Swart-Wilcox House
Why it's listed
Built around 1807 on the south side of Oneonta, this small wood frame house with a gable roof, clapboard siding and an original shed addition belonged to Lawrence Swart, a Revolutionary War veteran born in Schoharie who bought farmland here in 1795. Its hand-hewn timber frame, clear-span bents, two-room plan and gable-end entrance follow a German vernacular tradition more common in the Hudson, Mohawk and Schoharie valleys, and it is unusual for being built so late. It is considered one of the last and most intact survivors of Oneonta's settlement period. Henry Wilcox took over the property in 1867 and remodeled it with Victorian-era finishes, and the house changed little after 1900. The 14.4-acre parcel keeps fields, woods, orchards, a row of maples and the remains of two outbuildings, though a highway and school complex have altered its original setting. The house is now vacant, with restoration planned as a local history teaching site.
Significance in brief: The house is one of the last surviving settlement-period resources near Oneonta and the most intact of them. It is also a rare local example of an ethnic German vernacular house type, with hand-hewn heavy timber post-and-beam framing, clear-span bents, a two-room plan and a gable-end entrance. Later nineteenth-century interior changes under the Wilcox family show how the property was adapted over time.
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 90000817, listed May 24, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Jct. of Wilcox Ave. and Henry St., Oneonta |
|---|---|
| County | Otsego County |
| Listed | May 24, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000817 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c1807-c1890 |
| Architect / builder | Lawrence Swart (believed builder; not certain whether he built it himself or commissioned a local builder) |
| Architectural style | No style (ethnic German vernacular house type) |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Vacant and boarded up; stabilization work was done in the 1970s, and the house is expected to be restored as the centerpiece of a fourth grade local history curriculum. |
| Acreage | 14.4 |
| Coordinates | 42.44369, -75.06981 (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 90000817.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7653924
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.