John Schoolcraft House
Description
The house was built about 1835 and is a distinctive Gothic Revival style dwelling. It features gingerbread vergeboards, pinnacles with crockets, lancet windows, and horizontal beaded siding.
The finials on the corners of the house are unique; the bases are made of wood, and the tips are of cast iron. The iron came from a foundry which Schoolcraft owned nearby. The house has 15 rooms with six fireplaces. The ballroom ceiling is decorated with plaster crown molding.
History
The house was built for John L. Schoolcraft (1804-1860), U.S. Congressman and uncle of Henry Rowe Schoolcraft. Schoolcraft used the house as a summer home until he died in 1860 at age 52.
The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The town purchased the property in 1994.
The town, together with Friends of the Schoolcraft Culture Center, renovated the house in stops and starts over a decade, as finances allowed. Around 2000, the exterior was renovated. The interior has been completely gutted and refitted with electricity, plumbing, heating, and climate controlled air conditioning, even a refrigerator and dishwasher.
A festive Holiday Event with over 200 guests was held in December 2014 to celebrate the restoration of the mansion. A portrait of Schoolcraft by artist Augusta Dudley was donated to the town and was expected to be installed in the house.
Gallery
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John Schoolcraft House, November 2008 -
John Schoolcraft House, November 2008
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ Buell, Bill (3 June 2014). "Restoration work on historic Schoolcraft House will be shown". Schenectady, NY: The Daily Gazette. Archived from the original on 3 October 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
- ^ Begley, Alice (28 January 2015). "Schoolcraft mansion is a wonderfully beautiful structure of Guilderland's history". The Altamont Enterprise. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
- ^ Town of Guilderland (June 1979). "Building-Structure Inventory: John Schoolcraft House (Building #6)". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
External links
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