John Schoolcraft House

John Schoolcraft House
Schoolcraft Cultural Center
Location2299 Western Ave., Guilderland, New York
Coordinates42°42′14″N 73°54′36″W / 42.70389°N 73.91000°W / 42.70389; -73.91000
Area0.8 acres (0.32 ha)
Built1835
Architectural styleGothic Revival
MPSGuilderland MRA
NRHP reference No.82001081[1]
Added to NRHPNovember 10, 1982

John Schoolcraft House is a historic home located at Guilderland in Albany County, New York.

Description

The house was built about 1835 and is a distinctive Gothic Revival 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.[2] The iron came from a foundry which Schoolcraft owned nearby.[2] The house has 15 rooms with six fireplaces.[3] The ballroom ceiling is decorated with plaster crown molding.[3]

History

The house was built for John L. Schoolcraft (1804-1860), U.S. Congressman and uncle of Henry Rowe Schoolcraft.[4] Schoolcraft used the house as a summer home until he died in 1860 at age 52.[2]

The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.[1][2] The town purchased the property in 1994.[2]

The town, together with Friends of the Schoolcraft Culture Center, renovated the house in stops and starts over a decade, as finances allowed.[2] 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.[2]

A festive Holiday Event with over 200 guests was held in December 2014 to celebrate the restoration of the mansion.[3] A portrait of Schoolcraft by artist Augusta Dudley was donated to the town and was expected to be installed in the house.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Buell, Bill (June 3, 2014). "Restoration work on historic Schoolcraft House will be shown". Schenectady, NY: The Daily Gazette. Archived from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d Begley, Alice (January 28, 2015). "Schoolcraft mansion is a wonderfully beautiful structure of Guilderland's history". The Altamont Enterprise. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  4. ^ Town of Guilderland (June 1979). National Register of Historic Places Registration: New York MPS Schoolcraft, John, House. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved October 22, 2025. (Downloading may be slow.)