Saturday, August 14, 2010

Still in good shape



I really "got into" the Van Rensselaer house in Philadelphia (see the 4 posts following this), perhaps because it was both beautiful and damaged. This may say more about me than about the house. The images above are of Thorndale, a very undamaged house in my hometown of Millbrook, NY. The top image was published in a Poughkeepsie newspaper in 1900. It shows a fashionable Victorian country place whose origins as an upscale farmhouse are still visible. The second image, taken ca. 1910, shows the same house, which has now become a high style example of the Federal (or maybe Georgian) (or maybe Classical) Revival. Whenever an exact architectural label eludes one, tack on the word "Revival" and almost anything will work. A New York architect by the name of A.J. Bodker did the alteration. The same family has lived here for 228 years.

3 comments:

  1. Very interesting Real estate blog. Hope it will always be alive! Thanks for this

    Click here for: Portofino South Beach

    ReplyDelete
  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello there,

    I am very interested in finding out more about this home in Millbrook and I am hoping that you will possibly have information about a home that once belonged to my grandfather in the area.

    My contact information is missypen@mac.com. I would greatly appreciate any help you may be able to give me.

    Sincerely,
    Missy Pendleton
    Bryn Athyn, PA

    ReplyDelete