Woodlawn (Garrison, New York)
Encyclopedia
Woodlawn is a former estate house
overlooking the Hudson River
in Garrison
, New York, United States. It was designed in the mid-19th century by Richard Upjohn
, who resided in the area for the last years of his life.
Later on it became the Malcolm Gordon School, and it is currently the headquarters of the Hastings Center
, a prominent bioethics
research institution. In 1982 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
just south of St. Basil Academy
, at one time the estate of New York Yankees
owner Jacob Ruppert
. It is a complex of several buildings, three of which are considered contributing resources
to the Register listing.
The main house is a two-story brick structure on a stone foundation
. There are frame
single-story additions on the north and east. Its steeply-pitched
cross-gable
d roof, with exposed rafter
s at the eaves, is pierced by two dormer windows on either side and a brick chimney at the south end. On the west (front) facade
is an oriel window
with a balcony
above. A porch with Corinthian
columns wraps around the south and west sides of the house.
On the east the addition, originally built as a detached gym and now the center's Morison Library, is now connected to the house via a breezeway
. The north extension projects from the porch and includes a garage, workshop, and apartment. A small stucco
kitchen wing has been added to the north side of the house as well.
The three detached buildings are a combination stable
and hayloft
, carriage shed and ice house. The first, a one-story stucco structure, has since been converted into an apartment. The shed and ice house, frame and board-and-batten
respectively, are now used for storage.
ing firm, commissioned Upjohn to design the house in 1854. He and his wife and their descendants used it as a summer residence until it was purchased by Malcolm Gordon
in 1927 to start the boys' boarding school he named after himself.
Gordon made the changes to the property. The north wing was built in 1931 and expanded eight years later. Two decades later, in 1956, the gym was added. The kitchen wing was built in 1966, and three years later the garage on the north wing was added. The school remained active until the early 1980s.
The Hastings Center moved in a decade later. Some renovations were necessary.
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...
overlooking 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...
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. It was designed in the mid-19th century by 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...
, who resided in the area for the last years of his life.
Later on it became the Malcolm Gordon School, and it is currently the headquarters of the Hastings Center
Hastings Center
The Hastings Center, founded in 1969, is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit bioethics research institute based in the United States. It is dedicated to the examination of essential questions in health care, biotechnology, and the environment...
, a prominent bioethics
Bioethics
Bioethics is the study of controversial ethics brought about by advances in biology and medicine. Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, and philosophy....
research institution. 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
Woodlawn is a 42 acres (17 ha) property on the west side of NY 9DNew 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...
just south of St. Basil Academy
Saint Basil Academy (Garrison, New York)
Saint Basil Academy is a residential school for at-risk students run by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America in Garrison, New York, United States...
, at one time the estate of New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
owner Jacob Ruppert
Jacob Ruppert
Jacob Ruppert, Jr. , sometimes referred to as Jake Ruppert, was a National Guard colonel; a U.S. Representative from New York; and brewery owner, who went on to own the New York Yankees...
. It is a complex of several buildings, three of which are considered contributing resources
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 Register listing.
The main house is a two-story brick structure on a 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:...
. There are 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...
single-story additions on the north and east. Its 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...
cross-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, with exposed rafter
Rafter
A rafter is one of a series of sloped structural members , that extend from the ridge or hip to the downslope perimeter or eave, designed to support the roof deck and its associated loads.-Design:...
s at the eaves, is pierced by two dormer windows on either side and a brick chimney at the south end. On the west (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 an oriel window
Oriel window
Oriel windows are a form of bay window commonly found in Gothic architecture, which project from the main wall of the building but do not reach to the ground. Corbels or brackets are often used to support this kind of window. They are seen in combination with the Tudor arch. This type of window was...
with a balcony
Balcony
Balcony , a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade.-Types:The traditional Maltese balcony is a wooden closed balcony projecting from a...
above. A porch with Corinthian
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
columns wraps around the south and west sides of the house.
On the east the addition, originally built as a detached gym and now the center's Morison Library, is now connected to the house via a 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 north extension projects from the porch and includes a garage, workshop, and apartment. A small stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
kitchen wing has been added to the north side of the house as well.
The three detached buildings are a combination 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...
and hayloft
Hayloft
A hayloft is a space above a barn, stable or cow-shed, traditionally used for storage of hay or other fodder for the animals below. Haylofts were used mainly before the widespread use of hay bales, which allow simpler handling of bulk hay...
, carriage shed and ice house. The first, a one-story stucco structure, has since been converted into an apartment. The shed and ice house, frame and 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...
respectively, are now used for storage.
History
William Moore, a partner in a large New York City importImport
The term import is derived from the conceptual meaning as to bring in the goods and services into the port of a country. The buyer of such goods and services is referred to an "importer" who is based in the country of import whereas the overseas based seller is referred to as an "exporter". Thus...
ing firm, commissioned Upjohn to design the house in 1854. He and his wife and their descendants used it as a summer residence until it was purchased by Malcolm Gordon
Malcolm Gordon
Malcolm K. Gordon was an ice hockey coach at St. Paul's School from 1888 to 1917.In 1882, Gordon arrived at St. Paul's in Concord, New Hampshire....
in 1927 to start the boys' boarding school he named after himself.
Gordon made the changes to the property. The north wing was built in 1931 and expanded eight years later. Two decades later, in 1956, the gym was added. The kitchen wing was built in 1966, and three years later the garage on the north wing was added. The school remained active until the early 1980s.
The Hastings Center moved in a decade later. Some renovations were necessary.
See also
- Hudson Highlands Multiple Resource AreaHudson Highlands Multiple Resource AreaThe Hudson Highlands Multiple Resource Area is a Multiple Property Submission study supporting multiple listings in 1982 to the United States National Register of Historic Places...
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Putnam County, New York