Cornelius Wynkoop Stone House
Encyclopedia
The Cornelius Wynkoop Stone House is located along US 209 in the hamlet of Stone Ridge
, New York
, United States
. It is a stone
house in the Georgian
style
, built from 1767-72 for Cornelius Evert Wynkoop. It is a contributing property
to the Main Street Historic District
, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in its own right in 1996.
The house combines a Georgian
plan with a gambrel roof, an unusual combination reflecting British and Dutch tastes found on only one other stone house in the Hudson Valley
. George Washington
spent a night at the house as well.
s are made of locally-quarried gray limestone
. The since-modified original first floor plan of a center hall dividing a large room on one side from two smaller ones on the other is still evident in the basement
layout, with the original winter kitchen in the southwest corner. The second story is given over to bedrooms and storage space. The fine wide stair, with gumwood balusters and railes gives ascends to the attic, used also for storage.
A 24-by-35-foot (7 by 11 m) stone ell
at the rear considerably predates the rest of the house, possibly having been built as early as 1715 as a tenant farmer's home. It has evidence of a jambless fireplace, probably removed when the old house was converted into the Wynkoops' summer kitchen. Porch
es and the picket fence
out front were added in later years.
The interior has changed very little. Care has been taken in contemporary restorations to avoid using newer materials — for example, damaged wood has been reconsolidated with invisible modern epoxies
rather than replaced with modern wood. Or, materials and methods true to the period were used. Modern conveniences such as heating, plumbing
and electricity
were not installed until 1992.
A nearby carriage house, the other building on the plot, is a contributing property
to the site as it was built around the same time. Six large black locust
trees, spaced 10 feet (3 m) apart on the front of the property, date to circa 1770 as well and are also considered integral to its setting.
with the inscription "Nov 5 CWK (Cornelius WynKoop)1772" on the first floor suggested to one historian that the house was probably finished in 1772, but that may be unlikely as similar houses built at the same time had been finished in as little as six months, and Wynkoop was not short of cash. The Georgian design was a common one in pattern books but the gambrel roof was distinctly American and very popular at the time. Contemporary tax records suggest that it was one of the largest, if not the largest, house in the Town of Marbletown
at the time.
Wynkoop served as an officer in the local Minutemen
, as well as on the Committee to Detect and Defeat Conspiracies, along with Aaron Burr
and Dewitt Clinton
. Due to these connections, George Washington
slept at his house on the night of November 15, 1782, when he was on his way to Kingston
to give a speech and attend services at the Old Dutch Church.
After Wynkoop's 1795 death, his wife, daughter and son-in-law ran the farm until 1818, when they sold it to the Lounsbery family, headed by the local blacksmith
, who had previously lived in what is now Stone Ridge's library across the street. Lounsbery's descendants held on to it through several subdivisions of the land until 1988. The front porch was built ca. 1870. In 1929, they modified the kitchen roof, adding windows and the rear porch. After four years of vacancy, the present owner acquired it in 1992.
Photographs of the house and its interiors have appeared in Architectural Digest
, Martha Stewart Living
and Town and Country
, among other publications. It has also been used as a backdrop for photos in the Lands' End
and Ralph Lauren
catalogs.
Stone Ridge, New York
Stone Ridge is a hamlet in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 1,173 at the 2000 census.Stone Ridge is located in the Town of Marbletown, along US 209 where it overlaps NY 213.-Geography:...
, 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 stone
Stonemasonry
The craft of stonemasonry has existed since the dawn of civilization - creating buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone from the earth. These materials have been used to construct many of the long-lasting, ancient monuments, artifacts, cathedrals, and cities in a wide variety of cultures...
house in the 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...
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...
, built from 1767-72 for Cornelius Evert Wynkoop. It is 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 Main Street Historic District
Main Street Historic District (Stone Ridge, New York)
The Main Street Historic District in Stone Ridge, New York, United States, is located along US 209/NY 213 in that hamlet, part of the Town of Marbletown in Ulster County. It is a strip from the southern end of the unincorporated community to a short distance north of the intersection at Cooper...
, and 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 its own right in 1996.
The house combines a 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...
plan with a gambrel roof, an unusual combination reflecting British and Dutch tastes found on only one other stone house in the 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:...
. George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
spent a night at the house as well.
Building
The two-story building sits on a 60 by 33 feet (18 by 11 m) base. All facadeFacade
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 made of locally-quarried gray limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
. The since-modified original first floor plan of a center hall dividing a large room on one side from two smaller ones on the other is still evident in the basement
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...
layout, with the original winter kitchen in the southwest corner. The second story is given over to bedrooms and storage space. The fine wide stair, with gumwood balusters and railes gives ascends to the attic, used also for storage.
A 24-by-35-foot (7 by 11 m) stone ell
Ell (architecture)
In architecture, an ell is a wing of a building that lies perpendicular to the length of the main portion.In connected farm architecture, the ell is often extended to attach the main house to another building, usually a barn. It takes its name from the shape of the letter L.-External links:*...
at the rear considerably predates the rest of the house, possibly having been built as early as 1715 as a tenant farmer's home. It has evidence of a jambless fireplace, probably removed when the old house was converted into the Wynkoops' summer kitchen. Porch
Porch
A porch is external to the walls of the main building proper, but may be enclosed by screen, latticework, broad windows, or other light frame walls extending from the main structure.There are various styles of porches, all of which depend on the architectural tradition of its location...
es and the picket fence
Picket fence
A picket fence is a variety of fence that has been used mostly for domestic boundaries. Until the introduction of advertising on fences in the 1980s, a Cricket field was also usually surrounded by a picket fence, giving rise to the expression rattling the pickets for a ball hit firmly into the...
out front were added in later years.
The interior has changed very little. Care has been taken in contemporary restorations to avoid using newer materials — for example, damaged wood has been reconsolidated with invisible modern epoxies
Epoxy
Epoxy, also known as polyepoxide, is a thermosetting polymer formed from reaction of an epoxide "resin" with polyamine "hardener". Epoxy has a wide range of applications, including fiber-reinforced plastic materials and general purpose adhesives....
rather than replaced with modern wood. Or, materials and methods true to the period were used. Modern conveniences such as heating, plumbing
Plumbing
Plumbing is the system of pipes and drains installed in a building for the distribution of potable drinking water and the removal of waterborne wastes, and the skilled trade of working with pipes, tubing and plumbing fixtures in such systems. A plumber is someone who installs or repairs piping...
and electricity
Electric power
Electric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt.-Circuits:Electric power, like mechanical power, is represented by the letter P in electrical equations...
were not installed until 1992.
A nearby carriage house, the other building on the plot, is 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 site as it was built around the same time. Six large black locust
Black locust
Robinia pseudoacacia, commonly known as the Black Locust, is a tree in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States, but has been widely planted and naturalized elsewhere in temperate North America, Europe, Southern Africa and Asia and is...
trees, spaced 10 feet (3 m) apart on the front of the property, date to circa 1770 as well and are also considered integral to its setting.
History
Cornelius Evert Wynkoop was the great-grandson of the original Dutch settler in his family, Cornelis Wynkoop, who established a homestead in nearby Hurley (formerly known as Nieu Dorp), New York, in the 1680s. After marrying Cornelia Mancis in 1766, Wynkoop, the youngest son of a prosperous brewer, purchased 42 acres (17 ha) and probably began construction of his house in the spring of 1767. A commemorative firebackFireback
Fireback is a Filipino low-budget action movie directed by Teddy Page and starring Richard Harrison, Bruce Baron, James Gaines, Ann Milhench, Gwendolyn Hung, Mike Monty, Ronnie Patterson, and Ruel Vernal.- Characters :...
with the inscription "Nov 5 CWK (Cornelius WynKoop)1772" on the first floor suggested to one historian that the house was probably finished in 1772, but that may be unlikely as similar houses built at the same time had been finished in as little as six months, and Wynkoop was not short of cash. The Georgian design was a common one in pattern books but the gambrel roof was distinctly American and very popular at the time. Contemporary tax records suggest that it was one of the largest, if not the largest, house in the Town of Marbletown
Marbletown, New York
Marbletown is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 5,854 at the 2000 census.The Town of Marbletown is near the center of Ulster County, southwest of the City of Kingston. US 209 and NY 213 pass through the town...
at the time.
Wynkoop served as an officer in the local Minutemen
Minutemen
Minutemen were members of teams of select men from the American colonial partisan militia during the American Revolutionary War. They provided a highly mobile, rapidly deployed force that allowed the colonies to respond immediately to war threats, hence the name.The minutemen were among the first...
, as well as on the Committee to Detect and Defeat Conspiracies, along with Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr, Jr. was an important political figure in the early history of the United States of America. After serving as a Continental Army officer in the Revolutionary War, Burr became a successful lawyer and politician...
and Dewitt Clinton
DeWitt Clinton
DeWitt Clinton was an early American politician and naturalist who served as United States Senator and the sixth Governor of New York. In this last capacity he was largely responsible for the construction of the Erie Canal...
. Due to these connections, George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
slept at his house on the night of November 15, 1782, when he was on his way to Kingston
Kingston, New York
Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, USA. It is north of New York City and south of Albany. It became New York's first capital in 1777, and was burned by the British Oct. 16, 1777, after the Battles of Saratoga...
to give a speech and attend services at the Old Dutch Church.
After Wynkoop's 1795 death, his wife, daughter and son-in-law ran the farm until 1818, when they sold it to the Lounsbery family, headed by the local blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
, who had previously lived in what is now Stone Ridge's library across the street. Lounsbery's descendants held on to it through several subdivisions of the land until 1988. The front porch was built ca. 1870. In 1929, they modified the kitchen roof, adding windows and the rear porch. After four years of vacancy, the present owner acquired it in 1992.
Photographs of the house and its interiors have appeared in Architectural Digest
Architectural Digest
Architectural Digest is an American monthly magazine. Its principal subject is interior design, not — as the name of the magazine might suggest — architecture more generally. The magazine is published by Condé Nast Publications and was founded in 1920, by the Knapp family, who sold it in 1993...
, Martha Stewart Living
Martha Stewart Living
Martha Stewart Living is a magazine and a television show featuring entertaining and home decorating guru Martha Stewart. Both the magazine and the television program focus on the domestic arts. Martha Stewart Living began as a quarterly magazine in 1990, published by Time Inc..and is currently...
and Town and Country
Town & Country (magazine)
Town & Country, formerly the Home Journal and The National Press, is a monthly American lifestyle magazine. It is the oldest continually published general interest magazine in the United States.-Early history:...
, among other publications. It has also been used as a backdrop for photos in the Lands' End
Lands' End
Lands' End is a clothing retailer based in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, that specializes in casual clothing, luggage, and home furnishings. The majority of Lands' End's business is conducted through mail order and Internet sales, but the company also runs more than a dozen retail operations, primarily in...
and Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren is an American fashion designer and business executive; best known for his Polo Ralph Lauren clothing brand.-Early life:...
catalogs.