Walker House (Garrison, New York)

Walker House
East (front) elevation and south profile, 2008
Location Garrison, NY
Coordinates 41°22′23″N 73°56′01″W / 41.37306°N 73.93361°WCoordinates: 41°22′23″N 73°56′01″W / 41.37306°N 73.93361°W
Area 4 acres (1.6 ha)[1]
Built 1890[1]
Architectural style Queen Anne
Governing body Private[2]
MPS Hudson Highlands MRA
NRHP Reference # 82001256
Added to NRHP November 23, 1982

The Walker House in Garrison, New York, United States, is located on Cat Rock Road (NY 403). It is a large Queen Anne style house.

It was built in 1888 by railroad magnate Samuel Sloan, whose own estate, Oulagiskit (later renamed Lisburne Grange by his son), is nearby. Sloan, best known for his 32-year tenure as president of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, gave it as a wedding gift to his daughter, Elizabeth La Grange Sloan (1862 - 1960), upon the occasion of her marriage on April 27, 1887 to Joseph Walker, Jr. (1858 - 1927). Walker became a senior partner and president of the investment banking firm of Joseph Walker & Sons and member of the New York Stock Exchange. In 1982 the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Hudson Highlands Multiple Resource Area.

Building

The Walker House is situated on a four-acre (1.6 ha) lot. It is surrounded by tall trees; the deep ravine created by Arden Brook as well as the steep slope of Fort Hill elevate the house above the road and, together, partially obstruct the view of the house from it. A driveway curves up the slope from the east to the front facade, on that side of the house.[1]

The building itself is a three-story frame home on a brick foundation with several nested roofs shingled in slate, together with a copper porch roof. The steeply-pitched main roof is done in a chateau style with eyebrow vents on all sides and crockets on the gable ridges.[1]

Three large brick chimneys pierce the extensions to the north and south, and a polygonal bay extends further from the north. A veranda with turned posts and corner brackets extends around three sides of the structure. .[1]

History

Railroad magnate Samuel Sloan, whose own estate, Oulagisket (later called Lisburne Grange), is nearby, had the house built for Elizabeth La Grange Sloan, one of his daughters, as a wedding present in 1888. An 1891 map of the area shows the house and names its occupant as "Mrs. Walker".[1] At the time of its construction, it was located on the Sloan family estate, together with Oulagisket and numerous other Sloan out-buildings. It adjoins Wyndune, also built by Samuel Sloan as a wedding present for another daughter, Margaret Elmendorf Sloan (1854 - 1906), when she married the Rev. Joseph Rankin Duryee (1853 - 1935). The original Sloan estate has been divided over the years; its various out-buildings have all been converted to residential use; and all are now under separate ownership.

The house remained in the Walker family until 1956, when it was sold to Walker O. and Abby H. Cain. Walker Cain, an architect, practiced at McKim, Meade & White, which firm was ultimately succeeded by his own firm, Walker O. Cain Associates. Since the house had been a summer residence when owned by the Walkers, modern mechanical services were added to the house after the 1956 sale to make it usable year-round. The house was later sold again in 2000 and then in 2005. In 1978, the railing from the upstairs widow's walk was removed, but kept in storage for possible future restoration. The widow's walk was completely rebuilt and restored in 2012. Because of the fact that only two families owned the house for over 100 years, many original period details have remained intact.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Sharp, L. Corwin (August 30, 1979). "National Register of Historic Places nomination, Walker House". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved May 5, 2009.
  2. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2010-07-09.