Astor Home for Children
Encyclopedia
The Astor Home for Children building, home to Astor Services for Children & Families, is located on Mill Street (US 9) in Rhinebeck
, New York, United States. It is sponsored by Catholic Charities
in the Archdiocese of New York, and provides mental health services to children on an inpatient and outpatient basis.
The institution began in 1904 as Holiday Farm in nearby Rhinecliff. In 1914, Vincent Astor
hired the New York City architectural firm of McKim, Mead and White to design the present building for the facility, which bought the land and moved in. Catholic Charities took over ownership upon Astor's death three decades later. In the mid-20th century, major additions were made to the property, but enough of its original buildings remain for it to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1987.
to its listing on the National Register.
dominates. It is an H-shaped two-story building with a steeply-pitched
cross-gable
d slate roof. It has many distinctive Jacobean
features, such as vertical emphasis via the roof gables from which rise brick chimneys with corbel
ed chimney pots. There are projecting end wings and classically-inspired door and window decoration
trimmed in stone. The main entrance is located in a portico
with four Corinthian
columns supporting a full entablature
done in bas-relief.
On the rear, two-story wings project from the southeast and southwest corners. The east has a brick and stucco
wing with decorative brickwork
in a diagonal pattern above the first story. There are two wings on the east, both later additions of brick and concrete. A chapel
and another, smaller wing are attached to the corners of one. All the wings on this elevation are considered non-contributing since they were added in the mid-20th century.
The building's interior has been extensively modified over the years to serve the facility's needs. It retains little of its original floor plan.
Several hundred yards to the south of the main building is the other contributing resource, the guest cottage. It is a clapboard
-sided
frame
two-story house on a stone foundation
built into a hillside so that only one story is exposed on the north (rear) facade. Its gabled roof has overhanging eaves. A two-tiered porch runs along the entire south facade.
, founded Holiday Farm in 1904 as a home for convalescing
children. Ten years later it bought the current property for $1 after another wealthy and prominent part-time resident of the area, Vincent Astor
, hired McKim, Mead, and White
to design the building. At that point the property consisted of the home, with only its east wing, and the guest cottage, possibly used as a staff residence.
At some point later, the facility was renamed the John Jacob Astor
Home For Convalescent Children. In 1945, Catholic Charities
took over operation of the home. Seven years later, in 1952, they decided to change the focus of the program to children with emotional problems. The two west wings were added in 1954 and 1963 respectively to facilitate this new mission. Vincent Astor died on February 3, 1959.
In 1966 the home opened an outpatient facility in Rhinebeck. Eight years later, in 1974, it became one of the first mental health facilities in the country accredited
by the Joint Commission, and in 1978 began operating Head Start in Dutchess County
. The Astor Learning Center, a private school for children with emotional problems, was opened on the grounds in 1980. In recognition of this expanded programming, the new name was adopted in 2009.
Rhinebeck (village), New York
Rhinebeck is a village located in the Town of Rhinebeck in Dutchess County, New York, USA. The population was 2,657 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport,...
, New York, United States. It is sponsored by Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities is a network of charities whose aim is "to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire church and other people of good will to do the same." It is one of the largest charities in the United States...
in the Archdiocese of New York, and provides mental health services to children on an inpatient and outpatient basis.
The institution began in 1904 as Holiday Farm in nearby Rhinecliff. In 1914, Vincent Astor
Vincent Astor
William Vincent Astor was a businessman and philanthropist and a member of the prominent Astor family.-Early life:...
hired the New York City architectural firm of McKim, Mead and White to design the present building for the facility, which bought the land and moved in. Catholic Charities took over ownership upon Astor's death three decades later. In the mid-20th century, major additions were made to the property, but enough of its original buildings remain for it to be 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 1987.
Property
The Astor Home is on an 18.4 acres (7.4 ha) parcel, bounded on the east by Route 9 and on the south by Landsman Kill. It is gently undulating and mostly wooded. Two of the five buildings and structures on it, the home and a guest cottage, are considered contributing resourcesContributing 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 its listing on the National Register.
Main building
A short circular driveway leads from Route 9 to the parking lot, where the main building's northern entrance 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"....
dominates. It is an H-shaped two-story building 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 slate roof. It has many distinctive Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
features, such as vertical emphasis via the roof gables from which rise brick chimneys 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...
ed chimney pots. There are projecting end wings and classically-inspired door and window decoration
Ornament (architecture)
In architecture and decorative art, ornament is a decoration used to embellish parts of a building or object. Large figurative elements such as monumental sculpture and their equivalents in decorative art are excluded from the term; most ornament does not include human figures, and if present they...
trimmed in stone. The main entrance is located in a portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
with four Corinthian
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
columns supporting a full 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 ,...
done in bas-relief.
On the rear, two-story wings project from the southeast and southwest corners. The east has a brick and stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
wing with decorative brickwork
Brickwork
Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar to build up brick structures such as walls. Brickwork is also used to finish corners, door, and window openings, etc...
in a diagonal pattern above the first story. There are two wings on the east, both later additions of brick and concrete. A chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
and another, smaller wing are attached to the corners of one. All the wings on this elevation are considered non-contributing since they were added in the mid-20th century.
The building's interior has been extensively modified over the years to serve the facility's needs. It retains little of its original floor plan.
Outbuildings
Near the west wing are the two non-contributing buildings on the property, both modern garages. A swimming pool, likewise too new to be contributing, is located to the south of.Several hundred yards to the south of the main building is the other contributing resource, the guest cottage. It is a 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...
-sided
Siding
Siding is the outer covering or cladding of a house meant to shed water and protect from the effects of weather. On a building that uses siding, it may act as a key element in the aesthetic beauty of the structure and directly influence its property value....
frame
Framing (construction)
Framing, in construction known as light-frame construction, is a building technique based around structural members, usually called studs, which provide a stable frame to which interior and exterior wall coverings are attached, and covered by a roof comprising horizontal ceiling joists and sloping...
two-story house 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:...
built into a hillside so that only one story is exposed on the north (rear) facade. Its gabled roof has overhanging eaves. A two-tiered porch runs along the entire south facade.
History
Alice Morton, daughter of former state governor and U.S. Vice President Levi P. MortonLevi P. Morton
Levi Parsons Morton was a Representative from New York and the 22nd Vice President of the United States . He also later served as the 31st Governor of New York.-Biography:...
, founded Holiday Farm in 1904 as a home for convalescing
Convalescence
Convalescence is the gradual recovery and of health and strength after illness. It refers to the later stage of an infectious disease or illness when the patient recovers and returns to normal, but may continue to be a source of infection even if feeling better...
children. Ten years later it bought the current property for $1 after another wealthy and prominent part-time resident of the area, Vincent Astor
Vincent Astor
William Vincent Astor was a businessman and philanthropist and a member of the prominent Astor family.-Early life:...
, hired McKim, Mead, and White
McKim, Mead, and White
McKim, Mead & White was a prominent American architectural firm at the turn of the twentieth century and in the history of American architecture. The firm's founding partners were Charles Follen McKim , William Rutherford Mead and Stanford White...
to design the building. At that point the property consisted of the home, with only its east wing, and the guest cottage, possibly used as a staff residence.
At some point later, the facility was renamed the John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor , born Johann Jakob Astor, was a German-American business magnate and investor who was the first prominent member of the Astor family and the first multi-millionaire in the United States...
Home For Convalescent Children. In 1945, Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities is a network of charities whose aim is "to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire church and other people of good will to do the same." It is one of the largest charities in the United States...
took over operation of the home. Seven years later, in 1952, they decided to change the focus of the program to children with emotional problems. The two west wings were added in 1954 and 1963 respectively to facilitate this new mission. Vincent Astor died on February 3, 1959.
In 1966 the home opened an outpatient facility in Rhinebeck. Eight years later, in 1974, it became one of the first mental health facilities in the country accredited
Accreditation
Accreditation is a process in which certification of competency, authority, or credibility is presented.Organizations that issue credentials or certify third parties against official standards are themselves formally accredited by accreditation bodies ; hence they are sometimes known as "accredited...
by the Joint Commission, and in 1978 began operating Head Start in Dutchess County
Dutchess County, New York
Dutchess County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. The 2010 census lists the population as 297,488...
. The Astor Learning Center, a private school for children with emotional problems, was opened on the grounds in 1980. In recognition of this expanded programming, the new name was adopted in 2009.