Jansen, Johannes, House and Dutch Barn
Why it's listed
Along Decker Road west of Rutsonville, a stone farmhouse, a Dutch barn and a corn crib stand together on a farm of about 40 acres. The oldest part of the house is a one-story stone wing built around 1750 by Johannes Jansen, with a single room and a large fireplace. After his death in 1803, his nephew John Jansen added a two-story, five-bay stone section with a center hall, and the earlier wing became part of the larger house. Iron anchor ends marked with the initials J J are visible under the south eave. Inside, the rooms show Federal, Greek Revival and Italianate details. The barn, built about 1760, keeps its mortised, tenoned and pegged frame and is one of only two surviving Dutch barns in the Shawangunk Valley survey area. The corn crib is also a rare survivor. Together the buildings show how local Dutch-descended builders adapted traditional methods to newer formal styles.
Significance in brief: The house is presented as a distinctive example of Federal style stone architecture built with traditional regional methods. Its symmetrical two-story center hall plan is unique among the stone houses in the multiple resource area and shows a shift from the older in-line room arrangement. The Dutch barn is one of only two surviving in the area and keeps its original framing largely intact.
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 83001818, listed September 26, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Decker Rd., Shawangunk |
|---|---|
| County | Ulster County |
| Listed | September 26, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83001818 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Architect unknown; builder Jansen family |
| Architectural style | Federal, with late Greek Revival and Italianate interior detailing |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is listed as fair; the property is still used as a residence, as it was originally. The interior is not accessible to the public. |
| Acreage | 40.5 |
| Coordinates | 41.66706, -74.26506 (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 83001818.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6216774
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.