Abraham Brower House
Encyclopedia
The Abraham Brower House is located at Water and Division streets in New Hamburg
, New York
, United States
. It is a mid-19th century home of one the hamlet's early residents that was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1987.
It is a modest brick
structure, built in a vernacular
interpretation of the Greek Revival
style
popular in the decades preceding its construction. A kitchen wing was added after the Civil War
, but otherwise there have been few significant alterations since then.
structure of brick laid in common bond. The gable
d roof is shingled
in slate
laid in a decorative floral pattern. A chimney
rises from the south side.
Across the west-facing front facade
runs a hip-roofed
porch. Its columns, and the doorway, match the nearby Adolph Brower House
. The front windows are trimmed in stone.
A smaller, similar addition was built later on the east (rear) elevation. Its roof decoration matches the main house. A full-length porch on its south side has been enclosed in clapboard
. There is also a small brick outbuilding with asphalt
-shingled roof at the northwest corner of the house's lot
.
The interior follows the classic Greek Revival side-hall pattern. Most rooms, save the kitchen, are as they originally were. Woodwork, especially a mantel
in the parlor, is also preserved. A full brick beehive oven
remains in the cellar
of the addition.
quarry
ing operations along the nearby riverside that were the hamlet's major industry after river commerce. The house, likely built around 1845 although the exact date is not known, had at the time an unobstructed view over the quarries.
It is first recorded in 1867, at which time the kitchen wing was added. Its roof was originally plain slate, but was later redecorated to match the main house. Similarly, the wing's tin
-roofed porch was originally unenclosed, and modified sometime later in the 19th century.
Locally, it is believed that the outbuilding was originally a boathouse
. Although modified during the 20th century for use as a garage
, it is too small to have served as a stable
prior to that and the low rafter
s on its collar beams were ideal places to hang sail
s to dry.
New Hamburg, New York
New Hamburg is a small hamlet along the Hudson River in Dutchess County, New York, best known as home of a popular marina and a busy Metro-North Railroad Hudson Line station. It is located in the southern corner of the Wappingers Falls....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is a mid-19th century home of one the hamlet's early residents that was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1987.
It is a modest brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
structure, built in a vernacular
Vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture is a term used to categorize methods of construction which use locally available resources and traditions to address local needs and circumstances. Vernacular architecture tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural and historical context in which it...
interpretation of the Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
style
Architectural style
Architectural styles classify architecture in terms of the use of form, techniques, materials, time period, region and other stylistic influences. It overlaps with, and emerges from the study of the evolution and history of architecture...
popular in the decades preceding its construction. A kitchen wing was added after the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, but otherwise there have been few significant alterations since then.
Building
The main block is a one-and-a-half-story, three-bayBay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
structure of brick laid in common bond. The gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d roof is shingled
Roof shingle
Roof shingles are a roof covering consisting of individual overlapping elements. These elements are typically flat rectangular shapes laid in rows from the bottom edge of the roof up, with each successive higher row overlapping the joints in the row below...
in slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
laid in a decorative floral pattern. A chimney
Chimney
A chimney is a structure for venting hot flue gases or smoke from a boiler, stove, furnace or fireplace to the outside atmosphere. Chimneys are typically vertical, or as near as possible to vertical, to ensure that the gases flow smoothly, drawing air into the combustion in what is known as the...
rises from the south side.
Across the west-facing front facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
runs a hip-roofed
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
porch. Its columns, and the doorway, match the nearby Adolph Brower House
Adolph Brower House
The Adolph Brower House is located at the corner of Division and Water streets in New Hamburg, New York, United States, opposite the Abraham Brower House. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982....
. The front windows are trimmed in stone.
A smaller, similar addition was built later on the east (rear) elevation. Its roof decoration matches the main house. A full-length porch on its south side has been enclosed in clapboard
Clapboard (architecture)
Clapboard, also known as bevel siding or lap siding or weather-board , is a board used typically for exterior horizontal siding that has one edge thicker than the other and where the board above laps over the one below...
. There is also a small brick outbuilding with asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
-shingled roof at the northwest corner of the house's lot
Lot (real estate)
In real estate, a lot or plot is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner. A lot is essentially considered a parcel of real property in some countries or immovable property in other countries...
.
The interior follows the classic Greek Revival side-hall pattern. Most rooms, save the kitchen, are as they originally were. Woodwork, especially a mantel
Mantel
Mantel is a municipality in the district of Neustadt in Bavaria in Germany....
in the parlor, is also preserved. A full brick beehive oven
Beehive oven
A beehive oven is an early type of oven. It gets its name from its domed shape, which resembles that of an old-fashioned beehive, and was in common use in the Americas and Europe from the Middle Ages to the advent of the gas and electric ovens. Beehive ovens were common in households used for...
remains in the cellar
Basement
__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...
of the addition.
History
Adolph Brower, whose own house across the intersection is one of the oldest in New Hamburg, sold the lot to a relative, Abraham, in 1841. At the time both Browers were involved in the limeLime (mineral)
Lime is a general term for calcium-containing inorganic materials, in which carbonates, oxides and hydroxides predominate. Strictly speaking, lime is calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide. It is also the name for a single mineral of the CaO composition, occurring very rarely...
quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
ing operations along the nearby riverside that were the hamlet's major industry after river commerce. The house, likely built around 1845 although the exact date is not known, had at the time an unobstructed view over the quarries.
It is first recorded in 1867, at which time the kitchen wing was added. Its roof was originally plain slate, but was later redecorated to match the main house. Similarly, the wing's tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
-roofed porch was originally unenclosed, and modified sometime later in the 19th century.
Locally, it is believed that the outbuilding was originally a boathouse
Boathouse
A boathouse is a building especially designed for the storage of boats, normally smaller craft for sports or leisure use. These are typically located on open water, such as on a river. Often the boats stored are rowing boats...
. Although modified during the 20th century for use as a garage
Garage (house)
A residential garage is part of a home, or an associated building, designed or used for storing a vehicle or vehicles. In some places the term is used synonymously with "carport", though that term normally describes a structure that is not completely enclosed.- British residential garages:Those...
, it is too small to have served as a stable
Stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
prior to that and the low rafter
Rafter
A rafter is one of a series of sloped structural members , that extend from the ridge or hip to the downslope perimeter or eave, designed to support the roof deck and its associated loads.-Design:...
s on its collar beams were ideal places to hang sail
Sail
A sail is any type of surface intended to move a vessel, vehicle or rotor by being placed in a wind—in essence a propulsion wing. Sails are used in sailing.-History of sails:...
s to dry.