Upstate NY Architecture

Braeside Cottage // 1888

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Tucked away in the town of Hunter in the Catskill Mountains of New York, the summer colony of Twilight Park has stood as an exclusive and private resort community established in the late 19th century. Twilight Park was born out of the Twilight Club, a Manhattan social club in the late-19th century and brought to life by founder, Charles F. Wingate. Mr. Wingate traveled to the mountaintop in 1887, and became enamored by its natural beauty. He arranged for the purchase of a former sheep meadow and led the construction of the first cluster of cottages in what would become a large community of over 100 summer homes. Cottages were laid out on roughly parallel roads at different elevations and on old connecting paths that later became roads with all lots built on ledges overlooking the Catskills. The first cottages were log cabins, and quickly followed by larger, Queen Anne style “cottages” as others invested in the development. This cottage, known as Brae Side Cottage, was built in 1888 during the first phase of development in Twilight Park, and it is notable for its varied siding, diamond-pane windows, complex roof form with dormers, and the laticed entry.

Cosy Cabin // 1887

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Tucked away in the town of Hunter in the Catskill Mountains of New York, the summer colony of Twilight Park has stood as an exclusive and private resort community established in the late 19th century. Twilight Park was born out of the Twilight Club, a Manhattan social club in the late-19th century and brought to life by founder, Charles F. Wingate. Mr. Wingate traveled to the mountaintop in 1887, and became enamored by its natural beauty. He arranged for the purchase of a former sheep’s meadow and led the construction of the first cluster of cottages in what would become a large community of over 100 summer homes. Cottages were laid out on roughly parallel roads at different elevations and on old connecting paths that later became roads with all lots built on ledges overlooking the Catskills. The first six cottages were log cabins, with this example, likely in the first batch. From maps and a report on the area, this early cottage appears to have been named “Cosy Cabin” and was first occupied by Mr. Wingate, the founder of the Twilight Club and Twilight Park. The cottage is unique for its vertically laid logs still containing their bark, and the rustic porch balustrade and detailing.

St. Mary’s of the Snow Catholic Church // 1833

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In 1830 Rev. Philip O’Reilly was sent by Bishop John Dubois to establish missions and build churches along the Hudson River wherever there were sufficient resident Catholics. O’Reilly visited the village of Saugerties, in Ulster County in 1832 and began holding services in private homes. The area was home to many Irish residents working in industry, a large number of which were Catholics, and as a result, the village here became the location of the first Catholic church in the county. Father O’Reilly founded St. Mary’s in 1833 creating the first parish of the Hudson, spanning New York City to Albany, with the cornerstone of the new church laid that same year; though, the church would be dedicated a decade later. The church cemetery grew from the first graves around the church in 1833 to fill much of the church property now occupied setting the Gothic edifice in a sea of gravestones. The church grew and eventually the steeple was added in the 1860s. It is also said that the church basement was used as a stop on the Underground Railroad. The church (like many in the United States) has struggled to maintain its large campus, which originally contained the church, a school, and convent, but the church remains in good condition, shining like a beacon on a hill on the Hudson.

DuBois-Kierstede Stone House // 1727

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Ulster County, New York, is known for its many stone houses, largely built in the 18th and 19th centuries by Dutch and other European settlers to the region. This stone house in Saugerties was built beginning in 1727 by Hiskia DuBois (Du Boys), who established a 40-acre farm here. The original homestead was the one-and-a-half-story east wing of the present structure and occupied by Hiskia until his death in 1757, afterwhich, the property was inherited by his son David, who would sell the farmstead to Dr. Christoffel “Christopher” Kiersted (1736-1791), the first doctor to take up a residence in present-day Saugerties. After Dr. Kiersted died in 1791, the property was expanded and enlarged to its current composition, likely by his son, John Kiersted. Under the ownership of John, a grove of Black Locust trees were planted in the front yard setting the cottage in a small forest. The DuBois-Kierstede Stone House is currently the home of the Saugerties Historical Society, which operates the structure as the Kiersted House Museum, along with a preserved Dutch Barn on the site.

Whitaker Block // c.1870

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One of the finest commercial buildings in downtown Saugerties, New York, is the Whitaker Block, a landmark Second Empire style structure from the years following the American Civil War. The structure dates to around 1870 and was first owned by an E. Whitaker and was mixed use with retail at the street and offices above. Additionally, the building was home to the local chapter of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) a fraternal social organization. The three-story with mansard roof building stands out for its architectural details and integrity which largely remain intact to this day.

Keller Cottage // 1896

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It wouldn’t be a German-developed summer colony with at least one Chalet-style summer cottage, would it? The Keller Cottage in Elka Park, New York, was built in 1896 for John Keller (1867-1924) and his German wife, Caroline Goehring (1866-1917) who summered in the colony for a few months of the year from Brooklyn, N.Y. The 3,500-square-foot, 6-bedroom “cottage” includes a sunroom with stained glass, original unpainted wood-paneled walls and oh, just some jaw-dropping views of the Catskill Mountains for good measure!

Tamsen Cottage // 1893

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Photo from 2017 real estate listing

One of the more unique cottages in New York’s Elka Park summer colony in the Catskill Mountains is this charmer, the Tamsen Cottage. The cottage was built in 1893 for Edward Tamsen (1849-1907), the Sheriff of New York County from 1895-96 until Governor (and later Vice-President) Levi Parsons Morton removed him from office. The former Sheriff purchased this home and summered here with other German-American wealthy New Yorkers until his death in 1907. The chalet-style house has been exceptionally preserved since, and was listed for sale in 2017 for a mere $425,000. Wow!

Kurth-Kliegel Cottage // 1896

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Elka Park in Hunter, New York, is a really unique summer colony developed in the late 19th century as a country retreat for wealthy German-Americans to escape the woes of city life, primarily from New York City. Between 1890-1896, a total of 21 homes were built as summer cottages, 17 remain to this day. Almost all “cottages” were built with at least 4 bedrooms with space for servants, guests would lodge at the nearby Elka Park Clubhouse, which was destroyed by fire and replaced after WWII. The private community remains a secluded respite and relatively unknown to most. This cottage was built in 1896 for a tax commissioner Mr. Kurth, from plans by Hugo Kafka, a Czech-American architect with an office in New York City. Kafka also had a summer cottage at Elka Park. This cottage was purchased in the 1920s by Johann Kliegl, a German inventor and businessman who settled in New York, developing the “Klieglight”, a carbon arc lamp used heavily in filmmaking at the time. The late-Italianate style cottage remains well preserved to this day and even has a historically appropriate paint scheme!

Keuffel Cottage // 1893

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Built nextdoor to his business partner’s summer cottage (last post), Wilhelm (William) J. D. Keuffel, a German immigrant from Saxony, erected this summer cottage in the fashionable German-developed summer colony Elka Park in upstate New York. Keuffel & Esser Company (K&E) was founded by German immigrants Wilhelm J. D. Keuffel and Hermann Esser and manufactured high-quality surveying, drafting, and calculating tools for architects, engineers, surveyors, and building contractors in Hoboken, New Jersey with a sales office in Manhattan. By the early twentieth century, it was one of the largest manufacturers of scientific instruments in the world. Keuffel made good money, and summered in Elka Park for years until his death in 1908. The Queen Anne style Victorian “cottage” features the typical asymmetrical plan, corner towers, varied siding and detailing, and many porches to provide the residents with sweeping views of the distant mountains.

St. Francis de Sales Church, Elka Park // 1912

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Down the street from the Old Platte Clove Post Office in Elka Park, New York, I stumbled across this large, shingled church with few houses nearby. I had to investigate! In 1888 parish lines for the Catholic church were redrawn in the area necessitating a new church near the summer colony of Elka Park. By 1891, a small, shed-like church was built here. By 1911, the small house of worship had outgrown its usefulness and it was considered a blight compared to the high-style homes nearby. A local summer resident, Francis H. Lewis funded $5,000 of the $6,500 cost of the building, and local carpenter Arthur Showers, was commissioned to erect the building. Father Keefe had conveyed to the builder some remembrances he had of a small church in France, and wished for it to be designed that way. Using local building traditions, the church was constructed of local lumber with shingled siding. The building and adjacent cemetery remain active to this day.