Hessinger Store
Why it's listed
Standing on the west side of Main Street in Callicoon Center, a hamlet in western Sullivan County, this large wood-frame building grew in at least four stages beginning around 1840. It has heavy timber post-and-beam framing, a stone foundation built into the hillside, clapboard siding, storefront windows and a two-story porch across the facade. Greek Revival pilasters and cornice details mark its early sections. Over time it held a store, post office, dance hall, hotel or boarding house, and a Masonic meeting hall; Callicoon Lodge No. 521 met upstairs from 1861 to 1891. Valentine Hessinger, a German immigrant, bought the property in 1857, and his family owned it until 1989. The building reached its present appearance before about 1890 and keeps its original divisions of space and many interior finishes, including a barrel-vaulted ceiling above the later second-floor ceiling. It was listed for its social history and architecture as a typical, well-preserved hamlet commercial building. The property is now vacant.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a representative and especially intact example of a nineteenth-century multi-function hamlet building, under criteria A and C. It housed a store, post office, dance hall, hotel/rooming house and Masonic hall, and it retains nearly all of its nineteenth-century materials, finishes and Greek Revival detailing. It played a central role in the economic and social life of Callicoon Center for over 140 years.
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 00000584, listed June 2, 2000. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Main St. (Co. Rd. 122), Callicoon Center |
|---|---|
| County | Sullivan County |
| Listed | June 2, 2000 |
| Reference number | 00000584 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c1840-c1890 |
| Architect / builder | unknown |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as vacant; the form notes some recent interior deterioration. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.83606, -74.94715 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 00000584.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5746248
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.