Decker, William, House
Why it's listed
Located in the hamlet of Dwaarkill in Shawangunk, this one-story stone house grew in two stages. The western section is traditionally attributed to Garrett Decker, a stone mason who helped build the Shawangunk Church and parsonage in the 1750s, and dates to about 1730. A date stone over the front door marks the larger five-bay, center-hall section built in 1776 for William and Geertie Decker. Its three-foot stone walls, 12/12 windows and symmetrical facade reflect Dutch settlement building traditions of the Hudson Valley. The house stayed largely unchanged for nearly two hundred years until 1939, when it became a tourist house and resort with a restaurant, bar, bowling alley and pool, using fittings from the 1939 New York World's Fair. Those additions are not counted as significant. The property was returned to residential use in 1976. It is valued as a rare surviving example of a regional house form and as a homestead of an early valley family.
Significance in brief: The house is a rare surviving example of an eighteenth-century Dutch-settlement stone house form distinctive to the Shawangunk Valley. Its stone walls, large bents, 12/12 windows and symmetrical window placement retain their integrity despite later additions. It is also a surviving homestead of one of the valley's original families, the Deckers.
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 83001815, listed September 26, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | New Prospect Rd., Shawangunk |
|---|---|
| County | Ulster County |
| Listed | September 26, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83001815 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Architect unknown; builders Garrett Decker and William Decker |
| Architectural style | Dutch settlement stone house (eighteenth-century Hudson Valley form) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition described as good; used as a residence, converted back from a restaurant and resort in 1976. The 1939 additions are not considered significant. |
| Acreage | 9.7 |
| Coordinates | 41.64770, -74.26312 (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 83001815.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8007729
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.