Van Houten's Landing Historic District
Why it's listed
Van Houten's Landing is a compact waterfront neighborhood in Upper Nyack, New York, between North Broadway and the Hudson River. It grew around a landing and boatyard that John Van Houten developed after buying the land in 1798. He ran a freight depot, later passenger service, a small hotel and a post office, and built river sloops and steamships. He also added a marine railway, the first in Rockland County according to the nomination. Around the yard, sea captains, boat builders, carpenters, storekeepers and other tradesmen lived in modest frame houses, many dating from about 1825 to 1850. Later additions include Italianate buildings put up by the Voris family, who operated the yard, among them a store, a house and nine School Street rowhouses. A Queen Anne firehouse of 1887 and a village hall also stand here. The boatyard remains in use, and the district holds 52 contributing and 9 noncontributing resources.
Significance in brief: The district grew around a river landing and boatyard established by John Van Houten after an 1798 purchase. It served as a freight and passenger depot, a boat-building site and a small community of boat workers and tradesmen. Its largely vernacular houses and later Italianate buildings from the Voris family era record the landing's development.
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 04000877, listed August 20, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | North Broadway, School St., Ellen St., Castle Heights Ave., Van Houten St., Village of Upper Nyack |
|---|---|
| County | Rockland County |
| Listed | August 20, 2004 |
| Reference number | 04000877 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Horace Greeley Knapp (architect of the 1887 firehouse and the 1890 Gilchrest House remodeling); James P. Voris (builder of the School Street rowhouses); John and Charles Pitt (carpenters shop builders) |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Italianate, Stick, Second Empire, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, and vernacular Dutch-tradition houses |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current uses include single dwellings, water-related transportation (the boatyard) and commerce (a department store and delicatessen are mentioned); the boatyard is still operating for repair and storage of recreational craft. |
| Acreage | 14 |
| Coordinates | 41.10112, -73.91628 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 04000877.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7913428
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.