Van Horn Mansion
Why it's listed
Built in 1823 by James Van Horn, this red brick mansion near Newfane overlooks Eighteenmile Creek and the Lockport-Olcott Road. Originally a five-bay, center-hall house, it was enlarged to the rear around 1860 by his son Burt Van Horn, who served in the U.S. Congress, and given a hipped roof and longer windows. About 1900 Burt Van Horn Jr. remodeled it as a summer home with an open plan, a stained-glass skylight, a large veranda and Colonial Revival woodwork. A 1920s kitchen wing was the last residential addition. James Van Horn ran mills on the creek and held county and town offices, and the first annual Newfane town meeting was held in the house in 1824. The house later served as a restaurant and is being restored. It is valued for preserving physical evidence of three building campaigns across roughly a century, and for its link to a family central to the town's founding. A carriage house also remains on the parcel.
Significance in brief: The house is tied to the Van Horn family, whose founder James Van Horn established the town of Newfane and whose son Burt served in Congress. It also appears to meet the architecture criterion as a settlement-period house enlarged and redesigned in c1860 and c1900, preserving evidence of each phase.
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 91001149, listed September 9, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 2165 Lockport--Olcott Rd., Newfane |
|---|---|
| County | Niagara County |
| Listed | September 9, 1991 |
| Reference number | 91001149 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c1823-c1930 |
| Architect / builder | James Van Horn (builder) |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The house was converted to a restaurant in the 1950s and later used for other purposes; it is currently being restored and now serves as a museum. |
| Acreage | 3.8 |
| Coordinates | 43.31378, -78.71402 (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 91001149.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7913423
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.