Hagaman, David, House
Why it's listed
Built around 1840 for farmer David Hagaman, this brick house at 661 Highland Avenue in Brighton, near Rochester, is a local example of rural Greek Revival design. It has a two-and-one-half-story, three-bay main block with its gable facing the street, a side-passage plan, a wide plain frieze with cornice returns, and stone sills and lintels. Two brick wings step down in size behind it, and the walls rest on a cobblestone foundation. Inside, shouldered and battered door trim, original wide-board floors and an English-made Carpenter lock survive. The house was the center of a 54-acre farm until the land was subdivided for suburban lots in 1911. A large rear addition and garage were built in 1994, affecting setting and design, but the original fabric remains largely intact. Its significance rests on its architecture and on its rarity as one of few remaining brick farmhouses in Brighton, where it serves as a recognized landmark.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a representative example of vernacular Greek Revival domestic architecture in western New York, with a side-passage three-bay plan, front gable, wide frieze and telescoping rear wings. The original portion retains a high degree of integrity inside and out. It is also one of very few surviving brick farmhouses in Brighton and a well-known local landmark.
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 94001477, listed December 23, 1994. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 661 Highland Ave., Rochester |
|---|---|
| County | Monroe County |
| Listed | December 23, 1994 |
| Reference number | 94001477 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c1840-c1850 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as a single-family residence; a large rear addition with a three-car garage was built in 1994. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 43.13067, -77.59548 (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 94001477.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5234597
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.