House at 205 North Main Street
Why it's listed
Built around 1870 on the west side of North Main Street in Canastota, this one-story frame house is a small-scale, eclectic version of the Second Empire style. A multi-gabled, flared mansard roof covered in polychrome slate shingles rises above scroll-bracketed eaves and a wide cornice. The three-bay front facade centers on a projecting pavilion with paired, rounded-arch dormer windows, and a hip-roofed verandah with pierced fan brackets and turned balustrades spans the front. Inside, molded door and window trim, rounded arches around the front staircase and the original room layout survive. A shingled, two-bay carriage house from the early twentieth century stands southwest of the house. The surrounding neighborhood, once a fashionable middle-class enclave, has lost much of its historic character, but this house keeps a high degree of integrity. It is considered a rare example of its type and period in the village. The builder and early occupants are unknown.
Significance in brief: The house is argued to be a distinctive example of late-nineteenth century picturesque, eclectic residential design, shown by its flared mansard roof with polychrome slate, bracketed cornice and decorative verandah. It keeps a high degree of integrity and is described as a rare and unusual example of its type and period in the village. It also recalls the area's past as a fashionable middle-class enclave.
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 86001296, listed May 23, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 205 N. Main St., Canastota |
|---|---|
| County | Madison County |
| Listed | May 23, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86001296 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Second Empire (small-scale, eclectic adaptation) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a residence, as originally; condition listed as fair, with original room layout and woodwork surviving intact. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 43.08141, -75.75488 (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 86001296.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14706421
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.