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Glenfields (Philipstown, New York)
Encyclopedia
Glenfields, the former Archibald Gracie King House, is located on Old Manitou Road, a short distance from NY 9D
, south of Garrison
in the Town of Philipstown
, New York, United States. It is a simple late 19th-century frame house with some unusual windows.
King was a descendant of Rufus King
and other early New York power brokers who had married a descendant of the area's pre-Revolutionary
landowners. He built the house, from a design by a local architectural firm, as a summer residence overlooking the nearby Hudson River
. In 1982 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
as part of the Hudson Highlands Multiple Resource Area
.
siding
, a partially exposed granite
basement
and a gable
d roof with boxed cornice
. Two granite chimneys, slightly offset, rise from the center.
Windows on the east (front) facade
are double-hung sash with an unusual 6-over-2 design, framed by molded
lintels and plain sills. The central porch is supported by Doric
columns, with a pediment
ed entablature
. A double-tiered veranda on the west (rear) side has a shed roof supported by simples posts with a plain railing. The basement on that side has windows with brick surrounds.
A two-story wing projects from the south elevation. It has the same window treatment as the main block, but has a hipped roof
.
, owned along with his son Frederick Gore King much of the area around the house when he bought the land it stands on in 1868. Most of his holdings were commercial interests, such as the nearby quarry
where Russel Wright
and his wife built Manitogain the mid-20th century. He also owned a copper mine and apple orchard in the area, and shipped these products to New York City via his private docks on the Hudson River
near where the Manitou
train station is today.
He contracted the Cornwall
firm of Mead and Taft, which would become a major designer of summer residences in the area like Amelia Barr's Cherry Croft
, to design a house. It was finished around 1870. The south wing was added 20 years later. There have been no other major alterations to the house since.
New York State Route 9D
New York State Route 9D , also known as the Bear Mountain – Beacon Highway, is a north–south state highway that runs along the eastern shore of the Hudson River in New York in the United States. It starts at the eastern end of the Bear Mountain Bridge at U.S...
, south of Garrison
Garrison, New York
Garrison is a hamlet in Putnam County, New York, United States. It is part of the town of Philipstown and is on the east side of the Hudson River, across from the United States Military Academy at West Point...
in the Town of Philipstown
Philipstown, New York
Philipstown is a town located in the western part of Putnam County, New York, United States. The population was 9,422 at the 2000 census.- History :The town was first settled around 1715....
, New York, United States. It is a simple late 19th-century frame house with some unusual windows.
King was a descendant of Rufus King
Rufus King
Rufus King was an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat. He was a delegate for Massachusetts to the Continental Congress. He also attended the Constitutional Convention and was one of the signers of the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
and other early New York power brokers who had married a descendant of the area's 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...
landowners. He built the house, from a design by a local architectural firm, as a summer residence overlooking the nearby 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 1982 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...
as part of the Hudson Highlands Multiple Resource Area
Hudson Highlands Multiple Resource Area
The Hudson Highlands Multiple Resource Area is a Multiple Property Submission study supporting multiple listings in 1982 to the United States National Register of Historic Places...
.
Building
Glenfields is a two-story structure with clapboardClapboard (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...
siding
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....
, a partially exposed 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...
basement
Basement
__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...
and 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 with boxed 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...
. Two granite chimneys, slightly offset, rise from the center.
Windows on the east (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"....
are double-hung sash with an unusual 6-over-2 design, framed by 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...
lintels and plain sills. The central porch is supported by Doric
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
columns, with a pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
ed 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 ,...
. A double-tiered veranda on the west (rear) side has a shed roof supported by simples posts with a plain railing. The basement on that side has windows with brick surrounds.
A two-story wing projects from the south elevation. It has the same window treatment as the main block, but has a hipped roof
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
.
History
King, son of Congressman James G. KingJames G. King
James Gore King was an American businessman and Whig Party politician who represented New Jersey's 5th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1849 to 1851...
, owned along with his son Frederick Gore King much of the area around the house when he bought the land it stands on in 1868. Most of his holdings were commercial interests, such as the nearby quarry
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...
where Russel Wright
Russel Wright
Russel Wright was an American Industrial designer during the 20th century. Beginning in the late 1920s through the 1960s, Russel Wright created a succession of artistically distinctive and commercially successful items that helped bring modern design to the general public.-Designer:Russel...
and his wife built Manitogain the mid-20th century. He also owned a copper mine and apple orchard in the area, and shipped these products to New York City via his private docks on 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...
near where the Manitou
Manitou (Metro-North station)
The Manitou Metro-North Railroad station , open part-time serves the residents of that hamlet in the southwestern corner of the Town of Philipstown in Putnam County, New York, via the Metro-North Hudson Line...
train station is today.
He contracted the Cornwall
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....
firm of Mead and Taft, which would become a major designer of summer residences in the area like Amelia Barr's Cherry Croft
Amelia Barr House
The Amelia Barr House, also known as Cherry Croft, is located on Mountain Road in Cornwall on Hudson, a village in Orange County, New York, USA. It is on the slopes of Storm King Mountain, near Storm King School...
, to design a house. It was finished around 1870. The south wing was added 20 years later. There have been no other major alterations to the house since.