Check Out This Rare Collection Of Upstate NY Octagonal Houses!

There are some buildings you pass along the roadway that just demand you take a second look at.  A round barn for example.  Or an old mill still slowly turning along a forgotten creek.  What about those Sears Catalog mail-in houses that came in kits for you to build yourself?  How about a 100 year old general store, or a whole house made out of cobblestones?  Yes, these are head turners for sure.

And so are "octagon houses."  These 8-sided structures were once all the rage, around 1850-1900.   They were quirky and built for common sense use of space and convenience.  At one time there were hundreds of these buildings around New York State.  Today there are between 75-100 left standing.  Some are still private residences, others are antique stores of even overnight inns and bed and breakfasts.  Still others stand empty and abandoned along the roadside, a silent sentinel to past times and different customs and styles.

This gallery looks at fifteen octagon structures you can still see.  Most are in small, rural Upstate New York towns and villages.

We hope you like this nostalgic journey back to when an octagon house was commonplace and not very unusual.

Also, we know there are many others of these buildings out there in Upstate New York.  So if you know of one, perhaps in your own hometown, please visit our Facebook page and give it a shout out.

We really do want to hear from you!