Montrest
Encyclopedia
Montrest is a house on Lane Gate Road outside Nelsonville
, New York, United States. It was built after the Civil War
as a summer residence
by Aaron Healy, a successful New York art dealer, to take advantage of panoramic views of the Hudson River
and surrounding mountains of the Highlands
.
Eventually he divided the estate
between his two sons, and in the early 20th century Montrest, the upper house, became the family's primary residence. In 1982 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
climbing into the hills of Philipstown
above the village of Nelsonville. The land gently slopes downward, revealing views of the Hudson, Bull Hill
and Storm King Mountain to the west.
There are a number of buildings on the property. The main house is a two-and-a-half-story frame
building sided
in brown and white shingles
. It has four intersecting gable
s on top, a projecting three-story bay
with gabled roof on the west side and a two-bay one-story eastern wing. The ground level of the front also has a full veranda with porte-cochere
.
Downhill a cluster of buildings centers on the farm superintendent's cottage, a one-and-a-half-story frame structure on stone foundation
in a similar Gothic style to the main house. Its gabled roof is crossed on its eastern side by a later extension. Small octagonal windows are in the apex of the front and rear gables. The main entrance is located underneath a cusped arch gable with protruding dormer. Two pointed arch windows form a gabled dormer on the west side, and a porch with scalloped frieze
is attached to the northwest corner.
To the cottage's west is a stone-and-frame greenhouse and potting shed. It is not currently in use but was built for an expansion of farming operations at the turn of the 20th century. To the south are some old barns.
At the intersection of Lane Gate and the main driveway is the carriage house
/stable
complex. It is a one-and-a-half -story board-and-batten
-sided house on a stone foundation with gabled asphalt roof pierced centrally by a brick chimney. The second story has three small eyebrow windows below the roof overhang. Two extensions project from the west.
On the east of Lane Gate is a tenant house, a two-story L-shaped frame building with a raised stone basement sided in shingles as well. A veranda wraps around the front, supported by four piers with decorative corner brackets
. To the east is a clapboard-sided, gable-roofed asphalt-shingled garage.
Around 1900 Frank Healy had several buildings on Montrest expanded by architect Alfred Raymond to support increased farm operations. The greenhouse and tenant house, as well as a chicken coop and corn crib, were built then. By the 1930s automobiles had totally displaced horse travel, and the carriage house was remodeled accordingly, with some additions to allow it to be used as a residence.
In 1947 the main house underwent major renovations to allow the Healy family to make it their full-time residence. Among other changes, an indoor laundry room was converted to a two-car garage and storage space. Libby Healy, great-granddaughter of Aaron, still lives in the house. She has added to the property and acquired conservation easement
s on neighboring parcels in the hope that some of the hiking trails on them will eventually be able to be reopened to the public.
Nelsonville, New York
Nelsonville is a Hudson Highlands village located in the Town of Philipstown in Putnam County, New York. The population was 565 at the time of the 2000 census.The Village of Nelsonville is directly east of the Village of Cold Spring...
, New York, United States. It was built after the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
as a summer residence
Cottage
__toc__In modern usage, a cottage is usually a modest, often cozy dwelling, typically in a rural or semi-rural location. However there are cottage-style dwellings in cities, and in places such as Canada the term exists with no connotations of size at all...
by Aaron Healy, a successful New York art dealer, to take advantage of panoramic views of 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...
and surrounding mountains of the 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....
.
Eventually he divided the estate
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
between his two sons, and in the early 20th century Montrest, the upper house, became the family's primary residence. 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...
.
Property
The Montrest property has been expanded over the years by the Healy family to 160 acres (64.7 ha) straddling Lane Gate, a dirt roadDirt road
Dirt road is a common term for an unpaved road made from the native material of the land surface through which it passes, known to highway engineers as subgrade material. Dirt roads are suitable for vehicles; a narrower path for pedestrians, animals, and possibly small vehicles would be called a...
climbing into the hills 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....
above the village of Nelsonville. The land gently slopes downward, revealing views of the Hudson, Bull Hill
Bull Hill
Bull Hill, also known as Mount Taurus, is a mountain north of the village of Cold Spring on the Hudson River in Putnam County in the State of New York. It is part of the river-straddling range known as the Hudson Highlands. The original name came after a bull that used to terrorize the mountain was...
and Storm King Mountain to the west.
There are a number of buildings on the property. The main house is a two-and-a-half-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 sided
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....
in brown and white shingles
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...
. It has four intersecting 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 top, a projecting three-story 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:...
with gabled roof on the west side and a two-bay one-story eastern wing. The ground level of the front also has a full veranda with porte-cochere
Porte-cochere
A porte-cochère is the architectural term for a porch- or portico-like structure at a main or secondary entrance to a building through which a horse and carriage can pass in order for the occupants to alight under cover, protected from the weather.The porte-cochère was a feature of many late 18th...
.
Downhill a cluster of buildings centers on the farm superintendent's cottage, a one-and-a-half-story frame structure on 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:...
in a similar Gothic style to the main house. Its gabled roof is crossed on its eastern side by a later extension. Small octagonal windows are in the apex of the front and rear gables. The main entrance is located underneath a cusped arch gable with protruding dormer. Two pointed arch windows form a gabled dormer on the west side, and a porch with scalloped 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...
is attached to the northwest corner.
To the cottage's west is a stone-and-frame greenhouse and potting shed. It is not currently in use but was built for an expansion of farming operations at the turn of the 20th century. To the south are some old barns.
At the intersection of Lane Gate and the main driveway is the carriage house
Carriage house
A carriage house, also called remise or coach house, is an outbuilding which was originally built to house horse-drawn carriages and the related tack.In Great Britain the farm building was called a Cart Shed...
/stable
Stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
complex. It is a one-and-a-half -story board-and-batten
Batten
A batten is a thin strip of solid material, typically made from wood, plastic or metal. Battens are used in building construction and various other fields as both structural and purely cosmetic elements...
-sided house on a stone foundation with gabled asphalt roof pierced centrally by a brick chimney. The second story has three small eyebrow windows below the roof overhang. Two extensions project from the west.
On the east of Lane Gate is a tenant house, a two-story L-shaped frame building with a raised stone basement sided in shingles as well. A veranda wraps around the front, supported by four piers with decorative corner brackets
Bracket (architecture)
A bracket is an architectural member made of wood, stone, or metal that overhangs a wall to support or carry weight. It may also support a statue, the spring of an arch, a beam, or a shelf. Brackets are often in the form of scrolls, and can be carved, cast, or molded. They can be entirely...
. To the east is a clapboard-sided, gable-roofed asphalt-shingled garage.
History
Healy acquired the property in 1867 and commissioned the estate the following year. In 1885 he divided the property between his sons Augustus and Frank, with Augustus taking the lower half and building a house called Breeze Lawn, no longer extant.Around 1900 Frank Healy had several buildings on Montrest expanded by architect Alfred Raymond to support increased farm operations. The greenhouse and tenant house, as well as a chicken coop and corn crib, were built then. By the 1930s automobiles had totally displaced horse travel, and the carriage house was remodeled accordingly, with some additions to allow it to be used as a residence.
In 1947 the main house underwent major renovations to allow the Healy family to make it their full-time residence. Among other changes, an indoor laundry room was converted to a two-car garage and storage space. Libby Healy, great-granddaughter of Aaron, still lives in the house. She has added to the property and acquired conservation easement
Conservation easement
In the United States, a conservation easement is an encumbrance — sometimes including a transfer of usage rights — which creates a legally enforceable land preservation agreement between a landowner and a government agency or a qualified land...
s on neighboring parcels in the hope that some of the hiking trails on them will eventually be able to be reopened to the public.