H. R. Stevens House
Encyclopedia
The H.R. Stevens House is located on Congers Road (Rockland County
Route 80
) in the New City
section of the Town of Clarkstown
, New York, United States. It is a stone house dating to the late 18th century. In the early 19th century it was expanded with some wood frame
upper stories added later. The interior was also renovated over the course of the century.
It shows the convergence of Dutch
and English building traditions
in the later years of the colonial
Hudson Valley
. In 2005 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
at downtown New City and its crossing of DeForest Lake west of Congers
itself. It is on the fringe of a residential area, with large institutional buildings to the southwest along its side of Congers and Clarkstown High School North
and its baseball diamonds and football field across the road. All the lots in the generally level suburban area are buffered from each other by strips of woodland.
A paved driveway curves in front of the house before ending in front of a stone and wood frame
garage. It is sympathetic architecturally but not considered a contributing resource
to the listing since it is too modern. A small coursed
limestone
retaining wall
in the front elevates the house slightly.
structure of locally quarried pink-red sandstone
set in load-bearing walls. It is topped with a steeply pitched
cross-gable
d roof shingled in asphalt, pierced by gabled dormer windows and two brick chimneys at either end. It has a one-story attached frame wing on the west.
The east (front) facade
is mostly screened from view by tall evergreen plantings. A wood porch projects from the center of the ground floor. Four square piers support a flat roof with balustrade. At the top of the stone section of the wall is a molded
cornice
and plain fascia
. Above it the gable field is sided in clapboard
with a pair of windows and a small lozenge-shaped window in the apex. It has a molded cornice at the roofline.
On the north elevation the frieze
and cornice at the top of the stone wall continue around the corner and terminate in returns. The basement window on that side shows the signs of having once been an entrance. The west (rear) has a centrally located door and three windows, with the southernmost having an unusually large lintel. At the roof is a shed dormer with five windows. The two-bay frame wing has a small pent-roofed porch over the door on its rear elevation.
set in a molded casing, opens into a full-depth center passage. The stair to the upper floor, with turned Italianate
newel
posts and balusters, is on the south side. Two rooms original to the house are on the north. They are of roughly equal size, with an entryway between them larger than is typical for two late 18th-century parlors.
Paneled wainscoting is on the lower walls, with lath and plaster
finishing above and on the ceiling. The deeply recessed windows reveal the width of the walls. Both parlors have fireplaces with Federal style wooden mantels
with a five-part entablature
, beveled panels and bulbous colonettes on the front one. The rear substitutes a molded frieze for the colonettes but has a similar five-part structure. The hearthstones are red sandstone similar to the exterior; the floors are thin width oak.
On the opposite side of the central hall are two smaller rooms added on to the original house later. The larger rear one is now a dining room, with a door connecting it to the kitchen in the frame wing. Upstairs in the main block is an L-shaped hallway with five rooms clustered around it.
Below the main block is a fully excavated basement; while the wing has only crawl space. On the basement ceiling exposed hewn beams run from front to rear. A concrete block wall in the middle supports them and divides the basement into two rooms. On the north wall are the stone supports for the chimneys, consisting of piers with heavy timber lintels. There are slots for shelving in between. In the northeastern corner is an old board-and-batten
door that once provided egress.
influence waning in the area at that time; the original three-bay interior layout, with a sidehall plan and jambed fireplaces in both rooms, is English in origin, as are the dimensions of the timber beams in the basement. The porch covers the area where any datestone
would likely be located; these, however, are not always accurate.
Its original exterior may have been fairly similar to the Lozier House
in Midland Park, New Jersey
, to the south. The other two bays may not have been added to the main block until as late as 1820, as suggested by the Federal style fireplaces. A clear break in the masonry
of the basement wall shows where the extension began. Stevens, former town clerk and the earliest known owner, moved in around 1827.
The next significant change to the house likely took place around 1860. At that time the Italianate
style of the newel posts and balusters was current. They replaced a simpler, enclosed original stair.
The dormers and cross-gable may have been added then as well. Another possibility is that they were added closer to the turn of the 20th century, possibly in imitation of the very similar treatment of the Big House
in Palisades
, elsewhere in Rockland County. However, a similar treatment is also found on the 18th-century Abram Ackerman House
just south of the state line in Saddle River, New Jersey
, and it seems to have been a common retrofitting for 18th-century houses that had survived to the middle of the following century, in order to bring light and air into their previously unventilated garret
s, often accompanying their conversion into bedrooms.
Rockland County, New York
Rockland County is a suburban county 15 miles to the northwest of Manhattan and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, in the U.S. state of New York. It is the southernmost county in New York west of the Hudson River, and the smallest county in New York outside of New York City. The...
Route 80
County Route 80 (Rockland County, New York)
County Route 80 is a west–east county route in the central part of Rockland County, New York. CR 80 serves as an alternative route for NY 59 and the New York State Thruway . In fact, CR 80 is the only route besides those two major routes that runs completely from the...
) in the New City
New City, New York
New City is a hamlet , in the Town of Clarkstown Rockland County, New York, United States, part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The hamlet is a suburb of New York City, located 18 miles north of the city at the closest point, Riverdale, The Bronx...
section of the Town of Clarkstown
Clarkstown, New York
Clarkstown is a town in Rockland County, New York, United States. The town is on the eastern border of the county, located north of the town of Orangetown; east of the town of Ramapo; South of the town of Haverstraw and west of the Hudson River. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total...
, New York, United States. It is a stone house dating to the late 18th century. In the early 19th century it was expanded with some wood frame
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
upper stories added later. The interior was also renovated over the course of the century.
It shows the convergence 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...
and English building traditions
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...
in the later years of the colonial
Colonial America
The colonial history of the United States covers the history from the start of European settlement and especially the history of the thirteen colonies of Britain until they declared independence in 1776. In the late 16th century, England, France, Spain and the Netherlands launched major...
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:...
. In 2005 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...
.
Building
The house is located on a small lot on the northern side of Congers Road where it bends to the northeast midway between New York State Route 304New York State Route 304
New York State Route 304 is a New York State Route that is entirely located in Central Rockland County. NY 304 begins at the New Jersey-New York border in Pearl River, New York, and ends at US 9W. Though it crosses both the New York State Thruway and the Palisades Interstate...
at downtown New City and its crossing of DeForest Lake west of Congers
Congers, New York
Congers is a hamlet , in the Town of Clarkstown Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Valley Cottage; east of New City, across Lake DeForest, south of Haverstraw and west of the Hudson River. It lies 19 miles north of New York City's Bronx boundary...
itself. It is on the fringe of a residential area, with large institutional buildings to the southwest along its side of Congers and Clarkstown High School North
Clarkstown High School North
Clarkstown High School North is a high school located in Rockland County, New York educating students in grades 9 through 12. Clarkstown North or simply "North," as it is referred to by students and staff, is one of two high schools in the Clarkstown Central School District...
and its baseball diamonds and football field across the road. All the lots in the generally level suburban area are buffered from each other by strips of woodland.
A paved driveway curves in front of the house before ending in front of a stone and wood frame
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
garage. It is sympathetic architecturally but 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 listing since it is too modern. A small coursed
Course (architecture)
A course is a continuous horizontal layer of similarly-sized building material one unit high, usually in a wall. The term is almost always used in conjunction with unit masonry such as brick, cut stone, or concrete masonry units .-Styles:...
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....
retaining wall
Retaining wall
Retaining walls are built in order to hold back earth which would otherwise move downwards. Their purpose is to stabilize slopes and provide useful areas at different elevations, e.g...
in the front elevates the house slightly.
Exterior
The house itself is a one-and-a-half-story five-by-two-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 locally quarried pink-red sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
set in load-bearing walls. It is topped with a steeply pitched
Roof pitch
In building construction, roof pitch is a numerical measure of the steepness of a roof, and a pitched roof is a roof that is steep.The roof's pitch is the measured vertical rise divided by the measured horizontal span, the same thing as what is called "slope" in geometry. Roof pitch is typically...
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...
d roof shingled in asphalt, pierced by gabled dormer windows and two brick chimneys at either end. It has a one-story attached frame wing on the west.
The east (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"....
is mostly screened from view by tall evergreen plantings. A wood porch projects from the center of the ground floor. Four square piers support a flat roof with balustrade. At the top of the stone section of the wall is a molded
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...
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...
and plain fascia
Fascia
A fascia is a layer of fibrous tissue that permeates the human body. A fascia is a connective tissue that surrounds muscles, groups of muscles, blood vessels, and nerves, binding those structures together in much the same manner as plastic wrap can be used to hold the contents of sandwiches...
. Above it the gable field is 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 a pair of windows and a small lozenge-shaped window in the apex. It has a molded cornice at the roofline.
On the north elevation the 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 cornice at the top of the stone wall continue around the corner and terminate in returns. The basement window on that side shows the signs of having once been an entrance. The west (rear) has a centrally located door and three windows, with the southernmost having an unusually large lintel. At the roof is a shed dormer with five windows. The two-bay frame wing has a small pent-roofed porch over the door on its rear elevation.
Interior
The main entrance, a replica Dutch doorDutch door
A Dutch door , or stable door , or half door , is a door divided horizontally in such a fashion that the bottom half may remain shut while the top half opens...
set in a molded casing, opens into a full-depth center passage. The stair to the upper floor, with turned Italianate
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
newel
Newel
A newel, also called a central pole, is an upright post that supports the handrail of a stair banister. In stairs having straight flights it is the principal post at the foot of the staircase, but it can also be used for the intermediate posts on landings and at the top of a staircase...
posts and balusters, is on the south side. Two rooms original to the house are on the north. They are of roughly equal size, with an entryway between them larger than is typical for two late 18th-century parlors.
Paneled wainscoting is on the lower walls, with lath and plaster
Lath and plaster
Lath and plaster is a building process used mainly for interior walls in Canada and the United States until the late 1950s. After the 1950s, drywall began to replace the lath and plaster process in the United States. In the United Kingdom, lath and plaster was used for some interior partition...
finishing above and on the ceiling. The deeply recessed windows reveal the width of the walls. Both parlors have fireplaces with Federal style wooden mantels
Fireplace mantel
Fireplace mantel or mantelpiece, also known as a chimneypiece, originated in medieval times as a hood that projected over a grate to catch the smoke. The term has evolved to include the decorative framework around the fireplace, and can include elaborate designs extending to the ceiling...
with a five-part entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
, beveled panels and bulbous colonettes on the front one. The rear substitutes a molded frieze for the colonettes but has a similar five-part structure. The hearthstones are red sandstone similar to the exterior; the floors are thin width oak.
On the opposite side of the central hall are two smaller rooms added on to the original house later. The larger rear one is now a dining room, with a door connecting it to the kitchen in the frame wing. Upstairs in the main block is an L-shaped hallway with five rooms clustered around it.
Below the main block is a fully excavated basement; while the wing has only crawl space. On the basement ceiling exposed hewn beams run from front to rear. A concrete block wall in the middle supports them and divides the basement into two rooms. On the north wall are the stone supports for the chimneys, consisting of piers with heavy timber lintels. There are slots for shelving in between. In the northeastern corner is an old board-and-batten
Batten
A batten is a thin strip of solid material, typically made from wood, plastic or metal. Battens are used in building construction and various other fields as both structural and purely cosmetic elements...
door that once provided egress.
History
In the absence of property records, which go back for the house only to 1827, it has been determined from the construction that it was most likely built around 1775, since dressed stone was used on all elevations (earlier houses would have used it only on the front facade). The stone walls reflect DutchDutch 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...
influence waning in the area at that time; the original three-bay interior layout, with a sidehall plan and jambed fireplaces in both rooms, is English in origin, as are the dimensions of the timber beams in the basement. The porch covers the area where any datestone
Datestone
A datestone is typically an embedded stone with the date of engraving and other information carved into it. They are not considered a very reliable source for dating a house, as instances of old houses being destroyed and rebuilt have been reported.Specific locations have often been chosen for...
would likely be located; these, however, are not always accurate.
Its original exterior may have been fairly similar to the Lozier House
Lozier House and Van Riper Mill
The Lozier House and Van Riper Mill, is located in Midland Park, New Jersey. The house and mill were added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 10, 1975....
in Midland Park, New Jersey
Midland Park, New Jersey
Midland Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 7,128....
, to the south. The other two bays may not have been added to the main block until as late as 1820, as suggested by the Federal style fireplaces. A clear break in the masonry
Masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
of the basement wall shows where the extension began. Stevens, former town clerk and the earliest known owner, moved in around 1827.
The next significant change to the house likely took place around 1860. At that time the Italianate
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
style of the newel posts and balusters was current. They replaced a simpler, enclosed original stair.
The dormers and cross-gable may have been added then as well. Another possibility is that they were added closer to the turn of the 20th century, possibly in imitation of the very similar treatment of the Big House
Big House (Palisades, New York)
Big House is a historic home located at Palisades in Rockland County, New York. The Big House is the oldest dwelling in Palisades and the only building remaining from the hamlet's formative years. It was built about 1735 and is a large stone dwelling in a vernacular ethnic "Dutch" style. It...
in Palisades
Palisades, New York
Palisades, formerly known as Sneden's Landing, is a hamlet in the Town of Orangetown in Rockland County, New York, United States, located north of Rockleigh and Alpine, New Jersey; east of Tappan; south of Sparkill; and west of the Hudson River....
, elsewhere in Rockland County. However, a similar treatment is also found on the 18th-century Abram Ackerman House
Abram Ackerman House
Abram Ackerman House, is located in Saddle River, New Jersey. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 10, 1983.-References:...
just south of the state line in Saddle River, New Jersey
Saddle River, New Jersey
Saddle River is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 3,152. Saddle River has the second-highest per-capita income in the state...
, and it seems to have been a common retrofitting for 18th-century houses that had survived to the middle of the following century, in order to bring light and air into their previously unventilated garret
Garret
A garret is generally synonymous in modern usage with a habitable attic or small living space at the top of a house. It entered Middle English via Old French with a military connotation of a watchtower or something akin to a garrison, in other words a place for guards or soldiers to be quartered...
s, often accompanying their conversion into bedrooms.