This is a list of cobblestone buildings, mostly houses and mostly but not all in the United States, that are notable and that reflect cobblestone architecture. Cobblestone architecture had some popularity for substantial homes and other buildings for a period, but is limited in scope of employment.
In Europe, cobblestone architecture includes the use of flint cobbles. St. Alban's Church, Copenhagen, in Denmark, was designed as a traditional English church by architect Arthur Blomfield. Gothic Revival in style, it is built in limestone from the Faxe south of Copenhagen, knapped flint from Stevns, Åland stone for the spire, and roof tiles from Broseley in Shropshire. The conspicuous use of flint as a building material, unusual in Denmark, is another typical trait from England where it is commonly seen in church buildings in the south of the country, particularly East Anglia. [1]
In the United States, cobblestone architecture appears most significantly in New York State, and within the state generally along the Erie Canal, following from the economic prosperity brought by the canal and from the ease of transportation by barges of this heavy building material. [2] There are numerous examples in other states as well. A number of cobblestone houses and other buildings are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. [3]
Notable cobblestone buildings include:
(by state then city)
Building | Image | Dates | Location | City, State | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colorado National Guard Armory | 1916 built | Golden, Colorado | |||
The area around the Illinois-Wisconsin border once had the largest population of cobblestone houses outside of New York City. However, very few remain—the Illinois Historic Sites Survey in 1978 identified only two remaining. Cobblestone houses were popular among individuals who worked on the Erie Canal, and the style came to the border region from New York migrants.
Building | Image | Dates | Location | City, State | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gifford-Davidson House | 1850 built 1980 NRHP-listed | 363-365 Prairie St. 42°2′3″N88°16′39″W / 42.03417°N 88.27750°W | Elgin, Illinois | Built by James Talcott Gifford, a native of central New York who became wealthy in Wisconsin, then returned in 1849 to Elgin, which he had helped found, and completed this in 1850. Cobblestone first floor; frame above. House was expanded in 1871. [4] | |
Herrick Cobblestone | 1847 built 1989 NRHP-listed | 2127 Broadway 42°15′8″N89°3′44″W / 42.25222°N 89.06222°W | Rockford, Illinois | Greek Revival in style. Built by Elijah L. Herrick, who may have been a cobblestone mason. The stones are from the nearby Rock River. Herrick came from Massachusetts to Rockford in the mid-1830s, though he probably stopped in New York on the way and came to learn of the style. [5] One of the oldest houses in Rockford. | |
Building | Image | Dates | Location | City, State | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sandstone and Cobblestone Schools | 1910-21 built 1987 NRHP-listed | Main St. 45°30′37″N109°26′45″W / 45.51028°N 109.44583°W | Absarokee, Montana | ||
Building | Image | Dates | Location | City, State | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Moore-Ward Cobblestone House | 1905 built 1985 NRHP-listed | Artesia, New Mexico | |||
Building | Image | Dates | Location | City, State | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
C.R. Howard House | 1853 built 1974 NRHP-listed | 411 E. Garfield St. 41°19′04″N81°19′51″W / 41.31778°N 81.33083°W | Aurora, Ohio | Two-story house with a steep gable, with eaves decorated by scroll-sawn vergeboard, topped by an octagonal pinnacle and pendant. Believed to be the only one of two cobblestone homes within the Western Reserve area. [8] | |
Cobble-Cote | [] | 1834 built | 2060 White Pond Drive. 41°19′04″N81°19′51″W / 41.31778°N 81.33083°W | Akron, Ohio | Two-story house with sun porch addition. Refurbished and remodeled in the 1920s. Floors are reclaimed wood from houses of a similar age that were demolished. Believed to be one of two cobblestone houses within the Western Reserve area. The rear walkway is constructed of 92 millstones of unknown origin. |
The Basalt Cobblestone Quarries District contains seven historic quarries which provided cobblestones for Portland streets.
Lemont is a village located in Cook, DuPage, and Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, and is a south-west suburb of Chicago. The population was 17,629 as of the 2020 census. The village is situated on a hillside along the south banks of the Des Plaines River. It overlooks Waterfall Glen's Midwestern Bluff Savanna on the opposite side. Lemont is home to Argonne National Laboratory and other heavy industrial sites, and has a substantial European immigrant population.
Fultonville is a village in Montgomery County, New York, United States. The village is named after Robert Fulton, inventor of the steamboat.
Pittsford is a village in Monroe County, New York, United States. The population was 1,355 at the 2010 census. It is named after Pittsford, Vermont, the native town of a founding father.
This is intended to be a complete list of properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Orleans County, New York. The locations of National Register properties and districts may be seen in a map by clicking on "Map of all coordinates". Two listings, the New York State Barge Canal and the Cobblestone Historic District, are further designated a National Historic Landmark.
Joseph Lyman Silsbee was a significant American architect during the 19th and early 20th centuries. He was well known for his facility of drawing and gift for designing buildings in a variety of styles. His most prominent works ran through Syracuse, Buffalo and Chicago. He was influential as mentor to a generation of architects, most notably architects of the Prairie School including the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
The Cobblestone Historic District is located along state highway NY 104 in Childs, New York, United States. It comprises three buildings that exemplify the cobblestone architecture developed to a high degree in the regions of upstate New York near Lake Ontario and exported to other areas with settlers. It is the location of the Albion-based Cobblestone Society's Cobblestone Museum.
Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site, also known as Erie Canal National Historic Landmark, is a historic district that includes the ruins of the Erie Canal aqueduct over Schoharie Creek, and a 3.5-mile (5.6 km) long part of the Erie Canal, in the towns of Glen and Florida within Montgomery County, New York. It was the first part of the old canal to be designated a National Historic Landmark, prior to the designation of the entire New York State Barge Canal as a NHL in 2017.
The Galena Historic District is a historic district located in the city of Galena, Illinois, United States. The historic district encompasses 85 percent of the city of Galena and includes more than 800 properties. The downtown area consists of three successive tiers made up of Main, Bench and Prospect Streets. Within the boundaries of the district are such notable homes as the Ulysses S. Grant Home and the Elihu B. Washburne House. The Galena Historic District was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1969.
Cobblestone Farmhouse at 1229 Birdsey Road is a farmhouse in the town of Junius, New York, in Seneca County, New York. It is significant as a well-preserved example of cobblestone architecture, in a vernacular Greek Revival style. North of the house, there is also a large barn believed to date to the late 19th century. This property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 6, 2008. It is the sixth property listed as a featured property of the week in a program of the National Park Service that began in July, 2008.
Cobblestone architecture refers to the use of cobblestones embedded in mortar as method for erecting walls on houses and commercial buildings. It was frequently used in the northeastern United States and upper Midwest in the early 19th century; the greatest concentration of surviving cobblestone buildings is in New York State, generally near the historic Erie Canal or connecting canals.
The U.S. Post Office in Middleport, New York, is located at Main and Church streets. It is a brick building erected in 1940, serving the 14105 ZIP Code, which covers the village of Middleport and surrounding areas of the towns of Hartland and Royalton.
There are 75 properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Albany, New York, United States. Six are additionally designated as National Historic Landmarks (NHLs), the most of any city in the state after New York City. Another 14 are historic districts, for which 20 of the listings are also contributing properties. Two properties, both buildings, that had been listed in the past but have since been demolished have been delisted; one building that is also no longer extant remains listed.
The U.S. Post Office in Albion, New York, is located on South Main Street in the center of town. It serves the 14411 ZIP Code, covering the village and town of Albion plus neighboring sections of the towns of Barre and Gaines.
The Cobblestone Inn is located along Ridge Road in Oak-Orchard-on-the-Ridge, an unincorporated hamlet in the Town of Ridgeway, New York, United States. It is a cobblestone building dating to the 1830s.
The North Main–Bank Streets Historic District is located along those streets in Albion, New York, United States. It is one of two historic districts in the village, comprising the commercial core of the village, developed during its years as a major stop on the Erie Canal. A portion of the canal, now the New York State Barge Canal, and two of its bridges are within the district.
The Orleans County Courthouse Historic District is one of two located in downtown Albion, New York, United States. Centered on Courthouse Square, it includes many significant buildings in the village, such as its post office and churches from seven different denominations, one of which is the tallest structure in the county. Many buildings are the work of local architect William V.N. Barlow, with contributions from Solon Spencer Beman and Andrew Jackson Warner. They run the range of architectural styles from the era in which the district developed, from Federal to Colonial Revival.
Tinker Cobblestone Farmstead, also known as the Tinker Homestead and Farm Museum, is a historic home located at Henrietta in Monroe County, New York. It is a Federal style cobblestone farmhouse built between 1828 and 1830. It is constructed of medium-sized field cobbles and is one of 13 surviving cobblestone buildings in Henrietta.
Charles Bullis House is a historic home located at Macedon in Wayne County, New York. The Federal style, cobblestone house consists of a 2-story main block with a 1+1⁄2-story frame wing. It was built about 1839 and is constructed of irregular, rough, moderate sized cobbles. The house is among the approximately 170 surviving cobblestone buildings in Wayne County.
The Herrick Cobblestone is a historic cobblestone residence in Rockford, Illinois. It may be the oldest house in Rockford.