Hoornbeck, Jacob, Stone House
Why it's listed
Beside Mill Brook on Boice Mill Road in Rochester, Ulster County, stands a stone dwelling made up of two connected sections. The older part is a one-and-one-half story eighteenth-century stone wing, now the rear kitchen portion. Set at right angles to it is a balanced two-and-one-half story main block built in the Georgian tradition, with a five-bay south front and a central entry with sidelights and transom. Inside, a center hall and double-pile plan survives with finishes in a high state of preservation. The house is significant as a typical but uncommon two-story example among Rochester's early masonry houses; only seven such dwellings were identified before 1850. Its rear wing also has an all-stone gable end, a feature found in just eleven local houses. The property is further linked to the Hoornbeck family, who obtained water rights here in 1703 for a grist mill and saw mill later run by the Dunn family.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is architecturally significant as an example of Hudson Valley stone dwelling architecture. It is one of only seven two-story masonry houses among the fifty-six surviving pre-1850 masonry dwellings in Rochester. Its rear wing is one of eleven one-and-one-half story houses with an all-stone gable end. It is also tied to the Hoornbeck family and a former mill site.
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 97000108, listed February 21, 1997. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Boice Mill Rd., jct. with Krum Rd., Rochester |
|---|---|
| County | Ulster County |
| Listed | February 21, 1997 |
| Reference number | 97000108 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca.1800 |
| Architectural style | Georgian tradition; classified as OTHER/vernacular |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a single dwelling; finishes are described as surviving in a high state of preservation despite limited nineteenth-century alterations. |
| Acreage | 15 |
| Coordinates | 41.79748, -74.29200 (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 97000108.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6118768
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.