Kirkland Hotel
Encyclopedia
The Kirkland Hotel is located at the corner of Main Street and Clinton Avenue in Kingston
, New York, United States. It is a Tudor-style building dating to the end of the 19th century.
It is a rare surviving example of a wood-frame urban hotel. From the middle of the 20th century to the early 1970s it was also a popular local restaurant. After it closed, redevelopment efforts stalled for several decades and it was almost demolished at one point. Today it is used as office space and apartments after being redeveloped. In 2002 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
, also becoming recognized as a contributing property
to the Kingston Stockade District
. After its redevelopment, it was recognized with a statewide preservation award.
on the east edge of uptown Kingston, outside the Stockade District
. On the east is a garage in a similar style; to the south is an Ulster County
office building. The neighborhood is urban, although not densely developed; the Old Dutch Church is a block and a half south along Main Street.
The hotel's main block is a trapezoid
-shaped four-story frame
building on a stone and brick foundation
. A tower rises above the entry on the northwest. The roof is a complex series of intersecting steeply pitched
gable
s.
On the west side, along Main Street, are two three-bay gabled blocks with another entrance in between them. A porch with steeply pitched roof wraps around the entire building at the first story. The main entrance is at the base of a tower on the northeast corner, topped with a cupola
and finial
. The north facade, along Clinton Avenue, has paired gables. The east and south have no decoration
.
Inside the original layout remains mostly intact. Walls are finished in the original lath and plaster
. A stair with metal newel
s and turned baluster
s connects all floors.
architectural style
, very different from the mostly conservative, restrained styles hotels of the time were built in. It catered to guests doing business with the county, whose courthouse and offices are nearby.
Conklin sold the hotel in 1917 to George and Jane Holms, who in turn sold it to Samuel and Alice Saulpaugh five years later, in 1922. The Saulpaughs are credited with giving the hotel its name. They sold it to another couple, John and Mary Eagen, three years later. The Eagens operated the hotel until 1948, then sold to Max and Ruth Brugmann in 1950.
The Brugmanns began operating the Dutch Rathskeller restaurant and bar in the hotel basement. In 1968, they ended the hotel operations, and four years later, in 1972, shut down the restaurant. Later that year, the front porch and tower cupola were removed.
In 1976 another owner opened the Cleaver Steakhouse in the basement space. It failed later that year. In the mid-1980s, as it passed through a succession of owners trying to redevelop it, the city attempted to designate it a landmark, but its Landmarks and Historic Preservation Commission never approved.
Yet another owner repainted it cream and green in 1988 but was unable to complete any other work. In 1996 it reverted to the city, and at one point it was slated for demolition to make way for a county parking garage. In 2002 the Rural Ulster Preservation Company (RUPCO), a local non-profit organization
specializing in community development, bought the property with the support of the city's mayor and restored
it, including the cupola and front porch, helped by a grant
from NeighborWorks America
. Hillary Clinton, then one of New York's U.S. senators, strongly supported the project, helping RUPCO obtain other financing.
Ultimately the project cost $4.7 million. At one point it was over budget by $500,000, and was under fire for RUPCO's use of non-union labor. RUPCO was able to install a geothermal heating
system, saving money and making the redeveloped building greener
.
The basement restaurant has been refurbished for a potential owner. It was then designated a city landmark prior to its listing on the Register. RUPCO currently rents out the space for commercial and residential purposes, as well as events. In 2007 the restored hotel was one of several projects honored with the Excellence in Preservation Award given annually by the New York State Preservation League.
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 Tudor-style building dating to the end of the 19th century.
It is a rare surviving example of a wood-frame urban hotel. From the middle of the 20th century to the early 1970s it was also a popular local restaurant. After it closed, redevelopment efforts stalled for several decades and it was almost demolished at one point. Today it is used as office space and apartments after being redeveloped. 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...
, also becoming recognized as a contributing property
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 Kingston Stockade District
Kingston Stockade District
The Kingston Stockade District is an eight-block area in the western section of Kingston, New York, United States, commonly referred to as Uptown Kingston...
. After its redevelopment, it was recognized with a statewide preservation award.
Building
The building is situated on an irregularly shaped 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...
on the east edge of uptown Kingston, outside the Stockade District
Kingston Stockade District
The Kingston Stockade District is an eight-block area in the western section of Kingston, New York, United States, commonly referred to as Uptown Kingston...
. On the east is a garage in a similar style; to the south is an Ulster County
Ulster County, New York
Ulster County is a county located in the state of New York, USA. It sits in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 182,493. Recent population estimates completed by the United States Census Bureau for the 12-month period ending July 1 are at...
office building. The neighborhood is urban, although not densely developed; the Old Dutch Church is a block and a half south along Main Street.
The hotel's main block is a trapezoid
Trapezoid
In Euclidean geometry, a convex quadrilateral with one pair of parallel sides is referred to as a trapezoid in American English and as a trapezium in English outside North America. A trapezoid with vertices ABCD is denoted...
-shaped four-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...
building 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:...
. A tower rises above the entry on the northwest. The roof is a complex series of intersecting 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...
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...
s.
On the west side, along Main Street, are two three-bay gabled blocks with another entrance in between them. A porch with steeply pitched roof wraps around the entire building at the first story. The main entrance is at the base of a tower on the northeast corner, topped with a cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
and finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
. The north facade, along Clinton Avenue, has paired gables. The east and south have no 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...
.
Inside the original layout remains mostly intact. Walls are finished in 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...
. A stair with metal 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...
s and turned baluster
Baluster
A baluster is a moulded shaft, square or of lathe-turned form, one of various forms of spindle in woodwork, made of stone or wood and sometimes of metal, standing on a unifying footing, and supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase. Multiplied in this way, they form a...
s connects all floors.
History
The hotel's site had been a lumberyard from 1876–85. In 1899 Margaret Conklin purchased the land and built the hotel in the relatively new TudorbethanTudorbethan architecture
The Tudor Revival architecture of the 20th century , first manifested itself in domestic architecture beginning in the United Kingdom in the mid to late 19th century based on a revival of aspects of Tudor style. It later became an influence in some other countries, especially the British colonies...
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...
, very different from the mostly conservative, restrained styles hotels of the time were built in. It catered to guests doing business with the county, whose courthouse and offices are nearby.
Conklin sold the hotel in 1917 to George and Jane Holms, who in turn sold it to Samuel and Alice Saulpaugh five years later, in 1922. The Saulpaughs are credited with giving the hotel its name. They sold it to another couple, John and Mary Eagen, three years later. The Eagens operated the hotel until 1948, then sold to Max and Ruth Brugmann in 1950.
The Brugmanns began operating the Dutch Rathskeller restaurant and bar in the hotel basement. In 1968, they ended the hotel operations, and four years later, in 1972, shut down the restaurant. Later that year, the front porch and tower cupola were removed.
In 1976 another owner opened the Cleaver Steakhouse in the basement space. It failed later that year. In the mid-1980s, as it passed through a succession of owners trying to redevelop it, the city attempted to designate it a landmark, but its Landmarks and Historic Preservation Commission never approved.
Yet another owner repainted it cream and green in 1988 but was unable to complete any other work. In 1996 it reverted to the city, and at one point it was slated for demolition to make way for a county parking garage. In 2002 the Rural Ulster Preservation Company (RUPCO), a local non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
specializing in community development, bought the property with the support of the city's mayor and restored
Building restoration
Building restoration describes a particular treatment approach and philosophy within the field of architectural conservation. According the U.S...
it, including the cupola and front porch, helped by a grant
Grant (money)
Grants are funds disbursed by one party , often a Government Department, Corporation, Foundation or Trust, to a recipient, often a nonprofit entity, educational institution, business or an individual. In order to receive a grant, some form of "Grant Writing" often referred to as either a proposal...
from NeighborWorks America
NeighborWorks America
The Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, doing business as NeighborWorks America,is a Congressionally chartered nonprofit organization that supports community development in the United States. The organization provides grants and technical assistance to 235 U.S...
. Hillary Clinton, then one of New York's U.S. senators, strongly supported the project, helping RUPCO obtain other financing.
Ultimately the project cost $4.7 million. At one point it was over budget by $500,000, and was under fire for RUPCO's use of non-union labor. RUPCO was able to install a geothermal heating
Geothermal heating
Geothermal heating is the direct use of geothermal energy for heating applications. Humans have taken advantage of geothermal heat this way since the Paleolithic era. Approximately seventy countries made direct use of a total of 270 PJ of geothermal heating in 2004...
system, saving money and making the redeveloped building greener
Green building
Green building refers to a structure and using process that is environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition...
.
The basement restaurant has been refurbished for a potential owner. It was then designated a city landmark prior to its listing on the Register. RUPCO currently rents out the space for commercial and residential purposes, as well as events. In 2007 the restored hotel was one of several projects honored with the Excellence in Preservation Award given annually by the New York State Preservation League.
External links
- Kirkland Hotel, at Rural Ulster Preservation Company site.