Amawalk Friends Meeting House
Why it's listed
Amawalk Friends Meeting House is a plain two-story frame building on a hillside lot off Quaker Church Road, near Yorktown Heights in Westchester County. Members of the congregation built it in 1831 after fire destroyed the previous meeting house in 1830, at a recorded cost of $1,272.94. It rests on a fieldstone foundation, has a slate gable roof, and faces south with two entrances once used separately by men and women. Inside are a large meeting room with benches facing the center and a gallery on three sides. The property also includes a burial ground with stones from the late eighteenth century onward and a modern First Day School building. The meeting house is notable as a representative Quaker building type, with simple design and fine craftsmanship, and as one of very few surviving in the county. It appears to be the only one built by the Hicksite branch after the 1828 division of the Society of Friends. Worship has continued there since it was built.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a representative, highly intact example of vernacular Quaker religious architecture, with separate entrances, a large meeting room with centrally directed benches, and a second-story gallery. It is one of only four or five meeting houses left in the county and appears to be the only one built by the Hicksite group after the 1828 split. It has been in continuous use since 1831.
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 89002004, listed November 16, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Quaker Church Rd., Amawalk |
|---|---|
| County | Westchester County |
| Listed | November 16, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89002004 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1805-1930 |
| Architectural style | No style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Religion |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | In continuous use by Friends since 1831; Friends still meet for worship weekly. |
| Acreage | 2.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.29229, -73.77114 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
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 89002004.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4740696
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.