Gleason, Lucius, House
Also known as: Liverpool Village Hall
Why it's listed
Built around 1860 at 314 Second Street in Liverpool, New York, this large two-story Italianate house was the home of Lucius Gleason, a local businessman with interests in salt, coal, boat building, casket making and banking. Stucco-faced brick walls rise from a limestone foundation beneath a hipped roof topped by a wooden cupola. A symmetrical three-bay facade centers on an elaborate wooden entrance porch, and smaller gabled wings step back toward the north. Inside, the center hall, parlors and dining room keep original woodwork, plaster cornices, marble mantels, a cherry-balustraded staircase and unusually fine stained glass. The house was listed for its architecture, as a distinguished local example of a house type common in central and western New York canal towns. Gleason lived there until 1893; his sister kept it until 1913, and the Village of Liverpool acquired it in 1938 for municipal offices.
Significance in brief: The house is significant under Criterion C as a distinguished local example of Italianate residential design, with a hipped roof, central cupola, symmetrical facade and richly detailed entrance porch. It retains exceptional exterior and interior integrity, including shouldered architraves, cast plaster cornices, marble mantels and fine stained glass. It also reflects the prominence of its builder, a Liverpool industrialist active in salt, coal, boat building and banking.
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 90000693, listed May 10, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 314 Second St., Liverpool |
|---|---|
| County | Onondaga County |
| Listed | May 10, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000693 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c. 1860 |
| Architect / builder | Gleason, Lucius (1819-1893) |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied by Village offices at the time of nomination, though partially vacated in 1988; the Village acquired it in 1938 and restoration was being pursued. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 43.10380, -76.20987 (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 90000693.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6697541
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.