Gibbs House
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Built around 1850 on North Transit Street in Lockport, this gray limestone house reflects the modest stone homes put up by working and middle-class families during the city's early growth along the Erie Canal. Philip J. Gibbs, a land speculator and real estate seller who came to Lockport in 1823, bought the lot in 1848 and had the house built. The two-and-one-half-story, front-gable block has a range-course ashlar front, rubble side walls, rock-face quoins and dressed lintels and sills. Its three-bay, side-entrance layout was common in western New York between 1830 and 1870. A wraparound porch, front door and stair newel date from about 1900. Inside, most original plaster, trim, four-panel doors and Greek Revival woodwork survive, and the room layout is unchanged. The Craine family, descended from Gibbs, owned it until 1898. It remains a single-family home and a good example of Lockport's local stone building tradition.
Significance in brief: The house is significant under Criterion C as an intact example of nineteenth-century domestic stone architecture in Lockport. It represents the Gasport limestone type with an ashlar front facade and rubble secondary facades. Alterations made about 1900 have gained historic significance of their own.
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 03000482, listed May 30, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 98 N. Transit St., Lockport |
|---|---|
| County | Niagara County |
| Listed | May 30, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03000482 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1850-1898 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a single-family residence, with a relatively high degree of interior integrity. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 43.17141, -78.69798 (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 03000482.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5558967
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.