Shady Brook Farm
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Shady Brook Farm is a hillside property of 9.3 acres on Old Post Road near Marlboro, in Ulster County, New York. Its centerpiece is a wood-frame house begun around 1850, probably for farmer Andrew Oddy. The original front block follows a Greek Revival pattern, with a center hall, clapboard walls, six-over-six windows and Gothic Revival mantels. Around 1917 a large rear addition, attributed to architect Ali Pembroke and styled in Colonial Revival terms, swallowed an earlier kitchen wing so the house could take summer boarders. Boarding houses were an important seasonal industry in the region. Guests included the modernist painter Alfred Maurer. Earlier, the grounds were part of a fruit and grape nursery run by horticulturist Andrew J. Caywood. A carriage barn and a South Cottage from about 1890 also contribute to the property. A relocated mill worker's house, the North Cottage, does not. The period of significance runs from about 1850 to about 1954, when the boarding house closed.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues local significance under Criterion A for entertainment/recreation, because the house was expanded to operate as a summer boarding house, an industry important to the region. It also claims significance under Criterion C for architecture: a largely intact Greek Revival front block with a Colonial Revival addition. The property is also tied to horticulturist Andrew J. Caywood and to the artist Alfred Maurer, who stayed there as a guest.
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 12000961, listed November 21, 2012. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 351 Old Post Rd., Marlboro |
|---|---|
| County | Ulster County |
| Listed | November 21, 2012 |
| Reference number | 12000961 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1850-ca. 1954 |
| Architect / builder | Pembroke, Ali; architect, ca. 1917 addition |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century: Greek Revival; Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Entertainment/Recreation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current use is listed as single dwelling. The North Cottage is noncontributing because of recent interior alterations. |
| Acreage | 9.4 |
| Coordinates | 41.59545, -73.97225 (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 12000961.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q23073321
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.