Whitaker House
Why it's listed
Built around 1850 in the town of Benton, about three miles north of Penn Yan, this farmhouse is a rectangular, one and one-half story frame dwelling with a stone foundation, clapboard walls and a crossed gable roof. A rear wing combines a residential section with a two-bay carriage shed. The east facade is dominated by a central gable trimmed with scroll-sawn vergeboards, and the double-hung windows and central door are topped by ornate applied wood lintels. Inside, plaster walls, wood moldings, mantels, paneled doors and a stair with turned newels and balusters survive. The house was listed as a representative example of Carpenter Gothic residential architecture in Yates County. That style relied on pattern books, balloon framing and plentiful lumber, and is known above all for scroll-sawn wooden ornament. The nomination also calls the house a local landmark that recalls the mid-nineteenth century development of this part of the county. It is still a single-family home on a parcel of less than one acre.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a representative and highly intact example of Carpenter Gothic residential architecture in Yates County. It retains steeply pitched gables, scroll-sawn vergeboards, ornate hood moldings and a prominent central gable. It is also described as an important local landmark recalling the mid-nineteenth century development of the area.
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 94000964, listed August 24, 1994. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Benton--Torrey Town Line Rd., Benton |
|---|---|
| County | Yates County |
| Listed | August 24, 1994 |
| Reference number | 94000964 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca.1850 |
| Architectural style | Mid-Nineteenth Century/Gothic Revival (Carpenter Gothic) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as a single dwelling; the interior is described as highly intact. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.70466, -77.01711 (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 94000964.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7994129
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.