Mandeville House
Encyclopedia
The Mandeville House is located on Lower Station Road (Putnam County
Route 12) in Garrison
, New York, United States, just west of its intersection with NY 9D
and 403
. It is the oldest extant house in that community, dating to 1735.
During the Revolutionary War
, General Israel Putnam
, after whom the county is named, was headquartered there for a while. A later occupant, architect Richard Upjohn
, lived there for the last 25 years of his life. He expanded the house and redid its exterior in the Gothic Revival style
that characterized much of his own work; most of these were removed in the 1920s by a later owner in order to restore the house to something close to its original appearance. In 1982 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
In the early 2000s it has been the subject of a dispute between the foundation
which owns it and local history enthusiasts. The latter claim the head of the foundation is improperly using it as a residence and has not fully complied with Internal Revenue Service
requirements that the house be open to the public as a museum. The head of the foundation denies any impropriety.
on Highlands Golf Club and uphill from the Wilson House
and the train station
. It is an eight-bay
, one-story structure with three shed-roofed dormer windows on and two chimneys piercing its gable
d, shingled
roof.
Its main facade has six bays with the main entrance in the third from the east. It is surrounded with a shed hood, fluted
pilaster
s and a stoop
with two Dutch-style benches. There are several wings, including a cross-gabled rear and a garage connected to the main house by breezeway
.
The interior has some original paneling and trim, particular around the fireplaces in the main block. Most of the other trim is from the Colonial Revival restoration in the 1920s.
granted
the property that included the future Mandeville House to Adolphe Philipse, whose family owned much of today's Putnam County. He is the first European
owner of record. Thirty-eight years later, in 1735, Jacob Mandeville, leased 400 acres (161.9 ha) in the area of present-day Garrison, married and likely built the first part of the house. At that time it consisted of the present-day dining room and the space above. A kitchen wing was added later, and more upstairs rooms came into being sometime before the Revolution.
Around that time, the lands were inherited by Beverley Robinson
, warden of the nearby St. Philip's Church in the Highlands
, who had married into the Philipse family. His holdings were confiscated by the state of New York when he began working with the British Army due to his Loyalist
sympathies during the war. In 1779, Israel Putnam
used it as his headquarters. On two occasions that year, George Washington
visited Putnam there and spent the night.
In 1785, the state sold the lands with the house to Joshua Nelson, a son-in-law of Mandeville's. His family sold it to a Mrs. Brown in the 1840s. She, in turn, sold it to Richard Upjohn
in 1852.
At that time the middle-aged architect had established himself and was looking to settle down in the country after retiring from practice in New York City
. He had designed the new St. Philip's church nearby, and was working on residential commissions in the area like Dick's Castle, The Grove
and Rock Lawn
. He made many renovations to the Mandeville House, such as the library and north wings. He added a Swiss-Gothic facade
to the front, reflecting the tastes of the era.
Upjohn lived in the house until his death in 1878. His descendants added some more rooms and remained until they sold the house to a Col. Julian Benjamin, a descendant of Peter Stuyvesant
, in 1922. He and his wife, Nancy Allan, took down Upjohn's Gothic exterior treatment and restored it in the Colonial Revival style, using Dutch stylings wherever possible to reflect Mandeville's perceived tastes, such as the shed dormers and stoop. They also added the garage wing and shed dormers on the north side.
Allan inherited the property when her husband died in 1953, and passed it along in short order to her daughter, Margaret Allan Gething. When she died 20 years later, her will
provided for the establishment of a trust to maintain the house along with another historic house
she owned in San Antonio
as museums.
Robert Perry, a Texas lawyer and friend of the family, named the trust the Perry-Gething Foundation. Local preservationists
have filed complaints against Perry with the state and the Internal Revenue Service
, angry that he keeps the house closed most of the year and resides in it himself for several weeks in the spring and fall. Perry responds that when he is present, the house is open by appointment. The tax code, he says, requires only that the foundation maintain the property and says nothing about it making the museum open to the public.
Putnam County, New York
Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the lower Hudson River Valley. Putnam county formed in 1812, when it detached from Dutchess County. , the population was 99,710. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The county seat is the hamlet of Carmel...
Route 12) in 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...
, New York, United States, just west of its intersection with NY 9D
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...
and 403
New York State Route 403
New York State Route 403 is a short state highway located entirely within Putnam County. It connects NY 9D in Philipstown at its northern/western end to US 9 in Graymoor, where the Appalachian Trail crosses both highways...
. It is the oldest extant house in that community, dating to 1735.
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...
, General Israel Putnam
Israel Putnam
Israel Putnam was an American army general and Freemason who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War...
, after whom the county is named, was headquartered there for a while. A later occupant, architect Richard Upjohn
Richard Upjohn
Richard Upjohn was an English-born architect who emigrated to the United States and became most famous for his Gothic Revival churches. He was partially responsible for launching the movement to such popularity in the United States. Upjohn also did extensive work in and helped to popularize the...
, lived there for the last 25 years of his life. He expanded the house and redid its exterior in the Gothic Revival 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...
that characterized much of his own work; most of these were removed in the 1920s by a later owner in order to restore the house to something close to its original appearance. 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...
.
In the early 2000s it has been the subject of a dispute between the foundation
Foundation (charity)
A foundation is a legal categorization of nonprofit organizations that will typically either donate funds and support to other organizations, or provide the source of funding for its own charitable purposes....
which owns it and local history enthusiasts. The latter claim the head of the foundation is improperly using it as a residence and has not fully complied with Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
requirements that the house be open to the public as a museum. The head of the foundation denies any impropriety.
Building
The house is situated on a wooded lot of almost 5 acres (2 ha), just across from the similarly pre-Revolutionary buildings and structures of the Garrison Grist Mill Historic DistrictGarrison Grist Mill Historic District
The Garrison Grist Mill Historic District is a parcel of Highlands Country Club located at the southwest corner of the intersection of NY 9D and Lower Station Road in Garrison, New York, United States...
on Highlands Golf Club and uphill from the Wilson House
Wilson House (Garrison, New York)
The Wilson House in Garrison, New York, United States is located at a bend in Lower Station Road just uphill from Garrison Landing and the train station at the Hudson River, and downhill from Mandeville House and the Garrison Grist Mill Historic District. Records suggest it was built sometime...
and the train station
Garrison (Metro-North station)
The Garrison Metro-North Railroad station serves residents of Garrison, New York via the Hudson Line. Trains leave for New York City every hour on weekdays and about every 25 minutes during rush hour...
. It is an eight-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:...
, one-story structure with three shed-roofed dormer windows on and two chimneys piercing its 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, shingled
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...
roof.
Its main facade has six bays with the main entrance in the third from the east. It is surrounded with a shed hood, fluted
Fluting (architecture)
Fluting in architecture refers to the shallow grooves running vertically along a surface.It typically refers to the grooves running on a column shaft or a pilaster, but need not necessarily be restricted to those two applications...
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 and a stoop
Urban stoop
In urban architecture, a stoop is a small staircase ending in a platform and leading to the entrance of an apartment building or other building.-Etymology:...
with two Dutch-style benches. There are several wings, including a cross-gabled rear and a garage connected to the main house by breezeway
Breezeway
A breezeway is an architectural feature similar to a hallway that allows the passage of a breeze between structures to accommodate high winds, allow aeration, or provide aesthetic design variation. Often a breezeway is a simple roof connecting two structures ; sometimes it can be much more like a...
.
The interior has some original paneling and trim, particular around the fireplaces in the main block. Most of the other trim is from the Colonial Revival restoration in the 1920s.
History
In 1697 William IIIWilliam III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
granted
Land grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate – land or its privileges – made by a government or other authority as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service...
the property that included the future Mandeville House to Adolphe Philipse, whose family owned much of today's Putnam County. He is the first European
European colonization of the Americas
The start of the European colonization of the Americas is typically dated to 1492. The first Europeans to reach the Americas were the Vikings during the 11th century, who established several colonies in Greenland and one short-lived settlement in present day Newfoundland...
owner of record. Thirty-eight years later, in 1735, Jacob Mandeville, leased 400 acres (161.9 ha) in the area of present-day Garrison, married and likely built the first part of the house. At that time it consisted of the present-day dining room and the space above. A kitchen wing was added later, and more upstairs rooms came into being sometime before the Revolution.
Around that time, the lands were inherited by Beverley Robinson
Beverley Robinson
Beverley Robinson , a wealthy colonist from New York, was a son of the Hon. John Robinson of Virginia, who was the President of that colony. He is mostly remembered as the commander of the Loyal American Regiment, a loyalist regiment in the American War of Independence and for his work with the...
, warden of the nearby St. Philip's Church in the Highlands
St. Philip's Church in the Highlands
St. Philip's Church in the Highlands is an Episcopal church located on New York State Route 9D in the hamlet of Garrison, New York, United States. It is a stone Gothic Revival building designed by Richard Upjohn, a congregant of the church, opened in 1865....
, who had married into the Philipse family. His holdings were confiscated by the state of New York when he began working with the British Army due to his Loyalist
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
sympathies during the war. In 1779, Israel Putnam
Israel Putnam
Israel Putnam was an American army general and Freemason who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War...
used it as his headquarters. On two occasions that year, George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
visited Putnam there and spent the night.
In 1785, the state sold the lands with the house to Joshua Nelson, a son-in-law of Mandeville's. His family sold it to a Mrs. Brown in the 1840s. She, in turn, sold it to Richard Upjohn
Richard Upjohn
Richard Upjohn was an English-born architect who emigrated to the United States and became most famous for his Gothic Revival churches. He was partially responsible for launching the movement to such popularity in the United States. Upjohn also did extensive work in and helped to popularize the...
in 1852.
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...
. He had designed the new St. Philip's church nearby, and was working on residential commissions in the area like Dick's Castle, The Grove
The Grove (Cold Spring, New York)
The Grove is a historic home located at Cold Spring in Putnam County, New York. It was designed by noted architect Richard Upjohn and built in 1852–1853 in the Italianate style. It was modified in the 1870s with a mansard roof. It has a -story, nearly square, main block with a two-part wing at...
and Rock Lawn
Rock Lawn and Carriage House
Rock Lawn and Carriage House is a historic home and carriage house located at Garrison in Putnam County, New York. It was built in 1852–1853 and is a 2-story brick building with a low hipped roof and sandstone moldings and beltcourses. The projecting central bay has a gable roof, a decorative...
. He made many renovations to the Mandeville House, such as the library and north wings. He added a Swiss-Gothic 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"....
to the front, reflecting the tastes of the era.
Upjohn lived in the house until his death in 1878. His descendants added some more rooms and remained until they sold the house to a Col. Julian Benjamin, a descendant of Peter Stuyvesant
Peter Stuyvesant
Peter Stuyvesant , served as the last Dutch Director-General of the colony of New Netherland from 1647 until it was ceded provisionally to the English in 1664, after which it was renamed New York...
, in 1922. He and his wife, Nancy Allan, took down Upjohn's Gothic exterior treatment and restored it in the Colonial Revival style, using Dutch stylings wherever possible to reflect Mandeville's perceived tastes, such as the shed dormers and stoop. They also added the garage wing and shed dormers on the north side.
Allan inherited the property when her husband died in 1953, and passed it along in short order to her daughter, Margaret Allan Gething. When she died 20 years later, her will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
provided for the establishment of a trust to maintain the house along with another historic house
Historic house
A historic house can be a stately home, the birthplace of a famous person, or a house with an interesting history or architecture.- Background :...
she owned in San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
as museums.
Robert Perry, a Texas lawyer and friend of the family, named the trust the Perry-Gething Foundation. Local preservationists
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
have filed complaints against Perry with the state and the Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
, angry that he keeps the house closed most of the year and resides in it himself for several weeks in the spring and fall. Perry responds that when he is present, the house is open by appointment. The tax code, he says, requires only that the foundation maintain the property and says nothing about it making the museum open to the public.