Cornelius Carman House
Encyclopedia
The Cornelius Carman House is located along River Road South in Chelsea
, New York, United States. It is a wooden house built in the 1830s, overlooking the Hudson River
, for Carman, operator of a local shipyard and inventor of a moveable centerboard
.
Its architecture exemplifies a late vernacular
application of the Federal style common in western Dutchess County
at that time, showing the transition to the Greek Revival
mode and both Dutch and English influences. In 1987 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. It is currently vacant and undergoing some repairs.
's Hudson Line
to its immediate west. Trees screen the house from the road. Access to the house is provided by an unpaved driveway which begins to the north and parallels the road. There is a garage on the property that is of more modern construction and thus not considered a contributing resource
to the National Register listing.
Its one-and-a-half-story rectangular five-bay
clapboard
-sided gable
-roofed main block sits on a raised stone foundation
. The roofline is marked by a plain frieze
and articulated cornice
.Pairs of brick chimneys rise on the north and south.
There are wings on all four sides. On the front (west) facade
is the three-bay projecting entrance portico
, with a pediment
originally supported by four Doric
columns (now temporarily replaced by wooden beams). On the rear is a one-story shed-roofed addition. On the north and south are two flat-roofed one-story wings, added later. The south wing was a library; the north one probably an office. It has a small porch. A freestanding third wing, one and a half stories with a gabled roof on a brick basement, was also later attached near the north end of the shed-roofed addition. The connecting passageway between it and the house was itself later adapted into a garage.
The main entrance, framed by stylized pilaster
s, leads to a central hall that goes all the way to the back of the shed-roofed addition. The interior has been stripped for repair work, but original pieces included a mahogany
balustrade on the main stairway and a black marble mantelpiece.
At first he built wooden sloops, the most common ship along the river in those days. In their 1908 history The Sloops of the Hudson, William Verplanck and Moses Collyer (whose own house, Driftwood
, is nearby) credit him with the invention of a moveable centerboard
that allowed sloops more stable maneuvering in the deeper sections of the river without having to sacrifice their ability to put ashore at shallow ports. The one Carman installed on his boat the Freedom is believed to have been the first. It became a standard feature shortly thereafter.
He also changed with the times. When steam-powered vessels began to be used following Robert Fulton
's voyage up the river on the Clermont in the 1820s, he began building them. One, the Plow-Boy, was the first steam ferry used on the Newburgh-Fishkill Landing route
in 1828.
The home he built in 1835 shows an awareness of the vernacular building traditions of the area. It is basically Georgian
in form and Federal in plan, styles associated with Americans of English descent, but maintains the one-and-a-half-story scale of Dutch
houses common in the region.
There are some influences of New England
traditions, particularly the Greek Revival detailing, typical of houses in that style built in similar settings by merchants and other successful men of the era. The decor is more restrained than on those found in New England. Also relating to that region is the shed-roofed rear addition, not seen on most Hudson Valley
homes.
The property originally stretched down to the riverfront, where Carman had his wharves
. In the mid-19th century the coming of the Hudson River Railroad, which would eventually displace most river shipping, cut the land in two, although Carman retained access across the tracks.
It remained a private residence in active use until sometime after 1983. At some point between then and the beginning of the 21st century the property fell into its present disused, overgrown state.
Chelsea, Dutchess County, New York
Chelsea is an unincorporated hamlet of the Town of Wappinger in Dutchess County, New York, United States. It is located on the Hudson River in the southwestern corner of the town. It takes the ZIP Code 12512 and is in the 845 telephone area code, and has its own fire district.It is a small...
, New York, United States. It is a wooden house built in the 1830s, overlooking the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
, for Carman, operator of a local shipyard and inventor of a moveable centerboard
Centreboard
A centreboard or centerboard is a retractable keel which pivots out of a slot in the hull of a sailboat, known as a centreboard trunk or centerboard case...
.
Its architecture exemplifies a late 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...
application of the Federal style common in western 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...
at that time, showing the transition to 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...
mode and both Dutch and English influences. In 1987 it was 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...
. It is currently vacant and undergoing some repairs.
Building
The house is situated on a wooded 10-acre (4 ha) lot along River Road South on the south side of Chelsea. It is above the level of the road, which itself is elevated above the river and the tracks of the Metro-North RailroadMetro-North Railroad
The Metro-North Commuter Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, or, more commonly, Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service that is run and managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , an authority of New York State. It is the busiest commuter railroad in the United...
's Hudson Line
Hudson Line (Metro-North)
Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line is a commuter rail line running north from New York City along the east shore of the Hudson River. Metro-North service ends at Poughkeepsie, with Amtrak's Empire Corridor trains continuing north to and beyond Albany...
to its immediate west. Trees screen the house from the road. Access to the house is provided by an unpaved driveway which begins to the north and parallels the road. There is a garage on the property that is of more modern construction and thus not considered a contributing resource
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 National Register listing.
Its one-and-a-half-story rectangular five-bay
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:...
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...
-sided 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...
-roofed main block sits on a raised stone 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:...
. The roofline is marked by a plain frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
and articulated cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
.Pairs of brick chimneys rise on the north and south.
There are wings on all four sides. On the front (west) 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"....
is the three-bay projecting entrance portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
, with a 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...
originally supported by four Doric
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
columns (now temporarily replaced by wooden beams). On the rear is a one-story shed-roofed addition. On the north and south are two flat-roofed one-story wings, added later. The south wing was a library; the north one probably an office. It has a small porch. A freestanding third wing, one and a half stories with a gabled roof on a brick basement, was also later attached near the north end of the shed-roofed addition. The connecting passageway between it and the house was itself later adapted into a garage.
The main entrance, framed by stylized pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s, leads to a central hall that goes all the way to the back of the shed-roofed addition. The interior has been stripped for repair work, but original pieces included a mahogany
Mahogany
The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
balustrade on the main stairway and a black marble mantelpiece.
History
Carman acquired the land in 1833 from the Ashburys, local farmers who had subdivided, probably to take advantage of a growing local economy. It is not known what Carman did before 1820, or if he came from somewhere other than Chelsea, but after that year he had operated a shipyard where the Chelsea Yacht Club's clubhouse now stands. He may have been leasing the Ashburys' property for some time before 1833.At first he built wooden sloops, the most common ship along the river in those days. In their 1908 history The Sloops of the Hudson, William Verplanck and Moses Collyer (whose own house, Driftwood
Captain Moses W. Collyer House
The Captain Moses W. Collyer House, also Driftwood, is located on River Road South in Chelsea, New York, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987....
, is nearby) credit him with the invention of a moveable centerboard
Centreboard
A centreboard or centerboard is a retractable keel which pivots out of a slot in the hull of a sailboat, known as a centreboard trunk or centerboard case...
that allowed sloops more stable maneuvering in the deeper sections of the river without having to sacrifice their ability to put ashore at shallow ports. The one Carman installed on his boat the Freedom is believed to have been the first. It became a standard feature shortly thereafter.
He also changed with the times. When steam-powered vessels began to be used following Robert Fulton
Robert Fulton
Robert Fulton was an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the first commercially successful steamboat...
's voyage up the river on the Clermont in the 1820s, he began building them. One, the Plow-Boy, was the first steam ferry used on the Newburgh-Fishkill Landing route
Newburgh-Beacon Ferry
The Newburgh-Beacon Ferry is a ferry service crossing the Hudson River that connects Newburgh with Beacon New York.It carries passengers between the two cities during rush hour, primarily transporting commuters from the west side of the river at Newburgh to the commuter train station on the east...
in 1828.
The home he built in 1835 shows an awareness of the vernacular building traditions of the area. It is basically Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
in form and Federal in plan, styles associated with Americans of English descent, but maintains the one-and-a-half-story scale of Dutch
Dutch colonization of the Americas
Dutch trading posts and plantations in the Americas precede the much wider known colonization activities of the Dutch in Asia. Whereas the first Dutch fort in Asia was built in 1600 , the first forts and settlements on the Essequibo river in Guyana and on the Amazon date from the 1590s...
houses common in the region.
There are some influences of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
traditions, particularly the Greek Revival detailing, typical of houses in that style built in similar settings by merchants and other successful men of the era. The decor is more restrained than on those found in New England. Also relating to that region is the shed-roofed rear addition, not seen on most Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
homes.
The property originally stretched down to the riverfront, where Carman had his wharves
Wharf
A wharf or quay is a structure on the shore of a harbor where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers.Such a structure includes one or more berths , and may also include piers, warehouses, or other facilities necessary for handling the ships.A wharf commonly comprises a fixed...
. In the mid-19th century the coming of the Hudson River Railroad, which would eventually displace most river shipping, cut the land in two, although Carman retained access across the tracks.
It remained a private residence in active use until sometime after 1983. At some point between then and the beginning of the 21st century the property fell into its present disused, overgrown state.