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Wales House (Hyde Park, New York)
Encyclopedia
The Wales House is located on West Market Street near the center of Hyde Park
, New York, United States. It is a large brick house dating to the end of the 19th century, an early application of the Colonial Revival
architectural style
by architect Charles Follen McKim
of the New York City firm of McKim, Mead and White.
It was built by Frederick William Vanderbilt
, owner of the estate next door
, for Edward Wales, his secretary. In 1993 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
.
, situated on land that gently slopes down towards the Hudson River
to the west, with a more densely developed residential street, Doty Avenue, to the east. Four of them are considered contributing resources
to its listing on the National Register.
The house itself is a two-story, four-bay
brick building, with its front facade
facing east, parallel to the road. It is topped with a shingle
d gable
d roof pierced by three brick chimneys and three gabled dormer windows on the east. The roofline is marked by moderately overhanging eaves.
Louver
ed shutters
flank most of the windows, and they have stone sill
s. The center bay of the second story has a rounded-arch window. The main entrance is located in the third bay, slightly off-center. It consists of a wooden Dutch door
, within a portico
with molded
architrave
and topped with a turned balustrade. There is a similar, less decorative portico on the north, and a porch with large Doric
columns extending from the dining room on the west elevation.
Inside, the entrance leads to a large central hall, with many of the other rooms located off it. Many original finishings remain, and the floor plan has not been altered.
One the east of the house is its major outbuilding, a gable-roofed clapboard
garage built in the early 20th century. A cast iron
fence and stone wall, both contributing structures as they were part of the original construction, run along the eastern edge of the property. The swimming pool
and pool house to the southwest are of more recent construction and are non-contributing.
of McKim, Mead and White designed the house for Frederick William Vanderbilt
along with the rest of his estate
, located just to the north, in the late 1890s. At the time the land was also part of the estate. Vanderbilt and his wife, Louise Holmes, were unable to have children of their own and so were very generous to their friends, such as Edward Wales, who was also his private secretary.
McKim designed the house in the then-emerging Colonial Revival
style
, a contrast to the Beaux-Arts buildings such as Vanderbilt's mansion he is often remembered for. It featured Georgian
touches like the dormers, balustrade and modillioned roofline, balancing some signs of modern influences like the widely-spaced windows and off-center main entrance.
Wales moved in upon the house's completion in 1898, and remained there until his death in 1922. Afterwards, it became the residence of Herbert Shears, caretaker of the Vanderbilt estate. When Vanderbilt's niece donated the property to the federal government for use as a National Historic Site in 1938, the house's lot was subdivided to allow it to continue as Shears' private residence.
It has remained one ever since. The swimming pool and pool house were added in the later 20th century, but there have been no major alterations to the property otherwise.
Hyde Park, New York
Hyde Park is a town located in the northwest part of Dutchess County, New York, United States, just north of the city of Poughkeepsie. The town is most famous for being the hometown of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt....
, New York, United States. It is a large brick house dating to the end of the 19th century, an early application of the Colonial Revival
Colonial Revival architecture
The Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own...
architectural 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...
by architect Charles Follen McKim
Charles Follen McKim
Charles Follen McKim FAIA was an American Beaux-Arts architect of the late 19th century. Along with Stanford White, he provided the architectural expertise as a member of the partnership McKim, Mead, and White....
of the New York City firm of McKim, Mead and White.
It was built by Frederick William Vanderbilt
Frederick William Vanderbilt
Frederick William Vanderbilt was a member of the Vanderbilt family. He was a director of the New York Central Railroad for 61 years, and also a director of the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad and of the Chicago and North Western Railroad.-Biography:A son of William Henry Vanderbilt, Frederick...
, owner of the estate next door
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site, located in Hyde Park, New York, is one of America's premier examples of the country palaces built by wealthy industrialists during the Gilded Age....
, for Edward Wales, his secretary. In 1993 it was added to 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
There are six buildings and structures on the 5.5 acres (2.2 ha) 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...
, situated on land that gently slopes down towards 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...
to the west, with a more densely developed residential street, Doty Avenue, to the east. Four of them 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 its listing on the National Register.
The house itself is a two-story, four-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:...
brick building, with its 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"....
facing east, parallel to the road. It is topped with a shingle
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...
d 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 pierced by three brick chimneys and three gabled dormer windows on the east. The roofline is marked by moderately overhanging eaves.
Louver
Louver
A louver or louvre , from the French l'ouvert; "the open one") is a window, blind or shutter with horizontal slats that are angled to admit light and air, but to keep out rain, direct sunshine, and noise...
ed shutters
Window shutter
A window shutter is a solid and stable window covering usually consisting of a frame of vertical stiles and horizontal rails...
flank most of the windows, and they have stone sill
Sill plate
A sill plate or sole plate in construction and architecture is the bottom horizontal member of a wall or building to which vertical members are attached. Sill plates are usually composed of lumber. It usually comes in sizes of 2×4, 2×6, 2×8, and 2×10. In the platform framing method the sill plate...
s. The center bay of the second story has a rounded-arch window. The main entrance is located in the third bay, slightly off-center. It consists of a wooden Dutch door
Dutch door
A Dutch door , or stable door , or half door , is a door divided horizontally in such a fashion that the bottom half may remain shut while the top half opens...
, within a portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
with molded
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
architrave
Architrave
An architrave is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of the columns. It is an architectural element in Classical architecture.-Classical architecture:...
and topped with a turned balustrade. There is a similar, less decorative portico on the north, and a porch with large Doric
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
columns extending from the dining room on the west elevation.
Inside, the entrance leads to a large central hall, with many of the other rooms located off it. Many original finishings remain, and the floor plan has not been altered.
One the east of the house is its major outbuilding, a gable-roofed 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...
garage built in the early 20th century. A cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
fence and stone wall, both contributing structures as they were part of the original construction, run along the eastern edge of the property. The swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
and pool house to the southwest are of more recent construction and are non-contributing.
History
Charles Follen McKimCharles Follen McKim
Charles Follen McKim FAIA was an American Beaux-Arts architect of the late 19th century. Along with Stanford White, he provided the architectural expertise as a member of the partnership McKim, Mead, and White....
of McKim, Mead and White designed the house for Frederick William Vanderbilt
Frederick William Vanderbilt
Frederick William Vanderbilt was a member of the Vanderbilt family. He was a director of the New York Central Railroad for 61 years, and also a director of the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad and of the Chicago and North Western Railroad.-Biography:A son of William Henry Vanderbilt, Frederick...
along with the rest of his estate
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site, located in Hyde Park, New York, is one of America's premier examples of the country palaces built by wealthy industrialists during the Gilded Age....
, located just to the north, in the late 1890s. At the time the land was also part of the estate. Vanderbilt and his wife, Louise Holmes, were unable to have children of their own and so were very generous to their friends, such as Edward Wales, who was also his private secretary.
McKim designed the house in the then-emerging Colonial Revival
Colonial Revival architecture
The Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own...
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...
, a contrast to the Beaux-Arts buildings such as Vanderbilt's mansion he is often remembered for. It featured Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
touches like the dormers, balustrade and modillioned roofline, balancing some signs of modern influences like the widely-spaced windows and off-center main entrance.
Wales moved in upon the house's completion in 1898, and remained there until his death in 1922. Afterwards, it became the residence of Herbert Shears, caretaker of the Vanderbilt estate. When Vanderbilt's niece donated the property to the federal government for use as a National Historic Site in 1938, the house's lot was subdivided to allow it to continue as Shears' private residence.
It has remained one ever since. The swimming pool and pool house were added in the later 20th century, but there have been no major alterations to the property otherwise.