Van Alen, John Evert, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1793-94 for John Evert van Alen, this two-story, five-bay wood-frame house sits on 3.59 acres in Defreestville, North Greenbush, Rensselaer County. The land was once part of a farm of more than 400 acres. Van Alen, a surveyor elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in late 1792, gave sites for the neighboring Dutch Reformed Church and a district schoolhouse. The house has clapboard walls, a slate roof, a stone foundation and brick nogging in the frame. Federal details appear alongside Georgian mantels and cornices. A three-bay wing added c.1840-1854 housed hired hands. Inside, the center hall, tiger maple stair railing, stenciled wall decoration, original hardware and basement kitchen with its bread oven survive. The basement also held rooms for the family's enslaved people. The house is listed for its near-complete preservation and its link to the Van Alen family, whose surveying work included Erie Canal projects. A barn is the second contributing building.
Significance in brief: The house is nearly intact to its period of significance and reflects the aspirations of John Evert van Alen, a surveyor and U.S. Representative elected in 1792. It mixes Federal and Georgian details and retains original hardware, trim, floors and plaster. It also documents a Hudson Valley farmstead, its enslaved residents, and the Van Alen family's surveying work.
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 04000873, listed August 20, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1744 Washington Ave. Ext., Defreestville |
|---|---|
| County | Rensselaer County |
| Listed | August 20, 2004 |
| Reference number | 04000873 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1793-c. 1850 |
| Architectural style | Early Republic: Federal |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Historic use was a single dwelling; current function is listed as commerce/trade: business. The house is almost entirely intact to its period of significance. |
| Acreage | 3.6 |
| Coordinates | 42.65310, -73.69857 (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 04000873.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6232080
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.