Brown, Luke, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1823 on the north side of NY 72 in Parishville, this two-story, five-bay Federal style farmhouse is made of red Potsdam Sandstone laid in coursed rectangular blocks. Features include stone lintels, a boxed cornice with returns, a wide center doorway with transom, and semicircular gable fanlights outlined with uniform voussoirs. A frame wing with Greek Revival porch pillars was added around 1870. The house was built for Luke Brown, land agent for banker David Parish, who in 1811 brought his family to the area and helped lay out the roads and farmland linking Parishville with Potsdam. Each wall shows a different masonry technique, from even courses to random blocks and early hints of slab and binder work, suggesting local masons were experimenting. Very few red sandstone buildings predate that later style, and this is the only one with intact, sound masonry. It remains a single-family home on a two-acre lot.
Significance in brief: The house is tied to the early settlement of Parishville through Luke Brown, land agent for David Parish, who helped establish the roads and farmland linking Parishville and Potsdam. Architecturally it is a substantial Federal house built of coursed rectangular sandstone blocks. Few red Potsdam Sandstone buildings predate the slab and binder style, and this is the only one of them with intact, sound masonry.
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 03000030, listed June 6, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 831 NY 72, Parishville |
|---|---|
| County | St. Lawrence County |
| Listed | June 6, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03000030 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1823-c.1870 |
| Architectural style | Early Republic/Federal |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single dwelling; the c.1870 wing and porch have been rehabilitated by the present owner. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 44.62913, -74.90199 (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 03000030.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14706843
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.