The Scribner House is located on Roe Avenue in
Cornwall
Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
, New York, United States. It was built in 1910 as the main house for the summer
estate
Estate or The Estate may refer to:
Law
* Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations
* Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries.
** The Estates, representativ ...
of
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
publishing executive
Charles Scribner II
Charles Scribner II (October 18, 1854 – April 19, 1930) was the president of Charles Scribner's Sons and a trustee at Skidmore College.
Early life
He was born in New York City on October 18, 1854. He was the son of Emma Elizabeth Blair (1827– ...
, one of
Charles Scribner's Sons
Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner's or Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City that has published several notable American authors, including Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Marjori ...
.
It combines
Colonial Revival
The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture.
The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the arch ...
interiors with a
Shingle style
Style, or styles may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Style'' (2001 film), a Hindi film starring Sharman Joshi, Riya Sen, Sahil Khan and Shilpi Mudgal
* ''Style'' (2002 film), a Tamil drama film
* ''Style'' (2004 film), a Burmese film
* '' ...
exterior, including some hints of the
Arts and Crafts Movement
The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and America.
Initiat ...
. After the Scribners sold the estate, most of the land was sold and this is all that remains. In 1996 it 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 ...
.
Building
The house is located near the front of a 10-acre (4 ha) lot along a residential section of Roe Avenue opposite Woodside Lane, just outside the
Cornwall-on-Hudson
Cornwall-on-Hudson is a riverfront village in the town of Cornwall, Orange County, New York, United States. It lies on the west bank of the Hudson River, approximately north of New York City. The population as of the 2020 census was 3,075. It ...
village line. Large evergreen trees shield most of it from public view and provide shade.
It is a two-and-a-half-story
frame
A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent.
Frame and FRAME may also refer to:
Physical objects
In building construction
*Framing (con ...
building with a
gambrel roof
A gambrel or gambrel roof is a usually symmetrical two-sided roof with two slopes on each side. The upper slope is positioned at a shallow angle, while the lower slope is steep. This design provides the advantages of a sloped roof while maxim ...
shingled in wood. It is similarly
sided. A large stone central chimney is complemented by a smaller brick one at the northeast corner.
Two
pavilion
In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings;
* It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...
s project from the main block, separated by a
gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...
-roofed
dormer
A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a Roof pitch, pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window.
Dormers are commonly used to increase the ...
and a pent-roofed dormer on the second story. The south side has a one-and-a-half-story gambrel-roofed wing, and there is a two-story gabled wing on the east side. A one-story
hip-roofed porch is located on the north, and the east wing has a one-story addition that extends around its southern and eastern sides.
The main entrance, on the west, is a centrally located recessed wooden double door with a
molded
Molding (American English) or moulding (British and Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is the process of manufacturing by shaping liquid or pliable raw material using a rigid frame called a mold or matrix. This itself may have ...
wooden surround and sidelights. Atop it are patterned glass
transoms. It opens onto a porch with a stone
foundation and steps. Its flat roof is supported by two round
Doric column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...
s. A wooden
balustrade
A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its ...
runs along the top of the porch.
Inside, the house retains much original finishing. There is oak
woodwork
Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinetry, furniture making, wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning.
History
Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first materials worked by ...
, including
architrave
In classical architecture, an architrave (; , also called an epistyle; ) is the lintel or beam, typically made of wood or stone, that rests on the capitals of columns.
The term can also apply to all sides, including the vertical members, ...
s and
wainscoting
Panelling (or paneling in the United States) is a millwork wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials.
Panelling was developed in antiquity t ...
on the walls and ceilings. The main staircase has an intricate
newel
A newel, also called a central pole or support column, is the central supporting pillar around which a helical staircase winds. It can also refer to an upright post that supports or terminates the handrail of a stair banister (the "newel post") ...
at its base trimmed in
garland
A garland is a decorative braid, knot or wreath of flowers, leaves, or other material. Garlands can be worn on the head or around the neck, hung on an inanimate object, or laid in a place of cultural or religious importance. In contemporary times ...
s and a Doric balustrade at the landing. Also in the house are brick
fireplace mantel
The fireplace mantel or mantelpiece, also known as a chimneypiece, originated in medieval times as a hood that projected over a fire grate to catch the smoke. The term has evolved to include the decorative framework around the fireplace, and ...
s, a
wood-burning stove
A wood-burning stove (or wood burner or log burner in the UK) is a heating or cooking appliance capable of burning wood fuel, often called solid fuel, and wood-derived biomass fuel, such as sawdust bricks. Generally the appliance consists of a s ...
and the original light fixtures.
Aesthetics
The large scale of the house and its siting, with views available of the
Hudson River
The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...
and nearby
Highlands
Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau.
Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to:
Places Africa
* Highlands, Johannesburg, South Africa
* Highlands, Harare, Zimbab ...
, is a distinctive feature of country estate houses such as the one the Scribner estate originally was. Its more detailed landscaping distinguishes it from the country houses of earlier periods in Cornwall.
The architecture combines a
Shingle-style
The shingle style is an American architectural style made popular by the rise of the New England school of architecture, which eschewed the highly ornamented patterns of the Eastlake style in Queen Anne architecture. In the shingle style, Engli ...
exterior treatment with a
Colonial Revival
The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture.
The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the arch ...
interior. The former is most visible on the outside not only in the choice of siding but features such as the projecting dormers, strips of windows, and recessed entrance.
The exterior also shows the influence of the contemporary "Parks" period of the
Arts and Crafts Movement
The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and America.
Initiat ...
. Houses of the "Parks" period, many of which were built in the
Adirondack and
Catskill parks elsewhere in New York in the early 20th century. It focused on the relation of people in the house to their surroundings, particularly the natural environment. Features of the Scribner House that reflect that period are the large window areas and interior spaces, meant to integrate outside and inside, and the use of natural motifs such as leaves and flowers in the wood detailing and
stained glass
Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...
in the house.
Most of the interior trim reflects the Colonial Revival movement, also current at the time of construction. Its most notable features in the house are the woodwork: the oak staircase, landing, wainscoting and corner fireplaces.
History
The Scribners built the house in 1910, at a time when Cornwall was still the popular summer destination it had become late in the previous century. Originally it was part of a much larger estate in a park-like setting outside the village of Cornwall-on-Hudson, where most other resort housing was. Mead and Taft, a local firm also responsible for other summer houses in Cornwall like
Cherry Croft, was the architect.
In the 1950s, the original large
veranda
A veranda (also spelled verandah in Australian and New Zealand English) is a roofed, open-air hallway or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front an ...
along the second story was removed, leaving only the current section atop the porch. This is the only significant change that has been made to the house during its entire existence. Scribners' heirs sold the property in the 1960s, and the estate was gradually
subdivided until only the current ten acres were left.
References
{{National Register of Historic Places in New York
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)
Houses in Orange County, New York
National Register of Historic Places in Orange County, New York
Houses completed in 1910
Cornwall, New York
Shingle Style houses
Shingle Style architecture in New York (state)