Community Place
Why it's listed
Community Place is a farm complex on Sheldon Road near Skaneateles made up of a main house, a large stuccoed carriage house and stable, a frame barn and a small stuccoed barn. The front of the house, built about 1830 of smooth-cut limestone, combines Federal and Greek Revival details, and a wood frame addition followed around 1840. Inside, original mantels, wainscoting and a cherry-baluster staircase survive. In 1843 a joint-stock company bought the farm, then owned by Elijah Cole, to found a Fourierist commune. Members practiced trades, farmed more than 170 acres, ran an orchard and nursery, and published a newspaper called The Communitist. At its height about 150 people lived there. Disagreements over shared property and other matters ended the community in May 1846. The house's small bedrooms reflect that crowded communal period, and the carriage house once served as a public meeting hall. It is the last surviving Fourierist complex in Central New York.
Significance in brief: The site was home to a Fourierist communal experiment founded in 1843, one of the longest-lasting in the country, in New York's "burned-over" district. It is the last surviving Fourierist complex in Central New York. The transitional Federal-Greek Revival stone house is also a rare surviving stone farmhouse of the early settlement period.
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 79001611, listed April 20, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | S of Skaneateles at 725 Sheldon Rd., Skaneateles |
|---|---|
| County | Onondaga County |
| Listed | April 20, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79001611 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Elijah Cole |
| Architectural style | Transitional Federal-Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Religion, Philosophy, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied as a private residence; the owners were removing later alterations and planning to restore the original front porch. The form lists condition as altered. |
| Acreage | 5 |
| Coordinates | 42.98290, -76.45451 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 79001611.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5154841
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.