Scribner House
Why it's listed
Built in 1910 at 19 Roe Avenue in Cornwall, Orange County, New York, this two-and-one-half story wood-frame house served as a summer residence for Charles Scribner, a wealthy New York City publisher. The local building firm Mead and Taft constructed it. The house is an eclectic version of the Shingle style with Colonial Revival touches, topped by a shingled gambrel roof and set among rocky outcroppings and evergreens. Inside, a large center hall, oak staircase, stained glass windows, corner mantels and wainscotting survive. Features reflecting Arts and Crafts ideas include many windows linking indoors with outdoors, and leaf and flower motifs. It is considered significant as an intact example of a country estate house from the era when Cornwall attracted prominent families from New York City. Although the original estate has been subdivided and the large front veranda was removed in the 1950s, the house keeps its original form, windows, doors and floor plan. The Scribner family owned it until the 1960s.
Significance in brief: It is argued to be an intact, representative example of a turn-of-the-century large country estate house, combining Shingle style with Colonial Revival and Arts and Crafts influences. It illustrates the period when Cornwall was a popular summer retreat for wealthy New York City families. It retains a high degree of exterior and interior 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 96000157, listed March 8, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 19 Roe Ave., Cornwall |
|---|---|
| County | Orange County |
| Listed | March 8, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96000157 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca.1910 |
| Architect / builder | Mead and Taft (builder) |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian / Shingle Style, with Colonial Revival elements |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a single-family dwelling; the original two-story veranda was removed in the 1950s and the surrounding estate has been subdivided. |
| Acreage | 10 |
| Coordinates | 41.43752, -74.02366 (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 96000157.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q2261587
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.