John Schoolcraft House is a historic home located at
Guilderland
Guilderland is a town in Albany County, New York, United States. In the 2020 census, the town had a population of 36,848. The town is named for the Gelderland province in the Netherlands.
The town of Guilderland is on the central-northwest borde ...
in
Albany County, New York
Albany County ( ) is a county (United States), county in the U.S. state, state of New York (state), New York, United States. Its northern border is formed by the Mohawk River, at its confluence with the Hudson River, which is to the east. As ...
.
Description
The house was built about 1835 and is a distinctive
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
style dwelling. It features gingerbread vergeboards, pinnacles with crockets, lancet windows, and horizontal beaded siding.
The finials on the corners of the house are unique; the bases are made of wood, and the tips are of cast iron.
The iron came from a foundry which Schoolcraft owned nearby.
The house has 15 rooms with six fireplaces.
The ballroom ceiling is decorated with plaster crown molding.
History
The house was built for
John L. Schoolcraft (1804-1860), U.S. Congressman and uncle of
Henry Rowe Schoolcraft
Henry Rowe Schoolcraft (March 28, 1793 – December 10, 1864) was an American geographer, geologist, and ethnologist, noted for his early studies of Native American cultures, as well as for his 1832 expedition to the source of the Mississippi R ...
.
Schoolcraft used the house as a summer home until he died in 1860 at age 52.
The house was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1982.
The town purchased the property in 1994.
The town, together with Friends of the Schoolcraft Culture Center, renovated the house in stops and starts over a decade, as finances allowed.
Around 2000, the exterior was renovated. The interior has been completely gutted and refitted with electricity, plumbing, heating, and climate controlled air conditioning, even a refrigerator and dishwasher.
A festive Holiday Event with over 200 guests was held in December 2014 to celebrate the restoration of the mansion.
A portrait of Schoolcraft by artist Augusta Dudley was donated to the town and was expected to be installed in the house.
Gallery
File:John Schoolcraft House Nov 08.jpg, John Schoolcraft House, November 2008
File:John Schoolcraft House 2 Nov 08.jpg, John Schoolcraft House, November 2008
See also
*
References
External links
Schoolcraft House at the Historical marker database
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)
Houses completed in 1835
Gothic Revival architecture in New York (state)
Houses in Albany County, New York
National Register of Historic Places in Albany County, New York
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