tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170852285107502075.post986498161443651989..comments2024-03-27T04:15:22.918-07:00Comments on BIG OLD HOUSES: My Kind of HouseJohn Foremanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05062464473900774511noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170852285107502075.post-28861714930291399902017-12-16T04:28:10.971-08:002017-12-16T04:28:10.971-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Kenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14993856262515005547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170852285107502075.post-3045575818196968232017-12-16T04:24:52.250-08:002017-12-16T04:24:52.250-08:00Any future plans on photographing the "Englis...Any future plans on photographing the "English Village" area (stand-alone wooden home and ice house), outlying buildings (greenhouse area), gatehouse, coal bunker and the Hudson water intake on the river? This was and is a beautiful property. I lived here in the mid 1950's when the greenhouse was still standing. Much of the slate used on the "English Village" buildings was mined on the northern end of the property. I remember also an underground trolley system of sorts that came from either the coal bunker or the water intake building and went to the main house. I remember also that the lights in the stand-alone wooden home close to the "English Village" was powered by Edison Cell batteries. Thanks for posting all the great photos and text and also your other two pages covering the Payne Mansion - July 2011. <br />Also: http://academic2.marist.edu/foy/esopus/Kenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14993856262515005547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170852285107502075.post-66601114201206094392016-10-30T10:26:58.454-07:002016-10-30T10:26:58.454-07:00There was a period during the Marist ownership of ...There was a period during the Marist ownership of the mansion when it was used as a retreat house. My first visit to Esopus was in January 1968 for an "Encounter" weekend. Picture the place populated with high school boys! Not one of the official activities of the weekend, but an enjoyable one, was taking the mattresses off the beds and riding them down the main staircase. I returned to live in the mansion for 2 years in 1970. One of the front parlors was used for wakes for deceased brothers. Our Thanksgiving feast brought the dining room back to its glory days.<br />Bro. Francis Solano was the chef for the community, and maintained his office in the second floor area over the scullery. Alas, his bird cage - a shipping container for a deceased brother's coffin - has been removed! Only wonderful memories of Esopus, not in its glory days, but certainly in its good, old days. Thank you for this trip down Memory Lane. The front lawn off the chapel/living room was splendid for toboganning in the winter.<br />It was, though, a long climb back up!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04044944018117663878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170852285107502075.post-78278923471736079532016-10-28T11:00:17.806-07:002016-10-28T11:00:17.806-07:00Useful comments by David and Wick. The pictorial r...Useful comments by David and Wick. The pictorial representation is superb. My Dad loved the Payne mansion. I had happy visits there. Susan Rich SheridanSusan Sheridanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08621930728533921855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170852285107502075.post-13055828669279516582016-10-25T17:50:45.884-07:002016-10-25T17:50:45.884-07:00Thank you for these great memories. I am a Marist ...Thank you for these great memories. I am a Marist Brother and lived on this property for 25 years and still live in the area. I was property administrator and site director for 7 years and director of the Marist Brothers community there for many years. You gave a fantastic presentation of the mansion and I have experienced every photo you posted personally including the concrete ceilings and floors in the attics. The basement is another story in itself....was a bomb shelter years ago with stored water, medications and food (long gone). It also had a shower room and plenty of storage when student brothers resided there. The grand room was the chapel with great acoustics.... a young Peter Frampton requested to record there years ago. Interesting history in every respect. Thanks again. Brother Henry Sawicki, FMS.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08068702466407515853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170852285107502075.post-20788495164022537652015-05-21T17:53:52.256-07:002015-05-21T17:53:52.256-07:00The fellow on the left does look like Mr. Frick.The fellow on the left does look like Mr. Frick.Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00061842302314196314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170852285107502075.post-38983945546580999402014-11-02T00:53:58.230-07:002014-11-02T00:53:58.230-07:00The unknown friend that Oliver Hazard Payne is sai...The unknown friend that Oliver Hazard Payne is sailing with on his Yatch<br />WITH 95% PROBABILITY<br />is the one and only HENRY CLAY FRICK - OF CARNAGIE STEEL Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170852285107502075.post-67779570131298708882013-07-16T21:06:52.899-07:002013-07-16T21:06:52.899-07:00The majority of the restoration was actually done ...The majority of the restoration was actually done replacing alot of the limestone with limestone shipped in from Portugal if I remmember correctly. Stones that needed minor to medium repairs where done with material that mimics the properties of limestone, this material was also used for castings and the detail work.<br />DavidAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170852285107502075.post-12555822962658715912012-05-31T12:57:09.175-07:002012-05-31T12:57:09.175-07:00Do you know how they restored the exterior? Not re...Do you know how they restored the exterior? Not replaced with limestone, surely?<br /><br />Thank you!kbdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07229271119432146593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170852285107502075.post-24447804846029632602012-05-30T20:27:35.965-07:002012-05-30T20:27:35.965-07:00Thanks for bring back some fond memories.
I rewi...Thanks for bring back some fond memories. <br /><br />I rewired this mansion top to bottom for Mr. Rich. I also provided his sound system. From a new service to restoring the DC dumbwaiter controller in the attic it was the most interesting home I've had the pleasure to work in. <br /><br />A few more tidbits:<br /><br />Joe Almasi was the head caretaker. (RIP Joe).<br /><br />The house had a huge piston pump central vacuum system that Marist had dismantled.<br /><br />The electrical service was originally a combination of AC for lighting and DC for motors.<br /><br /> The interior decorator insisted that I hang those immensely heavy light fixtures on dime store chain. She capitulated when I pulled it apart with my hands. Joe and I used tow chain instead.<br /><br />There was a large ice house to the west of the mansion. We turned it into a garage.<br /><br />Ray Rich treated me as a friend and fellow engineer. To sit and talk with him you would hardly know that he was a billionaire. Truly a nice man.K. Wickhttp://www.stremy.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170852285107502075.post-79198856052237300772012-05-02T11:31:43.892-07:002012-05-02T11:31:43.892-07:00On behalf of the often silent readers who drink in...On behalf of the often silent readers who drink in your prose and visual buffet a big thanks. The access you've cultivated to so many quiet, privately owned homes is sensational. Even better that we've all enjoyed the chance to vicariously take the tour with you.<br /><br />I suspect that more readers than you think were aware of this property. The odd book "Phantoms of the Hudson Valley" by Ms. Randall did feature this property early on in Raymond A. Rich's ownership.Kellsboro Jackhttp://www.flickr.com/people/27332539@N07/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170852285107502075.post-55687448306634315032012-04-29T08:43:50.816-07:002012-04-29T08:43:50.816-07:00You mean all I have to do to astonish you is tell ...You mean all I have to do to astonish you is tell you that as a reader, I do know about this house? That's too easy. But indeed I have known about it for years, curious to know more, and could not have enjoyed this essay more.The Down East Dilettantehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13950254669198151850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170852285107502075.post-13560027075543534932012-04-27T08:58:10.034-07:002012-04-27T08:58:10.034-07:00Thank you for this great house tour. I love the ph...Thank you for this great house tour. I love the photos of the details and plaster moulding makes me drool! Hopefully this house will stand for a long time to come.<br />Best wishes,<br />ArthurOrnate Ceilings and Wallshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02165087364990778762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170852285107502075.post-40171580095414668072012-04-27T06:44:44.559-07:002012-04-27T06:44:44.559-07:00This house is, indeed, very reminiscent of White H...This house is, indeed, very reminiscent of White Hall in Palm Beach, particularly in the eastern facade and the interior courtyard.<br /><br />White Hall (now a museum) is a fascinating place. In many ways it is almost a parody of these type of houses: endless rooms overdecorated in a range of historical styles, a series of vast salons for entertaining, enough bedrooms to make it virtually a small scale hotel, etc. <br /><br />Thank you for sharing these great photos!Funbud83https://www.blogger.com/profile/07244127656008812531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170852285107502075.post-92096967334520521542012-04-26T22:48:44.777-07:002012-04-26T22:48:44.777-07:00I may be mistaken, but isn't that stable the b...I may be mistaken, but isn't that stable the building formerly occupied by BDDW? Even if less rigorous than a Carrere & Hastings, I recall the interiors were pretty fantastic. I believe they even had a bronze foundry onsite.Nick Heywoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17205328234745575843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170852285107502075.post-66737498725310842092012-04-26T17:50:00.606-07:002012-04-26T17:50:00.606-07:00I inadvertently conflated Hoffman's Vizcaya in...I inadvertently conflated Hoffman's Vizcaya in Miami with Carrere and Hastings' Whitehall in Palm Beach. (Call it temporary insanity). Thank you very much for correcting me; text above is amended.John Foremanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05062464473900774511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6170852285107502075.post-69030488809899432962012-04-26T12:40:27.478-07:002012-04-26T12:40:27.478-07:00As a Hudson Valley resident and huge architecture ...As a Hudson Valley resident and huge architecture buff, I so enjoy your posts. The Payne Mansion is indeed a hidden treasure, more interesting to my mind than Vanderbilt Mansion across the river.<br /><br />One note: F. Burrall Hoffman, the designer of Vizcaya, did indeed work for Carrere and Hastings for a time, but I believe he had left the firm before he began working for James Deering. <br /><br />As you probably know, Carrere and Hastings designed two other splendid mansion in the valley: Alder Manor (for William Boyce Thompson) in Yonkers and Glenmere Mansion (for Robert Goelet) in Orange County. The latter, which is now an inn/restaurant, also has an interior courtyard and once it had a great Beatrix Farrand garden. One last valley C&H building:the Webb Horton Memorial Presbyterian Church in Middletown. <br /><br />Keep up the great work.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com