Mapes, Mortimer L., House & Seward Homestead
Also known as: Buttonwood Terrace; Seward, William H., Birthplace
Why it's listed
Set on North Main Street in the Village of Florida, Orange County, this property combines a Queen Anne-style house of 1887 with outbuildings tied to an earlier home. The frame house was built for Mortimer L. Mapes, a carpenter by trade. It has an asymmetrical plan, a corner tower, a wraparound verandah later enclosed, patterned shingling, faux half-timbering and sunburst panels, and it keeps its original plan and many interior finishes. Mapes built it after dismantling a story-and-a-half gambrel-roofed house erected in 1797 for Dr. Samuel S. Seward, where his son William H. Seward was born in 1801. William Seward later served as New York governor, U.S. senator and Secretary of State under Lincoln and Johnson. Timbers from the 1797 house were reused in the large carriage barn, and a nearby outbuilding is thought to be its kitchen wing. The house is recognized for its architecture, and the barn and outbuilding for their potential to reveal how the Seward house was built.
Significance in brief: The 1887 house is a substantially intact local example of Late Victorian Queen Anne domestic architecture (Criterion C). The carriage barn and a nearby outbuilding reuse timbers and parts of the 1797 house where statesman William H. Seward was born, and may yield information about that house (Criterion D).
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 10000942, listed November 29, 2011. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 35 N Main St, Florida |
|---|---|
| County | Orange County |
| Listed | November 29, 2011 |
| Reference number | 10000942 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c. 1797-c. 1910 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Archeology, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Historic and current function is single dwelling; one outbuilding is described as dilapidated. |
| Acreage | 1.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.33514, -74.35554 (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 10000942.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q137293002
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.