Union Free School (New Hamburg, New York)
Encyclopedia
The former Union Free School is located at the end of Conklin Street in New Hamburg
, New York, United States. It is a red brick building constructed in the 1870s.
For many years it was the only public building in the hamlet. It remained in use as school for over a half a century. Since then it has been converted
into a residence. In 1987 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
at the top of a rise on the northeastern edge of the older section of New Hamburg. It has a view south toward the Wappingers Creek estuary
at the Hudson River
. The land to the west and north is wooded. Some of the original property has since been subdivided and developed with more modern houses.
The building itself is a two-story brick structure on a stone foundation
with a gable
d roof. Asphalt shingles
cover the original tin. Its line is marked by broad projecting eaves with a bracketed
cornice
on all sides. The slightly arched windows have projecting hoods and sills of cast iron
. A round vent is in the gable peak on the south (front) elevation, and a fire escape
runs across the front.
On the east and west are two projecting entrance pavilions. They are similar to the main block in decoration but have flat roofs. The west one, which originally rose to a bell tower
on the third story, has a transomed
entrance with a decorative hood stopped with corbel
s.
The interior plan is intact. A second floor gym/auditorium space has not been further partitioned, and a large classroom on the first floor still has cast-iron columns in the center and one of its original blackboard
s.
, and is first shown on an 1876 map. At the time of its construction it was the only Free School in the Town of Poughkeepsie
, with its own local school board.
It is still in basic form a one-room schoolhouse, but five times large than the extant Grammar School
in Chelsea
to the south. Its size and placement on the rise overlooking the river suggest the pride the community of New Hamburg took in it. The modest decoration shows the widespread acceptance of the Picturesque
aesthetic in the area at the time.
It remained in use until the district was absorbed into the Wappinger Central School District in 1940. After the war it was used as a plastic factory for a while. It lay vacant and was later restored into a house, with art studio space.
New Hamburg, New York
New Hamburg is a small hamlet along the Hudson River in Dutchess County, New York, best known as home of a popular marina and a busy Metro-North Railroad Hudson Line station. It is located in the southern corner of the Wappingers Falls....
, New York, United States. It is a red brick building constructed in the 1870s.
For many years it was the only public building in the hamlet. It remained in use as school for over a half a century. Since then it has been converted
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...
into a residence. 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...
.
Building
The school is at the western edge of a one-acre (4,400 m²) lotLot (real estate)
In real estate, a lot or plot is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner. A lot is essentially considered a parcel of real property in some countries or immovable property in other countries...
at the top of a rise on the northeastern edge of the older section of New Hamburg. It has a view south toward the Wappingers Creek estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
at 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...
. The land to the west and north is wooded. Some of the original property has since been subdivided and developed with more modern houses.
The building itself is a two-story brick structure on a 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:...
with a 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. Asphalt shingles
Roof shingle
Roof shingles are a roof covering consisting of individual overlapping elements. These elements are typically flat rectangular shapes laid in rows from the bottom edge of the roof up, with each successive higher row overlapping the joints in the row below...
cover the original tin. Its line is marked by broad projecting eaves with a bracketed
Bracket (architecture)
A bracket is an architectural member made of wood, stone, or metal that overhangs a wall to support or carry weight. It may also support a statue, the spring of an arch, a beam, or a shelf. Brackets are often in the form of scrolls, and can be carved, cast, or molded. They can be entirely...
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...
on all sides. The slightly arched windows have projecting hoods and sills of cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
. A round vent is in the gable peak on the south (front) elevation, and a fire escape
Fire escape
A fire escape is a special kind of emergency exit, usually mounted to the outside of a building or occasionally inside but separate from the main areas of the building. It provides a method of escape in the event of a fire or other emergency that makes the stairwells inside a building inaccessible...
runs across the front.
On the east and west are two projecting entrance pavilions. They are similar to the main block in decoration but have flat roofs. The west one, which originally rose to a bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
on the third story, has a transomed
Transom (architectural)
In architecture, a transom is the term given to a transverse beam or bar in a frame, or to the crosspiece separating a door or the like from a window or fanlight above it. Transom is also the customary U.S. word used for a transom light, the window over this crosspiece...
entrance with a decorative hood stopped with 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...
s.
The interior plan is intact. A second floor gym/auditorium space has not been further partitioned, and a large classroom on the first floor still has cast-iron columns in the center and one of its original blackboard
Blackboard
A chalkboard is a reusable writing surface.Blackboard may also refer to:* Blackboards are synonymous with "boards of infamy", an element of agitation-propaganda in the Soviet Union in 1930s, coincidental with Holodomor...
s.
History
The building was probably begun in the early 1870s, during New Hamburg's peak years as a river port. It replaced an old one-room schoolhouse on the main road towards PoughkeepsiePoughkeepsie (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...
, and is first shown on an 1876 map. At the time of its construction it was the only Free School in the Town of Poughkeepsie
Poughkeepsie (town), New York
Poughkeepsie is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 42,777 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from the native term, "Uppu-qui-ipis-in," which means "reed-covered hut by the water."...
, with its own local school board.
It is still in basic form a one-room schoolhouse, but five times large than the extant Grammar School
Chelsea Grammar School
The former Chelsea Grammar School is located on Liberty Street in Chelsea, New York, United States. It is an intact one-room schoolhouse from the late 19th century, when the hamlet was a thriving Hudson River port....
in Chelsea
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...
to the south. Its size and placement on the rise overlooking the river suggest the pride the community of New Hamburg took in it. The modest decoration shows the widespread acceptance of the Picturesque
Picturesque
Picturesque is an aesthetic ideal introduced into English cultural debate in 1782 by William Gilpin in Observations on the River Wye, and Several Parts of South Wales, etc. Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; made in the Summer of the Year 1770, a practical book which instructed England's...
aesthetic in the area at the time.
It remained in use until the district was absorbed into the Wappinger Central School District in 1940. After the war it was used as a plastic factory for a while. It lay vacant and was later restored into a house, with art studio space.