Peter C. DuBois House
Encyclopedia
The Peter C. DuBois House is located on Slocum Road in the Dutchess Junction neighborhood of the city of Beacon
, New York
, United States
. It was one of the last significant Greek Revival
buildings in the Hudson Valley
. In the 20th century, it would be reused
as a sanatorium
and altered with the addition of a third story. Today it is once again a dwelling. In 2004 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
.
immigrants to nearby Kingston
, settled in the area on a 280 acre (1.1 km²) farm, part of land then in the Town of Fishkill
his family had long owned. The house was built from brick
made of local clay on lands leased from him. Granite
quarried
in the Hudson Highlands
to the south was also used as exterior framing and trim. The house stands on a small rise that overlooks the Highlands and the river
, a common practice for manor houses in colonial times
.
Greek Revival, the preferred architectural style
for many grand homes in the area, was nearing the end of its era. Newer fortunes in the era were being made from commerce, not agriculture, and those who made them preferred a different style of home. Andrew Jackson Downing
of nearby Newburgh
and other architects were criticizing Greek Revival's pretense and championing instead various rustic Gothic Revival styles for the cottages they were building, which sought to harmonize with the surrounding natural environment instead of implying dominance as DuBois's, and other large colonial landowners, did. DuBois's would be the last Hudson Valley manor built in the Greek Revival style.
His farm did not last much beyond his death in 1869, and his heirs subdivided and sold it, keeping only the house property. In 1927 DuBois's grandson sold the house and 67 acres (27 ha) to Dr. Clarence J. Slocum, who had been operating Craig House, a sanatorium
on a neighboring parcel and wanted to expand. He added a third floor to the house, a common occurrence for many old farmhouses being modernized at the time, and many more bathrooms and bedrooms, using brick that mimicked the original style and color as much as possible. The renovations as a whole preserved the original aesthetic of house while adapting it for institutional reuse.
After Slocum's death in 1950 the sanatorium fell on hard times, and had become a nursing home
when it closed after Slocum's son retired in the 1980s. Like DuBois's farm, Slocum's asylum was eventually subdivided and sold, and newer homes have been built along the street named after him. The whole area was ceded to Beacon by Fishkill in the late 1990s in order to better provide services to it. The house remained vacant for a time after the closure of the sanatorium and redevelopment but has recently become occupied again. The city has added it to its own list of landmarks and historic district
zoning
.
Beacon, New York
Beacon is a city located in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The 2010 census placed the city total population at 15,541. Beacon is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport,...
, 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 one of the last significant 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...
buildings 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:...
. In the 20th century, it would be reused
Adaptive reuse
Adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing an old site or building for a purpose other than which it was built or designed for. Along with brownfield reclamation, adaptive reuse is seen by many as a key factor in land conservation and the reduction of urban sprawl...
as a sanatorium
Sanatorium
A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
and altered with the addition of a third story. Today it is once again a dwelling. In 2004 it 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...
.
History
DuBois, a descendant of HuguenotHuguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
immigrants to nearby 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...
, settled in the area on a 280 acre (1.1 km²) farm, part of land then in the Town of Fishkill
Fishkill (town), New York
Fishkill is an affluent suburban town in the southwest part of Dutchess County, New York, USA. The population was 20,258 at the 2000 census, however, current estimates put the town's population at over 22,100. Fishkill partly surrounds the city of Beacon....
his family had long owned. The house was built from brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
made of local clay on lands leased from him. Granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
quarried
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
in the Hudson Highlands
Hudson Highlands
The Hudson Highlands are mountains on both sides of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York, between Newburgh Bay and Haverstraw Bay, which form the northern region of the New York - New Jersey Highlands....
to the south was also used as exterior framing and trim. The house stands on a small rise that overlooks the Highlands and the 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...
, a common practice for manor houses in colonial times
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...
.
Greek Revival, the preferred 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...
for many grand homes in the area, was nearing the end of its era. Newer fortunes in the era were being made from commerce, not agriculture, and those who made them preferred a different style of home. Andrew Jackson Downing
Andrew Jackson Downing
Andrew Jackson Downing was an American landscape designer, horticulturalist, and writer, a prominent advocate of the Gothic Revival style in the United States, and editor of The Horticulturist magazine...
of nearby Newburgh
Newburgh (city), New York
Newburgh is a city located in Orange County, New York, United States, north of New York City, and south of Albany, on the Hudson River. Newburgh is a principal city of the Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown metropolitan area, which includes all of Dutchess and Orange counties. The Newburgh area was...
and other architects were criticizing Greek Revival's pretense and championing instead various rustic Gothic Revival styles for the cottages they were building, which sought to harmonize with the surrounding natural environment instead of implying dominance as DuBois's, and other large colonial landowners, did. DuBois's would be the last Hudson Valley manor built in the Greek Revival style.
His farm did not last much beyond his death in 1869, and his heirs subdivided and sold it, keeping only the house property. In 1927 DuBois's grandson sold the house and 67 acres (27 ha) to Dr. Clarence J. Slocum, who had been operating Craig House, a sanatorium
Sanatorium
A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
on a neighboring parcel and wanted to expand. He added a third floor to the house, a common occurrence for many old farmhouses being modernized at the time, and many more bathrooms and bedrooms, using brick that mimicked the original style and color as much as possible. The renovations as a whole preserved the original aesthetic of house while adapting it for institutional reuse.
After Slocum's death in 1950 the sanatorium fell on hard times, and had become a nursing home
Nursing home
A nursing home, convalescent home, skilled nursing unit , care home, rest home, or old people's home provides a type of care of residents: it is a place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant deficiencies with activities of daily living...
when it closed after Slocum's son retired in the 1980s. Like DuBois's farm, Slocum's asylum was eventually subdivided and sold, and newer homes have been built along the street named after him. The whole area was ceded to Beacon by Fishkill in the late 1990s in order to better provide services to it. The house remained vacant for a time after the closure of the sanatorium and redevelopment but has recently become occupied again. The city has added it to its own list of landmarks and historic district
Historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....
zoning
Zoning
Zoning is a device of land use planning used by local governments in most developed countries. The word is derived from the practice of designating permitted uses of land based on mapped zones which separate one set of land uses from another...
.