Mills House
Why it's listed
Built in 1877 at 507 North George Street in Rome, New York, this two and one-half story brick house was among the first dwellings on a street that became the city's most fashionable residential avenue. Builder R. A. Putnam, who worked in Rome from 1861 to 1900, constructed it on a lot bought a year earlier by Mary L. Mills. Beneath its pressed brick veneer is an unusual sawed timber frame sheathed in plank siding. The design blends Venetian Gothic, Queen Anne and Eastlake influences, seen in a square corner tower with pyramidal slate roof, polychrome stone window lintels, fretwork in the gables, a bracketed cornice and a raised front porch. Inside, a side hall plan leads to parlors, a dining room and a paneled Gothic library. The house was divided into apartments after 1948, but a rehabilitation has largely restored its original plan and finishes. It was listed as a rare surviving local example of its type, period and construction method.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a distinguished local example of late Victorian eclectic residential architecture, mixing Venetian Gothic, Queen Anne and Eastlake elements. It uses an unusual plank-on-timber-frame structure covered by a pressed brick veneer. It was among the first houses on North George Street, Rome's most fashionable late nineteenth-century avenue, and retains a high level of integrity.
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 97000566, listed June 13, 1997. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 507 N. George St., Rome |
|---|---|
| County | Oneida County |
| Listed | June 13, 1997 |
| Reference number | 97000566 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1877 |
| Architect / builder | R. A. Putnam (builder) |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian/High Victorian Gothic |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as a single dwelling; it was partitioned into apartments after 1948, and a rehabilitation has removed the later partitions and restored the original floorplan. The carriage house was demolished. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Rome Residential Historic District |
| Coordinates | 43.21800, -75.45743 (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 97000566.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14706971
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.