Tabor-Wing House
Encyclopedia
The Tabor-Wing House is located on NY 22
in Dover Plains
, New York, United States. It is a frame
house built in 1810 by a prominent family in the area, relatively intact today.
It has an unusual amount of decoration
for a Federal-style
building. Because of that, and its importance in local history, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1982. Between 1979 and 2003 it was also the home of the Dover Plains Library.
After the library moved out, the Dover Historical Society donated the building to the Town of Dover
, which began a restoration
that finished in 2006. Today it is used for some municipal government offices and as a local history museum.
at the junction of NY 22 and North Nellie Hill Road, which becomes Cemetery Road south of the house. It has a two-story, five-bay
main block with a smaller wing, both supported by a full stone basement. The main block is sided
in clapboard
, while the wing uses flush boards. The gable
d asphalt-shingled
roofs have chimneys at all three ends and a very gentle pitch
.
The western (front) facade
is heavily ornamented. A small porch
with pediment
ed roof shelters a centrally-located main entrance topped by a leaded glass
transom
and flanked by sidelights and fluted
pilaster
s rising to a dentilled entablature
with modillioned cornice
. Above the entrance is a tripartite Palladian window. The other windows' trim echoes the main entrance, as do the paired rounded-arch windows in the attic on the north and south profiles. The smaller kitchen wing has no decoration. Its roof covers a porch on the south.
Inside, the entrance hallway divides two large parlors with much original finishing, including carved moldings and mantel
s, original wall and ceiling plaster and flooring. The original fireplace and bake oven are still in the kitchen wing.
. That quality is balanced by the overall form, very much in keeping with regional building traditions
. These reflect the aspirations and tastes of its builders at that time in history.
Wakefield Worcester, who visited the house for the Historic American Buildings Survey
in 1937, wondered if the builder might have been a cabinetmaker due to the high level of exterior detail. He found it a stark contrast to the relatively bare interior.
in 1748, when it was largely uninhabited by European settlers
. His father willed him his landholdings, including all of present-day Dover Plains, upon his death in 1782. After building the house around 1810, shortly after the town was established, he in turn willed it to his daughter Sally. She was married to Mahlon Wing, another of the area's prominent landowners for whom the hamlet of Wingdale is named.
Wing descendants would occupy the house for over 75 years, from 1839 until 1926. Shortly afterwards, modern oil
heating was installed. The house passed through a succession of private owners, who upgraded the plumbing
and heating as needed. It was acquired in the late 1970s by the Dover Historical Society, which made many improvements to its infrastructure before it was put into service as a library.
In 2003 the library moved out to larger quarters and the Historical Society donated it to the town. It began making improvements to the interior, restoring it to its original appearance and appropriate period furnishings. After it completed those restorations in 2006, it moved some of its offices in.
New York State Route 22
New York State Route 22 is a north–south state highway in eastern New York in the United States. It runs parallel to the state's eastern edge from the outskirts of New York City to a short distance south of the Canadian border. At , it is the state's longest north–south route and...
in Dover Plains
Dover Plains, New York
Dover Plains is a hamlet in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 1,996 at the 2000 census...
, New York, United States. It is a 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...
house built in 1810 by a prominent family in the area, relatively intact today.
It has an unusual amount of 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...
for a Federal-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...
building. Because of that, and its importance in local history, 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 1982. Between 1979 and 2003 it was also the home of the Dover Plains Library.
After the library moved out, the Dover Historical Society donated the building to the Town of Dover
Dover, New York
Dover is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 8,565 at the 2000 census. The town was named after Dover in England, the home town of an early settler....
, which began a restoration
Building restoration
Building restoration describes a particular treatment approach and philosophy within the field of architectural conservation. According the U.S...
that finished in 2006. Today it is used for some municipal government offices and as a local history museum.
Building
The house sits on a half-acre (2,000 m²) triangular 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...
at the junction of NY 22 and North Nellie Hill Road, which becomes Cemetery Road south of the house. It has a two-story, five-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:...
main block with a smaller wing, both supported by a full stone basement. The main block is 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 clapboard
Clapboard (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...
, while the wing uses flush boards. The 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 asphalt-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...
roofs have chimneys at all three ends and a very gentle pitch
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...
.
The western (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"....
is heavily ornamented. A small porch
Porch
A porch is external to the walls of the main building proper, but may be enclosed by screen, latticework, broad windows, or other light frame walls extending from the main structure.There are various styles of porches, all of which depend on the architectural tradition of its location...
with 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 roof shelters a centrally-located main entrance topped by a leaded glass
Leaded glass
Leaded glass may refer to:*Lead glass, potassium silicate glass which has been impregnated with a small amount of lead oxide in its fabrication...
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...
and flanked by sidelights and 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 rising to a dentilled 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 ,...
with modillioned 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...
. Above the entrance is a tripartite Palladian window. The other windows' trim echoes the main entrance, as do the paired rounded-arch windows in the attic on the north and south profiles. The smaller kitchen wing has no decoration. Its roof covers a porch on the south.
Inside, the entrance hallway divides two large parlors with much original finishing, including carved moldings and mantel
Mantel
Mantel is a municipality in the district of Neustadt in Bavaria in Germany....
s, original wall and ceiling plaster and flooring. The original fireplace and bake oven are still in the kitchen wing.
Aesthetics
The house's ornamentation is unusual for Federal style homes in general, not just in the Hudson ValleyHudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
. That quality is balanced by the overall form, very much in keeping with regional building traditions
Vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture is a term used to categorize methods of construction which use locally available resources and traditions to address local needs and circumstances. Vernacular architecture tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural and historical context in which it...
. These reflect the aspirations and tastes of its builders at that time in history.
Wakefield Worcester, who visited the house for the Historic American Buildings Survey
Historic American Buildings Survey
The Historic American Buildings Survey , Historic American Engineering Record , and Historic American Landscapes Survey are programs of the National Park Service established for the purpose of documenting historic places. Records consists of measured drawings, archival photographs, and written...
in 1937, wondered if the builder might have been a cabinetmaker due to the high level of exterior detail. He found it a stark contrast to the relatively bare interior.
History
Thomas Tabor, the builder of the house, had come to the future Town of Dover as a young boy with his father from Rhode IslandRhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
in 1748, when it was largely uninhabited by European settlers
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...
. His father willed him his landholdings, including all of present-day Dover Plains, upon his death in 1782. After building the house around 1810, shortly after the town was established, he in turn willed it to his daughter Sally. She was married to Mahlon Wing, another of the area's prominent landowners for whom the hamlet of Wingdale is named.
Wing descendants would occupy the house for over 75 years, from 1839 until 1926. Shortly afterwards, modern oil
Heating oil
Heating oil, or oil heat, is a low viscosity, flammable liquid petroleum product used as a fuel for furnaces or boilers in buildings. Home heating oil is often abbreviated as HHO...
heating was installed. The house passed through a succession of private owners, who upgraded the plumbing
Plumbing
Plumbing is the system of pipes and drains installed in a building for the distribution of potable drinking water and the removal of waterborne wastes, and the skilled trade of working with pipes, tubing and plumbing fixtures in such systems. A plumber is someone who installs or repairs piping...
and heating as needed. It was acquired in the late 1970s by the Dover Historical Society, which made many improvements to its infrastructure before it was put into service as a library.
In 2003 the library moved out to larger quarters and the Historical Society donated it to the town. It began making improvements to the interior, restoring it to its original appearance and appropriate period furnishings. After it completed those restorations in 2006, it moved some of its offices in.
External links
- Taber-Wing House, State Route 22, Dover Plains, Dutchess, NY: 18 drawings, 9 photos, 5 data pages, and supplemental materials at Historic American Building Survey
- Town of Dover page on restoration, with before and after photos.