Jacob Ten Broeck Stone House
Encyclopedia
The Jacob Ten Broeck Stone House is located on Albany Avenue (NY 32
) in Kingston
, New York, United States. It is a stone house built in the early years of the 19th century and modified later on in that century.
It is one of the rare high-style Federal homes in the city. In 2002 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
, also listed on the National Register, slightly to the south on the opposite side of Albany. Most of the neighboring houses are of mid-19th to early 20th-century construction, on a large scale and frequently exhibiting little restraint in their architectural style
s. The house at 184 Albany Avenue
, a short distance across the street to the north, has been listed on the Register as well.
In contrast to those other houses, which are on narrow, deep lots
of roughly 1 acres (4,046.9 m²), the Ten Broeck House is on a 8 acres (3.2 ha) lot with 250 feet (76.2 m) of frontage
along Albany Avenue. In its rear is a large pond and woods buffering nearby Interstate 587 and NY 28
. There is one other building on the property, a modern garage to its south. It is not considered a contributing resource
to its historic character.
The house itself is a two-story, seven-by-two-bay
house of limestone
in rough courses
with a metal-clad gable
d roof pierced by two brick chimneys near either end. The roofline has a box gutter, modillions and simple frieze
, all done in wood. A smaller stone wing extends from the south, and a two-story frame
wing is on the rear.
On the east (front), the facade
has a centrally located main entrance sheltered by a small one-story porch with gently pitched
hipped roof
. The north profile has two windows on all three levels. The western wing has a modified hipped roof with a large exterior chimney on the north side. The west (rear) facade has a detailed Federal entrance with a molded
round arch frame and fan louver
. On the south side is the stone wing, offset to the west, with a small wooden vestibule and entry on its south. It, too, has a gabled metal roof and chimney.
The main entrance, a deeply recessed paneled door with Greek Revival
surround and glass transom
, leads to a central hall that runs the full depth of the main block, to a curved rear wall. Original finishes include the wall and ceiling plaster, moldings and wide plank flooring. The staircase has a finely turned newel
and balustrade.
. The main block has been established as built in 1803, the year the marriage of Jacob Ten Broeck and Margrit Watson, the first owners, was recorded at the Old Dutch Church.
It was a monumentally scaled Federal style building, with strict attention to the hallmarks of that style, such as its proprtions symmetry and classically inspired roofline details. A few decades later, modifications introduced the Greek Revival elements to the house, such as some of the interior detailing and door surrounds. In the later years of the 19th century, the frame rear and side additions were added.
There have been no other modifications since its construction. It has remained a private residence for over two centuries.
New York State Route 32
New York State Route 32 is a north–south state highway that extends for through the Hudson Valley and Capital District regions of the U.S. state of New York. It is a two-lane surface road for nearly its entire length, with few divided and no limited-access sections. From Harriman to Albany,...
) in Kingston
Kingston, New York
Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, USA. It is north of New York City and south of Albany. It became New York's first capital in 1777, and was burned by the British Oct. 16, 1777, after the Battles of Saratoga...
, New York, United States. It is a stone house built in the early years of the 19th century and modified later on in that century.
It is one of the rare high-style Federal homes in the city. In 2002 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 house is on the north side of Albany Avenue, a short distance west of where it curves to the northeast. The neighborhood is mostly residential, with the exception of the Sharp Burial GroundSharp Burial Ground
The Sharp Burial Ground, also known as the Albany Avenue Cemetery, is located on Albany Avenue in Kingston, New York, United States. It is a small burying ground used during the middle decades of the 19th century, before larger rural cemeteries had become common but after churchyards had become...
, also listed on the National Register, slightly to the south on the opposite side of Albany. Most of the neighboring houses are of mid-19th to early 20th-century construction, on a large scale and frequently exhibiting little restraint in their architectural style
Architectural style
Architectural styles classify architecture in terms of the use of form, techniques, materials, time period, region and other stylistic influences. It overlaps with, and emerges from the study of the evolution and history of architecture...
s. The house at 184 Albany Avenue
House at 184 Albany Avenue
The house at 184 Albany Avenue in Kingston, New York, United States, is a frame building in the Picturesque mode of the Gothic Revival architectural style. It was built around 1860.In 2002 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places...
, a short distance across the street to the north, has been listed on the Register as well.
In contrast to those other houses, which are on narrow, deep lots
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...
of roughly 1 acres (4,046.9 m²), the Ten Broeck House is on a 8 acres (3.2 ha) lot with 250 feet (76.2 m) of frontage
Frontage
Frontage is the full length of a plot of land or a building measured alongside the road on to which the plot or building fronts. This is considered especially important for certain types of commercial and retail real estate, in applying zoning bylaws and property tax...
along Albany Avenue. In its rear is a large pond and woods buffering nearby Interstate 587 and NY 28
New York State Route 28
New York State Route 28 is a state highway extending for in the shape of a "C" between the Hudson Valley city of Kingston and southern Warren County in the U.S. state of New York. Along the way, it intersects several major routes, including Interstate 88 , U.S. Route 20 , and the...
. There is one other building on the property, a modern garage to its south. It is not 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 its historic character.
The house itself is a two-story, seven-by-two-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:...
house of limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
in rough courses
Course (architecture)
A course is a continuous horizontal layer of similarly-sized building material one unit high, usually in a wall. The term is almost always used in conjunction with unit masonry such as brick, cut stone, or concrete masonry units .-Styles:...
with a metal-clad 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 pierced by two brick chimneys near either end. The roofline has a box gutter, modillions and simple 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...
, all done in wood. A smaller stone wing extends from the south, and a two-story 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...
wing is on the rear.
On the east (front), the 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"....
has a centrally located main entrance sheltered by a small one-story porch with gently 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...
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...
. The north profile has two windows on all three levels. The western wing has a modified hipped roof with a large exterior chimney on the north side. The west (rear) facade has a detailed Federal entrance with a 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...
round arch frame and fan louver
Louver
A louver or louvre , from the French l'ouvert; "the open one") is a window, blind or shutter with horizontal slats that are angled to admit light and air, but to keep out rain, direct sunshine, and noise...
. On the south side is the stone wing, offset to the west, with a small wooden vestibule and entry on its south. It, too, has a gabled metal roof and chimney.
The main entrance, a deeply recessed paneled door with 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...
surround and glass transom
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...
, leads to a central hall that runs the full depth of the main block, to a curved rear wall. Original finishes include the wall and ceiling plaster, moldings and wide plank flooring. The staircase has a finely turned newel
Newel
A newel, also called a central pole, is an upright post that supports the handrail of a stair banister. In stairs having straight flights it is the principal post at the foot of the staircase, but it can also be used for the intermediate posts on landings and at the top of a staircase...
and balustrade.
History
The house's kitchen wing on the south, part of its original construction, may stand on the site of an earlier house destroyed when the British burned Kingston in 1777, during the Revolutionary WarAmerican 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...
. The main block has been established as built in 1803, the year the marriage of Jacob Ten Broeck and Margrit Watson, the first owners, was recorded at the Old Dutch Church.
It was a monumentally scaled Federal style building, with strict attention to the hallmarks of that style, such as its proprtions symmetry and classically inspired roofline details. A few decades later, modifications introduced the Greek Revival elements to the house, such as some of the interior detailing and door surrounds. In the later years of the 19th century, the frame rear and side additions were added.
There have been no other modifications since its construction. It has remained a private residence for over two centuries.