Wiggins-Collamer House
Why it's listed
Standing at the corner of East High Street and Route 9 in Malta, this wood-frame farmhouse is the only historic building in two-acre Collamer Park, which preserves part of the farm that once surrounded it. George Wiggins built the five-bay, 1 1/2-story house around 1835 on land he bought in 1821. It rests on a fieldstone foundation, has clapboard siding, corner pilasters, a simple frieze and a molded Federal entrance architrave. Inside, wide plank floors and heavy timber framing survive. The house reflects the brief shift from Federal to Greek Revival taste in rural Saratoga County and is described as a rare surviving example of its type in Malta. The property passed to the Collamer family in 1855. In 1972 Nelson Collamer, a great-grandson of Wiggins, deeded it to the town, which used it as town hall and designated it a local landmark in 1980. It is now leased to a commercial tenant.
Significance in brief: The house is argued to be a substantially intact, representative example of vernacular domestic architecture in Malta during the transition between Federal and Greek Revival styles. It combines a delicate Federal entrance architrave with Greek Revival frieze, pilasters and form. It is also tied to early settlement, passing from the Wiggins family to the Collamer family in 1855.
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 07001127, listed October 31, 2007. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 450 E. High St., Malta |
|---|---|
| County | Saratoga County |
| Listed | October 31, 2007 |
| Reference number | 07001127 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1835-1855 |
| Architectural style | Early Republic/Federal; Mid-19th Century/Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as town offices after 1972; currently leased by the town of Malta to a commercial tenant. The interior was remodeled for public offices, but original plank floors and heavy timber framing remain. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 42.99654, -73.79063 (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 07001127.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7999592
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.