Forsyth, James and Mary, House
Why it's listed
Standing on the north side of Albany Avenue just southeast of Kingston's Stockade area, this two-and-one-half story brick house was built around 1849-1850 for lawyer and local politician James Forsyth and his wife Mary. Richard Upjohn, better known for Gothic Revival churches such as Trinity Church in New York City, designed it in the Italianate style. It has load-bearing red brick walls, a limestone foundation, bracketed wooden cornices and pedimented window hoods. Colonial Revival porches were added around 1900, and about 1939 a Masonic chapter turned much of the second floor into a large meeting room. The first floor and basement still follow Upjohn's plan, with marble mantelpieces, parquet floors, original doors and hardware, and an 1864 cast-iron kitchen range. The house was listed for its architecture, as a rare domestic example of Upjohn's work with an intact interior. It is now vacant.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is significant in architecture as a surviving domestic work by Richard Upjohn, a prominent architect known mainly for Gothic Revival churches who also favored the Italianate style for houses. The building keeps much of its original plan and many period finishes despite changes around 1900 and 1939.
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 03000603, listed July 3, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 31 Albany Ave., Kingston |
|---|---|
| County | Ulster County |
| Listed | July 3, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03000603 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1849-c. 1939 |
| Architect / builder | Richard Upjohn (architect) |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Italianate; Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as vacant; the second floor was converted to a Masonic meeting room around 1939. |
| Acreage | 9.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.93294, -74.01438 (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.
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 03000603.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q1681338
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.