Van Wie Farmstead
Also known as: Valley View Farm
Why it's listed
Valley View Farm, historically the Van Wie Farmstead, covers about 150 acres along Brower Road, a rural road on a ridge above the Mohawk River Valley in McKinley, Montgomery County. Six buildings are counted: a two-story frame farmhouse built in 1873 with a rear ell that may date to about 1850, a carriage barn, a large multi-block barn complex begun in 1874, a hop barn of about 1884, a grain bin and a pole barn from about 1950. The house is a vernacular Italianate design with bracketed overhangs, hooded windows, a decorated porch and a curving stair with grained woodwork and cherry floors. The barn complex kept early twentieth-century milking stalls. Across the road, the hop barn retains a rare slatted drying-room floor. The nomination links the house to a local tradition of skilled builders interpreting fashionable styles. It was listed for architecture, social history and agriculture, covering 1873 to 1960. Dwelling and farm uses continue today.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the farmhouse is a finely crafted vernacular Italianate house, one of a small group of similar houses built by local craftsmen in a rural area. The farmstead also shows dairy and hop-farming history through its barns, including a rare surviving hop barn with its slatted drying floor. It is marked significant in architecture, social history and agriculture.
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 11000450, listed July 14, 2011. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 269 Brower Rd., McKinley |
|---|---|
| County | Montgomery County |
| Listed | July 14, 2011 |
| Reference number | 11000450 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1873-1960 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a dwelling and for agriculture (barn, agricultural fields); the current owner is slowly restoring the house. |
| Coordinates | 42.90277, -74.52528 (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 11000450.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q23092141
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.