Jacob P. Mesick House
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Jacob P. Mesick House
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| Location | Claverack, NY |
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| Nearest city | Hudson |
| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Area | 79 acres (32 ha)[2] |
| Built | ca. 1840[2] |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| MPS | The Architectural and Historic Resources of the Hamlet of Claverack, Columbia County, New York |
| NRHP Reference # | 97000947[1] |
| Added to NRHP | 1997 |
The Jacob P. Mesick House is located on Van Wyck Lane in Claverack, New York, United States. It is a wooden house in the Greek Revival architectural style built in the mid-19th century.
It is a strong example of that style in the region that has remained intact since its construction, with its original front facade restored in the early 20th century. Jacob Mesick, its builder and first resident, was a prosperous local farmer who later went into politics. The house has remained in family hands. In 1997 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
Building
The Mesick House is on a rise above Van Wyck Lane, at the west end of a 79-acre (32 ha) parcel with several other buildings on it, none of them contributing to its historic character. Shaw Bridge (now closed), also listed on the Register, is to the north along the street, crossing Claverack Creek a short distance east of NY 23/9H, the main north-south through route through Claverack. The land, with many mature trees giving the feel of a woodland, crosses the creek to an area of cultivated fields in the east.[2]
The house itself is a two-story, five-by-five-bay clapboard-sided frame structure on a stone foundation topped with a hipped roof pierced by four brick chimneys. A molded frieze runs around the entire building at the roofline. A projecting two-story gabled portico is on the northern three bays of the west (front) elevation. Opposite, on the east (rear), is a one-and-a-half-story wing.[2]
On the east facade, the entrance portico's pediment is supported by four square columns based on a wooden deck. A plain frieze is topped by a balustrade on the second-story balcony. The entablature is sided in shingles and has a single fanlight. The centrally located front entrance, at the south end of the portico, is matched by a door to the balcony above. All windows on the house have louvered shutters with a molded lintel.[2]
The south elevation has a small, low gabled single-bay porch on the east bay of the first story, where the secondary entrance is. It is supported by turned posts with a guardrail. There is also another single-story porch on the south elevation of the east wing, sheltering another entrance. Narrow windows are located just below the overhanging eaves above. The north elevation has a similar full-width single-story porch. Its entrance is finely crafted, deeply recessed and framed by flat pilasters supporting a molded entablature. The paneled door is itself flanked by sidelights and topped with a transom.[2]
The Colonial Revival main entrance, a paneled door also with sidelights and transom, opens into a wide center hall with stair. The walls have their original French print wall covering. On either side the large parlors, and the small rooms behind them, retain all their original finishes as well. An archway connects the front and back rooms on the north.[2]
In the kitchen wing is a large cooking fireplace and oven, original to the house. The modern kitchen is to its rear, with an iron heating kettle above a firebox (the pump for this system has been removed). Above it are servants' quarters which, like the bedrooms on the second floor of the main block, have most of their original finishings and trim intact.[2]
The outbuildings are located near the main house. South of it is a modern garage. To the east are the other two, a pole barn and barn/apartment. All are of modern construction.[2]
History
The land was originally part of the Van Buren family holdings. It later passed to the van Rensselaers, and from them Jacobus Delamater bought it in 1785. He, in turn, sold it to Mesick in 1831.[2]
Mesick built a prosperous farm on the lot, which led to the house's construction around 1840. It is one of the few Greek Revival buildings in Claverack, showing the adaptation of that style into the local architectural tradition. Its level of decoration, symmetry and massing are strong and distinctive aspects of the Greek Revival style.[2]
Later in his career Mesick served in the state assembly. From him it passed to his son, the grandson. It remains in the family.[2]
During the later 19th century, the original colonnade was replaced with a full-length front porch. In the early 20th century, the original entrance was restored in keeping with the Colonial Revival movement of the era. Later, slight modifications include the archway added on the first floor and the removal of the original oven and firebox pump from the kitchen in the mid-century.[2]
See also
References
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