Colden Mansion Ruins
Why it's listed
Only a partial shell remains of the Colden Mansion, a two-story Georgian house of locally quarried limestone in Montgomery, Orange County. Builders James, Gabriel and Wines Many raised the first section around 1767 for Cadwallader Colden Jr., and a second section was added between about 1775 and 1785. A mansard roof was added in the later 19th century. The house was abandoned in the 1930s during estate litigation and then collapsed into ruin. Surviving walls include eight fireplace stacks, one chimney with brick flues, and a bake oven. Some interior woodwork was removed and survives elsewhere, including at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The wooded 8.5-acre site also holds foundations of a summer kitchen, a possible earlier dwelling, two barns, a privy, wells, a cistern and a suspected slave cemetery. The property represents the center of the Coldenham estate and may yield further archaeological and construction information.
Significance in brief: The site is argued to be significant as the core of the Coldenham estate, which Cadwallader Colden Jr. developed from the one his father established. It also has potential to yield archaeological information on the Colden family's occupancy and on period building technology, techniques and materials. It is nominated at the state level.
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 07000758, listed July 24, 2007. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | NY 17K, Montgomery |
|---|---|
| County | Orange County |
| Listed | July 24, 2007 |
| Reference number | 07000758 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c. 1744 - c. 1940 |
| Architect / builder | Many, Gabriel; Many, James; Many, Wines |
| Architectural style | Georgian (Architectural Classification listed as N/A) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Historic - Non-Aboriginal, Exploration/Settlement, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as vacant/not in use; the house was abandoned in the 1930s and has decayed to a partial shell of standing walls. |
| Acreage | 8.5 |
| Coordinates | 41.52656, -74.13194 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 07000758.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5142507
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.