House at 502 South Orient
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Why it's listed
Standing at 502 S. Orient in Stamford, this large two-story frame house was probably built between 1907 and 1910. It has a hipped roof with composition shingles and boxed eaves, and four hipped dormers light the attic story. A wide hipped-roof porch runs across the front, supported by groups of two or three Doric columns on square wooden pedestals and finished with a wooden balustrade. Lozenge windows of various sizes appear around the house, along with a two-story bay and a bracketed oriel window. The house was first mapped by the Sanborn Company in 1922. It was listed as a well-preserved, representative example of the substantial middle- or upper-class homes built during Stamford's first two decades of growth. Reviewers considered it the most significant example of the American Foursquare style in the city. A suggested connection to Stamford College, which occupied land across the street, was not accepted as a basis for significance.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the house as a good, nearly unaltered example of the large early twentieth-century residences built in Stamford's first two decades. It may be the most substantial example of the American Foursquare style in the city. The form also suggests a possible link to nearby Stamford College, but the federal reviewer found that claim unacceptable.
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 86002377, listed September 24, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 502 S. Orient, Stamford |
|---|---|
| County | Jones County |
| Listed | September 24, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86002377 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | American Foursquare (vernacular early twentieth-century residence) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as unaltered and in good condition; the upper part of the chimney flue has been removed. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 32.94043, -99.79496 (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 86002377.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110000570
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.