylish home. It was listed for its architecture as an intact example of early twentieth century residential design, comparable to other large houses that reflect the village's prosperity.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an intact, representative example of early twentieth century residential architecture in Mount Morris, qualifying under Criterion C in architecture. Little fabric survives from its school years, so its integrity comes from the c. 1900 remodeling. It reflects the village's continued prosperity in the early 1900s along fashionable South Main Street.
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 98001581, listed January 7, 1999. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 176 S. Main St., Mount Morris |
|---|---|
| County | Livingston County |
| Listed | January 7, 1999 |
| Reference number | 98001581 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1900 |
| Architectural style | 20th Century: Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently in use as a single-family dwelling; interior features and the c. 1900 garage survive substantially intact. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.71912, -77.87074 (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 98001581.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5914538
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.