Jenkins House
Also known as: The Grey Barn
Why it's listed
Built around 1876 at 57 Main Street in Delanson, this two-story frame house, known as the Grey Barn, is an L-shaped dwelling that shows the picturesque taste of the late Victorian period. Its most striking feature is a two-and-one-half-story central tower with a mansard roof, iron cresting and a polychrome slate surface pierced by small finial-topped dormers. A wide frieze with scroll brackets wraps the original front section, which also has jerkinhead cross gables and projecting two-story bay windows with pierced and applied woodwork. A porch curves around the southeast corner. The house was listed as a distinctive and fully developed example of late nineteenth-century eclectic design in the Duanesburg area. It also reflects the prosperity of Delanson when the village was the town's commercial center, thanks to the Albany and Susquehanna Railroad and its coal yards. Two rear wings from the 1970s replaced a section lost to fire, and a modern garage stands on the lot. Neither is considered historic.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a distinctive and well-developed example of late Victorian eclectic residential architecture in Duanesburg. It features picturesque asymmetry, a central mansard-roofed tower, and elaborate iron and wood ornament. It also reflects Delanson's peak prosperity in the late nineteenth century as a railroad and coal-yard community, and is a rare intact example in an altered neighborhood.
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 84003071, listed October 11, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 57 Main St., Delanson |
|---|---|
| County | Schenectady County |
| Listed | October 11, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84003071 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian, eclectic |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as good; used as residential/commercial. Rear wings rebuilt in the 1970s after a fire, and the porch posts were replaced. |
| Acreage | 0.7 |
| Coordinates | 42.74613, -74.18817 (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 84003071.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6177603
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.