Cromwell Manor
Encyclopedia
Cromwell Manor, also known as the David Cromwell House and Joseph Sutherland House, is located on Angola Road in Cornwall
, New York, United States, just south of its intersection with US 9W
. It consists of four properties, two of which are of note: the 1820
manor house, built in a Greek Revival
style and added onto in 1840 and a 1779 cottage known as The Chimneys, the original home on the site.
When built, it was one of the first large houses in rural Cornwall built as a luxury home rather than a farmhouse, and one of the few Greek Revival buildings built of brick in the town. After over a century as a Cromwell family home, it was sold and became a teachers' retreat. It is currently operated as a bed and breakfast
, with both properties available to guests. In 1996 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
.
on the seven-acre (3 ha) lot
: the main house, The Chimneys, another guest house and a privy
. A well
and garage are not considered contributing since they date only to the 20th century.
The main house is a brick two-story, five-bay
brick structure with a full front portico
supported by six large square columns, sitting at the top of a low rise, looking out toward the east on the mountains of Black Rock Forest
in the Hudson Highlands
. The roof is flat, with a cornice
and plain frieze
at the roofline and four chimneys at each corner. A two-story rectangular wing connects to the north end, and a screened porch runs the length of the west (rear) elevation.
On both front and rear the windows have sandstone
sills and lintels. The main entrance is a paneled, glazed wood door with molded
surround and sidelights. It is flanked by plain pilaster
s that support a molded entablature
that reaches to the second story.
Inside, the house follows a center hall plan. Many of its original features remain intact, including molded ceilings and architrave
s and marble mantel
s. Sliding pocket door
s divide the parlors.
The Chimneys, also the Joseph Sutherland House, is a shingle
-sided frame
cottage on a stone foundation
. It consists of two blocks, a main one-and-a-half-story section three bays wide with a one-story, two-bay addition on the south. Its interior has been extensively renovated since its construction but the Dutch door
, wide board flooring and mantel remain. A non-contributing well is located in front of the cottage.
The guest house, a frame gable
-roofed structure, is located to the west. The frame privy is to the southwest. The modern garage is northeast.
and David
are to the northeast, closer to downtown along the road). Joseph Sutherland built the small cottage around 1779, where he operated a tavern
. He also worked as a shoemaker on the side.
David Cromwell, a local merchant and gentleman farmer, by some accounts a descendant of Oliver Cromwell
, who overthrew the British crown in the mid-17th century, bought the property from the Sutherland family in 1830. He lived in the Sutherland house until the manor was complete around 1835. This larger house was a departure in style and purpose from those that had been built in rural Cornwall until then, a style serving those who did not derive most of their income from the surrounding farm. Cromwell's further distinguished itself by using brick.
The guest house was added in 1840 and the privy 50 years later, around 1890. Cromwell Manor remained in the family until 1941, when Emily Cromwell sold it to the Association of Retired Teachers. They used it as a retreat for New York City
teachers until selling it to its present owners in 1988.
Cornwall, New York
Cornwall is a town in Orange County, New York, USA. It is located about 50 miles north of New York City on the western shore of the Hudson River. The estimated population in 2007 was 12,827....
, New York, United States, just south of its intersection with US 9W
U.S. Route 9W
U.S. Route 9W is a north–south U.S. Highway in the states of New Jersey and New York. It begins on Fletcher Avenue in Fort Lee, New Jersey as it crosses the US 1 & 9, US 46, and the Interstate 95 approaches to the George Washington Bridge, where it heads north up the west...
. It consists of four properties, two of which are of note: the 1820
1820 in architecture
The year 1820 in architecture involved some significant events.-Deaths:* March 7 - Thomas Baldwin, English surveyor and architect in Bath * September 3 - Benjamin Latrobe...
manor house, built in a 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...
style and added onto in 1840 and a 1779 cottage known as The Chimneys, the original home on the site.
When built, it was one of the first large houses in rural Cornwall built as a luxury home rather than a farmhouse, and one of the few Greek Revival buildings built of brick in the town. After over a century as a Cromwell family home, it was sold and became a teachers' retreat. It is currently operated as a bed and breakfast
Bed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
, with both properties available to guests. In 1996 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...
.
Property
There are four contributing propertiesContributing 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...
on the seven-acre (3 ha) lot
Lot (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 main house, The Chimneys, another guest house and a privy
Outhouse
An outhouse is a small structure separate from a main building which often contained a simple toilet and may possibly also be used for housing animals and storage.- Terminology :...
. A well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
and garage are not considered contributing since they date only to the 20th century.
The main house is a brick two-story, five-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:...
brick structure with a full front 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...
supported by six large square columns, sitting at the top of a low rise, looking out toward the east on the mountains of Black Rock Forest
Black Rock Forest
Black Rock Forest is a privately owned nature preserve in the western Hudson Highlands region of the U.S. state of New York. It is in Orange County, mostly in the town of Cornwall, with the southern fringe overlapping into the neighboring town of Highlands...
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....
. The roof is flat, with a 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...
and plain frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
at the roofline and four chimneys at each corner. A two-story rectangular wing connects to the north end, and a screened porch runs the length of the west (rear) elevation.
On both front and rear the windows have sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
sills and lintels. The main entrance is a paneled, glazed wood door with molded
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
surround and sidelights. It is flanked by plain pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s that support a molded 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 ,...
that reaches to the second story.
Inside, the house follows a center hall plan. Many of its original features remain intact, including molded ceilings and architrave
Architrave
An architrave is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of the columns. It is an architectural element in Classical architecture.-Classical architecture:...
s and marble mantel
Mantel
Mantel is a municipality in the district of Neustadt in Bavaria in Germany....
s. Sliding pocket door
Pocket door
A pocket door is a sliding door that disappears, when fully open, into a compartment in the adjacent wall. Pocket doors are used for architectural effect, or when there is no room for the swing of a hinged door. They usually travel on rollers suspended from an overhead track, although some also...
s divide the parlors.
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...
-sided 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...
cottage 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:...
. It consists of two blocks, a main one-and-a-half-story section three bays wide with a one-story, two-bay addition on the south. Its interior has been extensively renovated since its construction but the 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...
, wide board flooring and mantel remain. A non-contributing well is located in front of the cottage.
The guest house, a frame 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...
-roofed structure, is located to the west. The frame privy is to the southwest. The modern garage is northeast.
History
The Sutherland family, one of Cornwall's oldest, bought most of the property today's Angola Road runs through in the 18th century (The houses of DanielDaniel Sutherland House
The Daniel Sutherland House is located on Angola Road in Cornwall, New York, United States. It is the late-19th century Stick-Eastlake style home of Sutherland, a grandson of David Sutherland, whose Colonial-era house is located further south on the road....
and David
David Sutherland House
The David Sutherland House is one of three associated with that family along Angola Road in Cornwall, New York, USA. It is the oldest, a 1770 fieldstone structure ....
are to the northeast, closer to downtown along the road). Joseph Sutherland built the small cottage around 1779, where he operated a tavern
Tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
. He also worked as a shoemaker on the side.
David Cromwell, a local merchant and gentleman farmer, by some accounts a descendant of Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
, who overthrew the British crown in the mid-17th century, bought the property from the Sutherland family in 1830. He lived in the Sutherland house until the manor was complete around 1835. This larger house was a departure in style and purpose from those that had been built in rural Cornwall until then, a style serving those who did not derive most of their income from the surrounding farm. Cromwell's further distinguished itself by using brick.
The guest house was added in 1840 and the privy 50 years later, around 1890. Cromwell Manor remained in the family until 1941, when Emily Cromwell sold it to the Association of Retired Teachers. They used it as a retreat for New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
teachers until selling it to its present owners in 1988.