Palen, Frank A., House
Why it's listed
This two-and-one-half story house at 74-76 St. James Street in Kingston, New York, was built in 1892 for Frank A. Palen, a local businessman. It combines Colonial Revival and Shingle Style features on a bluestone base, with quarry-faced bluestone walls on the first story and wood framing and shakes above. A broad front-facing gable, a verandah with Tuscan columns, a rounded corner bay and a Palladian window mark the street front. Inside, plaster walls, parquet floors, stained woodwork, mantels and stained glass survive largely from the original construction. Palen served as president of H.W. Palen and Sons Builders Supply, a firm founded by his father that sold lumber, brick, cement, glass and millwork and supplied much of the area's building trade. The house was seen as a statement of his success and of the quality of the family's products. It is valued for its architecture, its high integrity and its link to Palen. It remains a single-family dwelling.
Significance in brief: The house is presented as a highly intact example of Late Victorian residential design, mixing Colonial Revival and Shingle Style elements, with original interior finishes largely preserved. It is also tied to Frank A. Palen, president of the H.W. Palen and Sons building supply firm, whose home showed off the family business's products and standing in Kingston.
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 05000015, listed February 9, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 74-76 St. James St., Kingston |
|---|---|
| County | Ulster County |
| Listed | February 9, 2005 |
| Reference number | 05000015 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1892-c.1900 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Queen Anne/Colonial Revival, Shingle Style/Eastlake |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently used as a single dwelling; the form describes it as retaining a high level of integrity inside and out. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 41.93064, -74.01439 (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 05000015.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14706274
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.