Van Duzer-Sayer, Mary, House
Why it's listed
This stone farmhouse on Taylor Road in Cornwall, Orange County, was built in 1832 on land that Mary Van Duzer-Sayer received from her father, Henry Van Duzer, part of the original tract of one of Cornwall's earliest settler families. The two-story, five-bay, center-hall house is built of coursed fieldstone with larger quoins, and a one-story brick addition extends from the north end. A wide portico with Tuscan columns shelters the central door, which has sidelights, and twelve-over-twelve windows with brownstone lintels sit beneath a wood-shingled gable roof. Inside, the house keeps its original room layout, two 1832 mantels, wide board floors, early plaster and Federal moldings. Mary and her husband William Sayer, a farmer and merchant, ran a farm here that the Orange County Agricultural Society named a prize farm in 1841. The house was recognized as an intact example of a Federal-period stone farmhouse in Cornwall, with a root cellar built into the hillside nearby.
Significance in brief: It is significant under architecture as a representative example of the Federal Dwellings property type (1790-1845) in Cornwall. It keeps a high degree of integrity, including original windows, doors, mantels, wide board flooring and Federal woodwork. It also reflects the early settlement of the Van Duzer family and the farm that Mary Van Duzer-Sayer and her husband operated.
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 96000155, listed March 8, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Taylor Rd., Cornwall |
|---|---|
| County | Orange County |
| Listed | March 8, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96000155 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca.1832 |
| Architectural style | Early Republic / Federal |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently in use as a single-family dwelling, and described as retaining a high degree of exterior and interior integrity. |
| Acreage | 154 |
| Coordinates | 41.41067, -74.08694 (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 96000155.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6780881
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.