Lady Washington Hose Company
Encyclopedia
The Lady Washington Hose Company building is located on Academy Street in downtown Poughkeepsie
, New York
, United States
. It was once home to one of the city's volunteer companies of the same name but now houses Children's Media Project. It is an unusual combination of different architectural style
s.
The company was created in 1863 when the city bought new fire engines for the Niagara and Cataract companies. This forced the Neptune Company out of business, and it was accordingly reorganized as the Lady Washington. The firehouse
was built in 1908.
Local architect
Percival M. Lloyd was hired to design the building, and he in turn subcontracted the construction to the O'Donnell Construction Company, another local firm. The resulting structure has a yellow brick facade
. A corbel
led soffit
holds the Japanese
-style tiled roof. A small wing shows signs of a Gothic Revival influence with its castellated roofline. The facade's second story is dominated by a hanging bay window
. The soffit, bay window and single garage door at street level are currently painted a bright green in contrast with the facade.
The interior is largely intact. The Japanese influence on the roof continues with its supporting rafter
s visible.
After the city's fire department absorbed the company, the building was reused as a warehouse by the Southeastern New York Library Council. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1982, one of three of the city's former firehouses so listed (the other two are the O. H. Booth Hose Company
and the Niagara Engine House
).
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
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 was once home to one of the city's volunteer companies of the same name but now houses Children's Media Project. It is an unusual combination of different 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...
s.
The company was created in 1863 when the city bought new fire engines for the Niagara and Cataract companies. This forced the Neptune Company out of business, and it was accordingly reorganized as the Lady Washington. The firehouse
Fire station
A fire station is a structure or other area set aside for storage of firefighting apparatus , personal protective equipment, fire hose, fire extinguishers, and other fire extinguishing equipment...
was built in 1908.
Local architect
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
Percival M. Lloyd was hired to design the building, and he in turn subcontracted the construction to the O'Donnell Construction Company, another local firm. The resulting structure has a yellow brick 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"....
. A 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 soffit
Soffit
Soffit , in architecture, describes the underside of any construction element...
holds the Japanese
Japanese architecture
' originated in prehistoric times with simple pit-houses and stores that were adapted to a hunter-gatherer population. Influence from Han Dynasty China via Korea saw the introduction of more complex grain stores and ceremonial burial chambers....
-style tiled roof. A small wing shows signs of a Gothic Revival influence with its castellated roofline. The facade's second story is dominated by a hanging 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...
. The soffit, bay window and single garage door at street level are currently painted a bright green in contrast with the facade.
The interior is largely intact. The Japanese influence on the roof continues with its supporting 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 visible.
After the city's fire department absorbed the company, the building was reused as a warehouse by the Southeastern New York Library Council. 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...
in 1982, one of three of the city's former firehouses so listed (the other two are the O. H. Booth Hose Company
O. H. Booth Hose Company
The O.H. Booth Hose Company is a former firehouse along Main Street in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. It was in use for roughly a century, from the late 1910s to the mid-2000s, when the city's police and fire departments consolidated their operations in a new building across the street...
and the Niagara Engine House
Niagara Engine House
The Niagara Engine House is located on North Hamilton Street in downtown Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. It is a brick building constructed in the early 20th century, the only extant fire house of the six engine companies that once protected the city....
).