Kingsford House
Why it's listed
Standing at the corner of West Third and West Oneida streets in Oswego, this brick house began as an Italianate residence built around 1870 for Thomson Kingsford, head of the Oswego starch works. In 1912-1913 his son, Thomas Pettibone Kingsford, had it rebuilt in the Tudor Revival style under architect Francis Thomas, a cousin. Bracketed cornices were removed and steep parapet gables, chimneys and leaded glass bay windows were added. Inside, pocket doors, built-in cabinets, fireplaces, a Renaissance-style staircase and a 50-foot third-floor ballroom designed to recall a great hall survive. The original limestone terrace wall and cast and wrought iron fence were kept and worked into the new design. The State University College at Oswego bought the house in 1954 for student housing, and a sorority owned it from 1961. After a careful rehabilitation it now serves as a residence and bed and breakfast. Its architecture and well-preserved interiors led to its listing.
Significance in brief: The house is significant under Criterion C as a distinctive, though somewhat atypical, example of Tudor Revival eclecticism in Oswego. It was created largely within the envelope of an earlier Italianate house for the Kingsford starch family. The original terrace wall and fence were preserved and integrated into the redesign, so the period of significance runs from ca. 1870 to 1913.
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 97000951, listed August 21, 1997. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 150 W. Third St., Oswego |
|---|---|
| County | Oswego County |
| Listed | August 21, 1997 |
| Reference number | 97000951 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1870 - 1913 |
| Architect / builder | Thomas, Francis architect; Raby, Peter builder |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals / Tudor Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Rehabilitated after earlier use as student housing and a sorority house; now used as a private residence and bed and breakfast, in excellent condition with a high level of integrity. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 43.45444, -76.51284 (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 97000951.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6413210
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.