Highland Cottage

Last updated
Highland Cottage
Highland Cottage, Ossining, NY.jpg
East (front) elevation, 2010
USA New York location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location Ossining, NY
Nearest city White Plains
Coordinates 41°9′34.57″N73°51′40.57″W / 41.1596028°N 73.8612694°W / 41.1596028; -73.8612694 Coordinates: 41°9′34.57″N73°51′40.57″W / 41.1596028°N 73.8612694°W / 41.1596028; -73.8612694
Built1872 [1]
ArchitectS. Marvin McCord [2]
Architectural style Gothic Revival
Part of Downtown Ossining Historic District
NRHP reference No. 02001457 [3]
Added to NRHPJuly 22, 1982

Highland Cottage, also known as Squire House, is located on South Highland Avenue (U.S. Route 9) in Ossining, New York, United States. It was the first concrete house in Westchester County, [1] built in the 1870s in the Gothic Revival architectural style. In 1982 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places; [3] almost 30 years later, it was added to the nearby Downtown Ossining Historic District as a contributing property. [4]

Contents

Built by a prominent local man with an interest in new construction techniques, it has seen several different uses over the years. It was a sanitarium in the early 20th century, then a hospital and later a restaurant. For most of that century, the Squire family ran a local business school there. Since then it has returned to residential use.

Building

The house in the 1880s History of Westchester county - New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City - (1886) (14801493123).jpg
The house in the 1880s

The property is on the southwest corner of the intersection of South Highland and Maple Place, across the former from Ossining High School and the latter from the brick 1870 First Presbyterian Church designed by Isaac G. Perry. The historic district boundary currently runs in the middle of the streets between those buildings, both of which are contributing properties to the district, and the cottage. To the west are other houses; an apartment building is to the south. The lot slopes to the west, in the direction of the Hudson River.

The house itself is a two-story, three-bay structure of 18-inch–thick (46 cm) load-bearing precast concrete blocks faced in stucco. It is topped by a steep polychromatic hipped roof shingled in a fish-scale pattern. The northern bay of the main block rises to a peaked tower above the roof. A one-story northern wing has a mansard roof pierced by gabled dormer windows. [5]

Bay windows project from all facades except the north. They have narrow round-arched one-over-one double-hung sash windows with stippled corners scored [5] to give the appearance of quoins serving as surrounds, becoming segmental arches with projecting keystones; a fleur-de-lys carved from Sing Sing marble is on the front stone. Above them a bracketed cornice with broad eaves sets off the flat roof; on the second story they are echoed by a tripartite window with a projecting continuous stippled surround and otherwise similar treatment to the first-floor windows.

On the northern bay of the east (front) facade, from which the southern bay projects slightly, the main entrance is located in a recessed round-arched entryway with similar decoration as the windows; its keystone has a lion. Above it is an oculus with a shell on its projecting keystone. The north wing has a wooden balustraded porch and arches as well; behind it are round-arched two-over-two double-hung sash in quoined surrounds. The gabled dormers are steeply pitched; within them are small windows similar to those below.

Pendants support the brackets at the roofline cornice above the tripartite window; all the other brackets on that cornice are identical to those on the bay windows. Above the tripartite window an engaged turret rises. The lower of its two stages has round-arched one-over-one double-hung sash. Another bracketed cornice above it supports the flared, conical roof.

On the entrance tower, the roofline is continued with a section of concrete laid to appear as a slightly projecting flat course. The tower's roofline is broken by another double-hung two-over-two round-arched window flanked by mirroring brackets. Above its projecting cornice is a small jerkin-roofed one-over-one round-arched window. The top of the peak has an iron weathervane and some other decor.

The main entrance has a short set of steps and round-arched walnut double doors. The inside is paneled in dark oak, intricately molded. The floor is also oak, with alternating light and dark strips. All doors on the first floor are nine feet (3 m) high and echo the round-arched configuration of the entry doors, with brass hardware. Windows on the first and second floors have recesses for interior louvered shutters. The ceilings are of molded plaster, with some detailed medallions on the first floor. Around the house are seven stone fireplaces in different styles, with gold trim. The library's has a carved marble lion's head similar to that above the main entrance. [1]

History

Henry J. Baker, the builder and first occupant of Highland Cottage, bought the property in 1869. A successful New York City businessman who moved to Ossining, [5] he had an interest in construction, having initiated the effort to build a new Methodist church in town. The local newspaper reported in March 1872 that he was going to build houses of "Swiss architecture" on his lots on Highland and Mott Street (as Maple Place was then known). [1]

Concrete had been used to build American houses before, but only rarely, due to the abundance of wood and masonry. Since it was so unusual, English workers were brought over to build the house, which early on earned the disparaging local nickname of "Mud House". [5] The concrete used for the precast blocks was Rosendale cement, made at what is now the Register-listed Snyder Estate Natural Cement Historic District in Rosendale, further north in the Hudson Valley. [5] It would be the first concrete house in Westchester County, predating the better-known reinforced concrete Ward Castle in what is now Rye Brook by four years. [1] The High Victorian Gothic style used was also an unusual choice for house.

Six years later, in 1878, Baker died. His estate took three years to sell. In 1881, the Dickey family gave it the name Highland Cottage when they moved in. Six years later, they moved. Their buyer, an elderly woman, lived there for a short time before selling in turn to a man named John Cockcroft. [1]

Cockcroft lived in the house, without making any significant changes to it, for 17 years before selling it to Dr. Amos Squire in 1905. It would take his name as his family put it to a number of different uses over the course of the 20th century. Five years after moving in, Squire, then the head physician at nearby Sing Sing Prison, converted the first floor into Grandview Sanitarium, a mental hospital. In the years after World War I, Squire, a member of the state Naval Militia, used it as a hospital for injured sailors. [1]

During the 1920s Squire's public service continued, as the village's health officer and a county medical examiner. In 1920 the ground floor became the Castle Inn restaurant, while the Squires retained their upstairs quarters. After the restaurant moved to other premises in 1923, the family took over the house again. When Dr. Squire assumed the medical examiner's position in 1925, his secretary needed to be able to accompany him on any emergency calls, so a basement apartment was constructed for the man and his wife to live there from 1936 to 1944. [1]

After 1944, the space was rented out for medical offices. Dr. Squire died in 1949, leaving the house to his daughter, Evelyn Squire Culp, who had herself been born in the house 44 years earlier. Culp, a practicing lawyer and graduate of Columbia Business School, started the Squire School of Business in the house in 1952. She continued to teach office and secretarial skills there for 20 years, and tutored private pupils [1] until 1984. [5] That year she donated the house to the Westchester Preservation League. For the next 12 years it remained her residence. After she moved out in 1996, the league sold the house to a private owner, and so it has remained since. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calvary Baptist Church (Ossining, New York)</span> Historic church in New York, United States

Calvary Baptist Church, originally St. Paul's Episcopal Church, is located on St. Paul's Place in Ossining, New York, United States. It is a stone building in the Gothic Revival architectural style, considered the best preserved early example of that style in Westchester County. It is also one of the few remaining Calvin Pollard buildings in the state. Built in the 1830s, it is the oldest house of worship in the village. In 1978 it and its rectory across the street were added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Dunmere (Narragansett, Rhode Island) Historic house in Rhode Island, United States

Dunmere is a historic estate at 560 Ocean Road in Narragansett, Rhode Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Building at 426 South Main Street</span> United States historic place

The building at 426 South Main Street is located in Canandaigua, New York, United States. It is a two-story brick dwelling in the Italianate architectural style built around 1880. In 1984 it and its neighboring barn were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

First Baptist Church of Ossining Historic church in New York, United States

The First Baptist Church of Ossining is located in the center of the village of Ossining, New York, United States. It is a brick building in the Gothic Revival architectural style with a tall wooden steeple built in the 1870s, one of Ossining's most prominent landmarks. In 1973 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Sixteen years later, in 1989, it was included as a contributing property to the Downtown Ossining Historic District when it was listed on the Register.

Tompkins Corners United Methodist Church Historic church in New York, United States

Tompkins Corners United Methodist Church - now known as the Tompkins Corners Cultural Center - is located along Peekskill Hollow Road in Putnam Valley, New York, United States. It is a wooden frame structure built in the 1890s. In 1983 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the only property exclusively in Putnam Valley to so far receive that distinction.

Lynfeld Historic house in New York, United States

Lynfeld is a farm located on South Road in the Town of Washington, New York, United States, near the village of Millbrook. Its farmhouse, a frame structure dating to the late 19th century, is in an unusual shape for a building in the Italianate architectural style.

Masonic Temple Building (Marshall, Michigan) United States historic place

The Masonic Temple Building in Marshall, Michigan is a building from 1913. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. Today it houses Dance Dynamics and Engelter Photography.

William E. Ward House Historic house on Connecticut-New York state line in United States

The William E. Ward House, known locally as Ward's Castle, is located on Magnolia Drive, on the state line between Rye Brook, New York and Greenwich, Connecticut, United States. It is a reinforced concrete structure built in the 1870s.

United States Post Office (Lenox Hill Station) Historic post office in Manhattan, New York

The United States Post Office Lenox Hill Station is located at 217 East 70th Street between Second and Third Avenues in the Lenox Hill neighborhood of the Upper East Side, Manhattan, New York City. It is a brick building constructed in 1935 and designed by Eric Kebbon in the Colonial Revival style, and is considered one of the finest post offices in that style in New York State. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989, along with many other post offices in the state.

Walter Merchant House Historic house in New York, United States

The Walter Merchant House, on Washington Avenue in Albany, New York, United States, is a brick-and-stone townhouse in the Italianate architectural style, with some Renaissance Revival elements. Built in the mid-19th century, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

YMCA Building (Albany, New York) United States historic place

The former Young Men's Christian Association Building in Albany, New York, United States, is located on Pearl Street. It was built in the 1880s in the Romanesque Revival architectural style, with an existing neighboring structure annexed to it and a rear addition built in the 1920s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Two years later, when the Downtown Albany Historic District was designated and listed on the Register, YMCA building was further included as a contributing property.

Maizefield Historic house in Red Hook, NY, USA

Maizefield, often locally called Maizeland, is a historic house on West Market Street in the village of Red Hook, New York, United States. It is a large plain brick building, in the Federal style, with clear English Georgian influences, built around the end of the 18th century. In 1973 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock Lawn and Carriage House</span> Historic house in New York, United States

Rock Lawn is a historic house in Garrison, New York, United States. It was built in the mid-19th century from a design by architect Richard Upjohn. In 1982 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places along with its carriage house, designed by Stanford White and built around 1880.

Rehoboth (Chappaqua, New York) United States historic place

Rehoboth is a historic former barn located on Aldridge Road in Chappaqua, New York, United States. It is a concrete structure that has been renovated into a house with some Gothic Revival decorative elements. In 1979 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Williams–DuBois House Historic house in New York, United States

The Williams–DuBois House is located at Grace Lane and Pinesbridge Road in New Castle, New York, United States. It was built by an early settler of the area during the Revolutionary War. In 1989 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Richard Austin House Historic house in New York, United States

The Richard Austin House is located on Croton Avenue in the village of Ossining, New York, United States. It is a wood frame structure dating to the 1870s. In 1989 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Isaac Young House Historic house in New York, United States

The Isaac Young House is an historic wood frame house on Pinesbridge Road in New Castle, New York, United States. It was built about 1872 in the Second Empire style. Its owner, Isaac Young, was a descendant of early settlers in the area. He chose the Second Empire style, more commonly found in cities and villages than on farms, possibly as a way of demonstrating his affluence. The present structure appears to incorporate parts of a vernacular late 18th-century farmhouse, leaving several anomalies in the current house as a result. The house's position atop a low hill would have, in its time, given it a commanding view of the region, including the Hudson River and New York City's skyline.

Edward Harden Mansion Historic house in New York, United States

The Edward Harden Mansion, also known as Broad Oaks, is a historic home located on North Broadway in Sleepy Hollow, New York, United States, on the boundary between it and neighboring Tarrytown. It is a brick building in the Georgian Revival style designed by Hunt & Hunt in the early 20th century, one of the few mansions left of many that lined Broadway in the era it was built. Also on the property is a wood frame carriage house that predates it slightly. Both buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

North Grove Street Historic District Historic district in New York, United States

The North Grove Street Historic District is located along the north end of that street in Tarrytown, New York, United States. It consists of five mid-19th century residences, on both sides of the street, and a carriage barn. In 1979 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Washington School (Ossining, New York) United States historic place

The former Washington School is located on Croton Avenue in the village of Ossining, New York, United States. It was built in 1907 in the Beaux-Arts style, one of two in the village to use it. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Austin N. O'Brien (March 1982). "National Register of Historic Places Registration:Highland Cottage". U.S. National Archives . Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  2. Village of Ossining; "Village of Ossining Significant Sites and Structures Guide" (PDF). (20.9 MB), April 2010; p. 162; retrieved July 30, 2011
  3. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  4. "National Register of Historic Places listings for January 11, 2013". U.S. National Park Service. January 11, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Significant Sites and Structures, 163.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Highland Cottage at Wikimedia Commons