Building at 73 Mansion Street
Encyclopedia
The building at 73 Mansion Street in Poughkeepsie
, New York, United States, was first built around 1890 as a single-family residence. It is next to the city's post office
and across from the offices
of the Poughkeepsie Journal
, at the corner with Balding Avenue
.
It was built around 1890 by a local real estate attorney and has had many owners, and some other uses, since then. A prominent example of the Queen Anne
architectural style
in the city, it was left out of the neighboring historic district
because the house was inconsistent with the Balding homes. Fifteen years later, in 1997, it was finally listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in its own right, the only property in all of Dutchess County
listed on the Register by its street address.
house on a painted brick foundation
sided in clapboard
with decorative
shingles and painted trim. It is topped by a hipped roof
with the original slate
, lower cross-gable
s and a pyramidal tower with weathervane, pierced by gabled dormer windows and a paneled and corbel
led brick chimney.
Its facade
s are characterized by overlapping planes and textures, consistent with Queen Anne Style houses. Bays
project, one of which has a cutaway bay window
, asymmetrically placed on the south (front) facade and both sides. The east gable end has an arched vergeboard. Yankee gutters run along the roofline.
There are three entrances on the first floor, all with their own gable-roofed porch and patterned pediment
. Two have curved, routed brackets
as supports. The building's fenestration is similarly eclectic, including round and polygonal windows and colored-glass inserts next to angled muntin
s.
Inside, the floor plan follows the asymmetry of the exterior trim. It has much of its original finish as well: herringbone
-patterned oak panels below the front bay windows, plaster ceiling medallions and crown moldings
in each room, light fixtures, staircase railing and narrow-strip oak flooring.
Behind the house, on the property, is a modern garage added in the 1950s. It is not considered a contributing property
to the listing.
His family owned the house until 1917, whereupon it went through a succession of many other owners until 1933, when a local pediatrician moved in and turned it into his home office. His family owned it for many years. In 1982, when the houses around the corner on Balding Avenue
were designated as a historic district
and added to the National Register, 73 Mansion Street was excluded because it was larger and more lavishly decorated than the more modest homes on Balding.
In 1995 it was sold to its present owner, who renovated and restored
it with the help of federal tax credit
s. Two years later, in 1997, it was added to the National Register in its own right.
Poughkeepsie (city), New York
Poughkeepsie is a city in the state of New York, United States, which serves as the county seat of Dutchess County. Poughkeepsie is located in the Hudson River Valley midway between New York City and Albany...
, New York, United States, was first built around 1890 as a single-family residence. It is next to the city's post office
U.S. Post Office (Poughkeepsie, New York)
The main U.S. Post Office, Poughkeepsie, New York, USA, is located at the junction of Market and Mill streets downtown, . The Post Office serves the 12601 ZIP Code, which covers the city of Poughkeepsie, New York and those portions of the Town of Poughkeepsie adjacent to the city...
and across from the offices
Poughkeepsie Journal Building
The Poughkeepsie Journal Building is the main office of that newspaper, in the city of Poughkeepsie, New York, USA. It is located at Civic Center Plaza, the north end of Market Street....
of the Poughkeepsie Journal
Poughkeepsie Journal
The Poughkeepsie Journal is a newspaper based in Poughkeepsie, New York owned by the Gannett Company, who bought the paper in 1977. Founded in 1785 , the Journal is the oldest paper in New York state, and is the third-oldest in the nation...
, at the corner with Balding Avenue
Balding Avenue Historic District
The Balding Avenue Historic District is located along the street of the same name, between Mansion and Marshall streets, in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States...
.
It was built around 1890 by a local real estate attorney and has had many owners, and some other uses, since then. A prominent example of the Queen Anne
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
architectural 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...
in the city, it was left out of the neighboring historic district
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
because the house was inconsistent with the Balding homes. Fifteen years later, in 1997, it was finally listed on 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 its own right, the only property in all of Dutchess County
Dutchess County, New York
Dutchess County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. The 2010 census lists the population as 297,488...
listed on the Register by its street address.
Building
73 Mansion is a two-and-a-half-story frameFraming (construction)
Framing, in construction known as light-frame construction, is a building technique based around structural members, usually called studs, which provide a stable frame to which interior and exterior wall coverings are attached, and covered by a roof comprising horizontal ceiling joists and sloping...
house on a painted brick foundation
Foundation (architecture)
A foundation is the lowest and supporting layer of a structure. Foundations are generally divided into two categories: shallow foundations and deep foundations.-Shallow foundations:...
sided 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...
with decorative
Ornament (architecture)
In architecture and decorative art, ornament is a decoration used to embellish parts of a building or object. Large figurative elements such as monumental sculpture and their equivalents in decorative art are excluded from the term; most ornament does not include human figures, and if present they...
shingles and painted trim. It is topped by a hipped roof
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...
with the original 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...
, lower cross-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...
s and a pyramidal tower with weathervane, pierced by gabled dormer windows and a paneled and corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
led brick chimney.
Its 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"....
s are characterized by overlapping planes and textures, consistent with Queen Anne Style houses. Bays
Bay (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:...
project, one of which has a cutaway bay window
Bay window
A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room, either square or polygonal in plan. The angles most commonly used on the inside corners of the bay are 90, 135 and 150 degrees. Bay windows are often associated with Victorian architecture...
, asymmetrically placed on the south (front) facade and both sides. The east gable end has an arched vergeboard. Yankee gutters run along the roofline.
There are three entrances on the first floor, all with their own gable-roofed porch and patterned pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
. Two have curved, routed brackets
Bracket (architecture)
A bracket is an architectural member made of wood, stone, or metal that overhangs a wall to support or carry weight. It may also support a statue, the spring of an arch, a beam, or a shelf. Brackets are often in the form of scrolls, and can be carved, cast, or molded. They can be entirely...
as supports. The building's fenestration is similarly eclectic, including round and polygonal windows and colored-glass inserts next to angled muntin
Muntin
Muntin or Muntin bar is a strip of wood or metal separating and holding panes of glass in a window. Muntins are also called "glazing bars", "muntin bars", or "sash bars". Muntins can be found in doors, windows and furniture, typically in western styles of architecture...
s.
Inside, the floor plan follows the asymmetry of the exterior trim. It has much of its original finish as well: herringbone
Herringbone pattern
The herringbone pattern is an arrangement of rectangles used for floor tilings and road pavement.The blocks can be rectangles or parallelograms...
-patterned oak panels below the front bay windows, plaster ceiling medallions and crown moldings
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
in each room, light fixtures, staircase railing and narrow-strip oak flooring.
Behind the house, on the property, is a modern garage added in the 1950s. It is not considered a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
to the listing.
History
Charles Cossum, a local real estate attorney, built the house sometime around 1890. His office was three blocks away on Market Street. He had been very successful, and the location of his home on the northern end of downtown Poughkeepsie, within walking distance of his work, is characteristic of the pre-automobile era, when houses close to a city center were the most desirable.His family owned the house until 1917, whereupon it went through a succession of many other owners until 1933, when a local pediatrician moved in and turned it into his home office. His family owned it for many years. In 1982, when the houses around the corner on Balding Avenue
Balding Avenue Historic District
The Balding Avenue Historic District is located along the street of the same name, between Mansion and Marshall streets, in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States...
were designated as a historic district
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
and added to the National Register, 73 Mansion Street was excluded because it was larger and more lavishly decorated than the more modest homes on Balding.
In 1995 it was sold to its present owner, who renovated and restored
Building restoration
Building restoration describes a particular treatment approach and philosophy within the field of architectural conservation. According the U.S...
it with the help of federal tax credit
Tax credit
A tax credit is a sum deducted from the total amount a taxpayer owes to the state. A tax credit may be granted for various types of taxes, such as an income tax, property tax, or VAT. It may be granted in recognition of taxes already paid, as a subsidy, or to encourage investment or other behaviors...
s. Two years later, in 1997, it was added to the National Register in its own right.