House at 313 North Main Street
Why it's listed
This L-shaped frame house on North Main Street in Canastota was built around 1840 and remodelled in the 1880s. It has a two-story main block, a recessed one-and-one-half-story service wing, a cross-gable roof, clapboard siding, deep cornice returns and a wide entablature, all typical of the Greek Revival style. In the 1880s a verandah with turned posts, a pierced spindle frieze, fan brackets and decorative cut-outs was added across the front, along with new two-over-two windows with miter-arched lintels. The house reflects village adaptations of rural farmhouse forms and the persistence of vernacular building traditions. It closely resembles a house at 233 James Street. The porch shows how older, modest buildings were upgraded with fashionable Victorian ornament. A late-nineteenth-century barn with a louvered cupola and a turn-of-the-century garage or shed also survive and contribute to the property. The builder and early owners are unknown.
Significance in brief: The house is considered architecturally significant as a distinctive example of Greek Revival residential design with a late-nineteenth-century overlay of Eastlake ornamentation. Its form and massing reflect vernacular rural building traditions of the 1830s and 1840s. The elaborate 1880s porch and new windows illustrate the common practice of updating older, plainer houses. Two intact late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century outbuildings add to its value.
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 86001298, listed May 23, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 313 N. Main St., Canastota |
|---|---|
| County | Madison County |
| Listed | May 23, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86001298 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1840s; 1880s |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival with Eastlake style features |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Private residence in excellent condition, on its original site; the form lists no known threats. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 43.08412, -75.75467 (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 86001298.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14706432
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.