Verbeck House
Why it's listed
Built in 1889 on Church Avenue in Ballston Spa, this rambling twenty-five room Queen Anne style house was designed by Marcus F. Cummings for James Verbeck, a local attorney. The frame building sits on a rock-faced stone foundation and has narrow clapboard siding, shingled gables, two-story bays, a raised front porch, a modillioned cornice and a slate roof. Inside, the central hall holds a walnut staircase, early Art Nouveau wall coverings and stained-glass doors, while cherry woodwork, gas and electric chandeliers, original bathrooms, an intact butler's pantry and attic servants' quarters survive. Cummings was the most prolific architect in northeastern New York from 1862 to 1880 and published influential pattern books. This house was among his last residential commissions and shows a move away from his earlier Italianate and Second Empire work. The Verbeck family owned it until 1977, which helped preserve its integrity. It now serves as the National Bottle Museum.
Significance in brief: The house is a documented work of Marcus F. Cummings, a prolific regional architect, and one of his last designs before retiring in 1891. It marks a stylistic shift from his earlier Italianate and Second Empire residences. Long ownership by the Verbeck family left the interior largely intact.
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 83001790, listed April 7, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 20 Church Ave., Ballston Spa |
|---|---|
| County | Saratoga County |
| Listed | April 7, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83001790 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1889 |
| Architect / builder | Marcus F. Cummings |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied; in excellent condition and unaltered. Acquired in 1978 by the Federation of Historical Bottle Clubs and being adapted as a bottle museum (National Bottle Museum) without significant alteration of historic features. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 43.00033, -73.84929 (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 83001790.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q2514072
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.