Cornelius S. Muller House
Encyclopedia
The Cornelius S. Muller House is located along NY 23B
in Claverack
, New York, United States. It is a pre-Revolutionary
brick house in a Dutch Colonial
style with some English influences.
During the Revolutionary War
, it was the meeting place of the local Committee of Safety
and a site for courts martial. In 1840 it was renovated, but it has otherwise remained intact from its original time period. In 1997 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
, the remnant of the former farm. It is very close to the roadway. The neighborhood is residential, with many tall trees and other houses of 18th and 19th century construction. Across the street is the former Trinity Episcopal Church
, an early-20th-century building now listed on the Register as well. There is one small outbuilding in the rear, considered a contributing resource
to the house's Register listing.
The house itself is a -story, two-by-four-bay
structure with brick walls in an English cross bond on a stone-and-brick foundation
. It is topped by a gambrel roof clad in wood shingles
pierced by two shed dormer windows on the ends with two brick chimneys above either one. On the rear a one-story addition sided in clapboard
runs the length of the house.
On the north (front) facade
the gray and red paneled
Dutch door
that serves as the main entrance is located in the second bay from the west. It is sheltered by a replica stoop, with a set of small stone steps leading up to it. The windows all have splayed wood lintels, painted red, and paneled shutters
in gray and red, matching the door. Between the bays are a set of metal anchors forming the numbers "1767". Below the westernmost bay is the cellar door, with a small barred window looking into it below the eastern bay. The east and west profiles both have only two windows, both on the attic level
Inside, the main entrance leads into the eastern of the two rooms on the first story. It has an enclosed staircase in the southeast corner, and a fireplace surrounded by raised wooden panelling. The eastern room has exposed beaded ceiling beams and a partially jambed fireplace. Some of the house's original red clay floor tiles are in the hearth
.
The attic has had its layout modified since the original construction. It has the original wide plank wood flooring
and the original lath and plaster
walls.
A -story surviving outbuilding is to the rear of the house. It is built of heavy timber frame on a stone foundation, sided in clapboard and roofed in metal. Since it is likely related to the original agricultural use of the property, it is considered a contributing resource
to the house's historic character.
, hosting their meetings. Courts martial were also held there, and those who did not pay fines were imprisoned in the cellar.
The house shows signs of the growing English influence on Dutch vernacular architecture
in the Hudson Valley in the later 18th century. Early Dutch houses in the region were made of rubblestone and had steep gabled roofs, like the Bronck House
, a National Historic Landmark
across the Hudson River
in Coxsackie
. Cornelius Muller's House substitutes an English gambrel roof and takes advantage of the greater availability of brick by that time. It retains the asymmetrical entrance placement, and the short width, of early Dutch houses. The division of the interior into two rooms, as opposed to leaving the whole space open and undivided, is also a sign of English influence.
The Muller family lived there for several generations. Around 1840, the contributing outbuilding was erected. In the late 20th century, prior to its listing on the Register, a new owner restored
the house using surviving original material and an exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum
to replicate trim such as the shutters.
New York State Route 23B
New York State Route 23B is an east–west state highway located in western Columbia County, New York, in the United States. The route is a former section of NY 23 that runs for from NY 9G southwest of Hudson to NY 9H in Claverack...
in Claverack
Claverack-Red Mills, New York
Claverack-Red Mills is a census-designated place in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 913 at the 2010 census....
, New York, United States. It is a pre-Revolutionary
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
brick house in a Dutch Colonial
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...
style with some English influences.
During the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, it was the meeting place of the local Committee of Safety
Committee of Safety (American Revolution)
Many Committees of Safety were established throughout Colonial America at the start of the American Revolution. These committees started to appear in the 1760s as means to discuss the concerns of the time, and often consisted of every male adult in the community...
and a site for courts martial. In 1840 it was renovated, but it has otherwise remained intact from its original time period. In 1997 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...
.
Property
The house is on the south side of Route 23B, along the north side of a 5.5 acres (2.2 ha) 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...
, the remnant of the former farm. It is very close to the roadway. The neighborhood is residential, with many tall trees and other houses of 18th and 19th century construction. Across the street is the former Trinity Episcopal Church
Trinity Episcopal Church (Claverack, New York)
The former Trinity Episcopal Church is located on NY 23B in Claverack, New York, United States. It is a Shingle Style church building from the early 20th century....
, an early-20th-century building now listed on the Register as well. There is one small outbuilding in the rear, 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 house's Register listing.
The house itself is a -story, two-by-four-bay
Bay (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 with brick walls in an English cross bond on a stone-and-brick 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:...
. It is topped by a gambrel roof clad in wood shingles
Shake (shingle)
A shake is a basic wooden shingle that is made from split logs. Shakes have traditionally been used for roofing and siding applications around the world. Higher grade shakes are typically used for roofing purposes, while the lower grades are used for siding purposes...
pierced by two shed dormer windows on the ends with two brick chimneys above either one. On the rear a one-story addition 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...
runs the length of the house.
On the north (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"....
the gray and red paneled
Panelling
Panelling is a wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials....
Dutch door
Dutch 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...
that serves as the main entrance is located in the second bay from the west. It is sheltered by a replica stoop, with a set of small stone steps leading up to it. The windows all have splayed wood lintels, painted red, and paneled shutters
Window shutter
A window shutter is a solid and stable window covering usually consisting of a frame of vertical stiles and horizontal rails...
in gray and red, matching the door. Between the bays are a set of metal anchors forming the numbers "1767". Below the westernmost bay is the cellar door, with a small barred window looking into it below the eastern bay. The east and west profiles both have only two windows, both on the attic level
Inside, the main entrance leads into the eastern of the two rooms on the first story. It has an enclosed staircase in the southeast corner, and a fireplace surrounded by raised wooden panelling. The eastern room has exposed beaded ceiling beams and a partially jambed fireplace. Some of the house's original red clay floor tiles are in the hearth
Hearth
In common historic and modern usage, a hearth is a brick- or stone-lined fireplace or oven often used for cooking and/or heating. For centuries, the hearth was considered an integral part of a home, often its central or most important feature...
.
The attic has had its layout modified since the original construction. It has the original wide plank wood flooring
Flooring
Flooring is the general term for a permanent covering of a floor, or for the work of installing such a floor covering. Floor covering is a term to generically describe any finish material applied over a floor structure to provide a walking surface...
and the original 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...
walls.
A -story surviving outbuilding is to the rear of the house. It is built of heavy timber frame on a stone foundation, sided in clapboard and roofed in metal. Since it is likely related to the original agricultural use of the property, it is 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 house's historic character.
History
There were many Mullers, a family descended from both Dutch and Palatine German settlers in the region, in Claverack in the 19th century. Maps later in that era indicate clearly that this parcel was that of Cornelius S. Muller. Unlike most of his neighbors, he supported the Revolution and was a member of the local Committee of SafetyCommittee of Safety (American Revolution)
Many Committees of Safety were established throughout Colonial America at the start of the American Revolution. These committees started to appear in the 1760s as means to discuss the concerns of the time, and often consisted of every male adult in the community...
, hosting their meetings. Courts martial were also held there, and those who did not pay fines were imprisoned in the cellar.
The house shows signs of the growing English influence on Dutch vernacular architecture
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 Hudson Valley in the later 18th century. Early Dutch houses in the region were made of rubblestone and had steep gabled roofs, like the Bronck House
Bronck House
Bronck House, also known as Pieter Bronck House, is a Dutch homestead house in Coxsackie in Greene County, New York that was constructed in 1663 and added to later...
, a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
across 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...
in Coxsackie
Coxsackie, New York
Coxsackie is the name of more than one place in New York, USA.*Coxsackie , New York*Coxsackie , New York*Coxsackie Correctional Facility...
. Cornelius Muller's House substitutes an English gambrel roof and takes advantage of the greater availability of brick by that time. It retains the asymmetrical entrance placement, and the short width, of early Dutch houses. The division of the interior into two rooms, as opposed to leaving the whole space open and undivided, is also a sign of English influence.
The Muller family lived there for several generations. Around 1840, the contributing outbuilding was erected. In the late 20th century, prior to its listing on the Register, a new owner restored
Building restoration
Building restoration describes a particular treatment approach and philosophy within the field of architectural conservation. According the U.S...
the house using surviving original material and an exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum is an encyclopedia art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At 560,000 square feet, the museum holds New York City's second largest art collection with roughly 1.5 million works....
to replicate trim such as the shutters.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Columbia County, New York