Cumming-Parker House
Also known as: Elmore; The Library
Why it's listed
Overlooking the Hudson River from a bluff in Esopus, this wood-frame house was built about 1836 by Thomas Cumming as a fair-weather residence. The original block was two stories on a tall stone basement, with a low hipped roof, brick end chimneys and a rooftop lantern. Around 1875 to 1880, Ransom Parker, Jr., a New York City ice merchant, added a two-story section on the west side for his large family. He also wrapped the house in a wide gallery with turned posts and scroll-sawn brackets, giving it the look of an Italian villa. The nominated 5.9-acre lot has the main house plus a garage, an octagonal summer house from the 1880s, the site of Parker's commercial ice house, a boathouse on pilings and a privy. A 1950s swimming pool, a 1970s pavilion and a rebuilt dock are noncontributing. The house is significant for architecture, reflecting two building phases between about 1836 and 1880.
Significance in brief: The nomination cites architecture as the area of significance. The house combines a Greek Revival core from about 1836 with a Victorian Italianate expansion of about 1880 that gave it the look of an Italian villa. The property also keeps related river-front features, including a summer house, an ice house site and a boathouse.
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 10000014, listed February 12, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 50 Appletree Rd., Esopus |
|---|---|
| County | Ulster County |
| Listed | February 12, 2010 |
| Reference number | 10000014 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c. 1836 - c. 1880 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown (the form names Thomas Cumming as the builder of the original house) |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century, Greek Revival; Late Victorian, Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single dwelling; the form records recent restoration work, including new blinds in 2009 and a reconstructed gallery balustrade in 2003. |
| Acreage | 5.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.83288, -73.95626 (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 10000014.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5194102
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.