Cookes House
Also known as: Tom Paine's House
Why it's listed
Built in 1761 as a stone house with a four-window front facing east, the Cookes House in York, Pennsylvania, combines Germanic and Provincial Georgian features. Its first-floor windows have stone arched supports, and a date stone bearing the builder's inscription remains above the original front door location. The gable ends retain original cornice boards with an upsweep about one foot from their lower ends, and the house originally had the central chimney system used by German settlers. Around the turn of the twentieth century, the house was converted into a double dwelling, with a brick double entrance added to the north gable end and the interior divided along its north-south axis. It is regarded as the third oldest surviving structure in York and the earliest surviving stone building in the city. Local tradition associates it with Thomas Paine, and with the period in 1777-1778 when York served briefly as the seat of the national government. It is also among the few remaining buildings in York tied to that period.
Significance in brief: The house is described as the third oldest surviving structure in York and the earliest surviving stone building there. Local tradition links it to Thomas Paine and to the period when York briefly served as the seat of the United States government in 1777-1778. It is also presented as an example of blended Germanic and Georgian architectural features.
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 72001182, listed October 5, 1972. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 438-440 Codorus St., York |
|---|---|
| County | York County |
| Listed | October 5, 1972 |
| Reference number | 72001182 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1761 |
| Architectural style | Germanic and Provincial Georgian features |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Altered; newly roofed, with interiors gutted except for a few original baseboards and chair rails; basically only the stone shell remains. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 39.95487, -76.66786 (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 72001182.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5167045
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.