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ShareNY proposes two Greene sites for registry
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| The Moore-Howland Estate in Catskill. Photo contributed |
Both announced
in most recent set
of proposals
By Jim Planck
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
CATSKILL — Among 35 properties and historic districts being recommended for inclusion on the State and National Register of Historic Places are two properties in Greene County — the Moore-Howland Estate, in Catskill, and the Torry-Chittenden Farmhouse, in Durham.
The NYS Board for Historic Preservation makes recommendations for new listings four times a year, and announced the two sites in its most recent set of proposals on June 22.
The Moore-Howland Estate is a 23 acre property which overlooks the river north of Catskill village, and includes five buildings of combined stone and wood, plus three smaller structures, and is classified Late Victorian/Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals — the latter designation having in great part to do with an expansion in 1900 by noted architect Katherine Cotheal Budd.
The nomination’s informational packet, written by NYS Historic Preservation Office Program Analyst Kathleen LaFrank, contains a wealth of important local history and, of the site, LaFrank notes, “The Moore-Howland Estate is significant as an outstanding intact example of a Hudson Valley estate in the town of Catskill.”
The building was built in two parts — the original 1866 cottage of Hudson River School artist Charles Herbert Moore and his wife Mary Jane Tomlinson — and the later addition designed by Budd, who was the NYS Chapter of the American Institute of Architects’ first female member.
Nor was architecture her only talent, as LaFrank also explains that Budd had “trained as a painter under William Merritt Chase,” the American impressionist whose canvas content also included landscapes of the Hudson River School of Painting.
Ironically, Moore, the site’s first owner, was himself deeply involved in the Hudson River School, and was a great admirer of Thomas Cole’s work, and knew his son after Cole’s death.
Moore’s own studio was apparently one of the rooms in the original cottage, and for a good number of years he produced many excellent paintings of scenes in the area, including the definitive painting of Cole’s home, Cedar Grove.
LaFrank clarifies, however, that when the bottom eventually fell out of Moore’s landscape market as tastes changed, an offer with steady income for Moore as a teacher at Harvard was accepted, and, in 1871, the Moores sold the property.
The new owners were businessman Benjamin Howland and his wife Louise, and it was Howland who helped drive the community’s economy with manufacturing, including the expansion and renaming of the Steam Woolen Company, and afterward, the creation and construction of the Hop-O-Nose Knitting Mill.
Later, in 1900, the Howland’s grown children decided to expand the building, and it was they who retained Budd as the architect to do so.
LaFrank notes that while Budd’s standing and role in early 20th century architecture is documentable, little has been revealed of Budd’s life and existing architecture, thus increasing the significance of her work in Catskill.
“The Moore-Howland Estate,” explains LaFrank, “is especially important as a rare documented example of this important architect’s work.”
Also of interest, if only locally, is that the masonry contractor for the expansion’s stone work was George W. Holdridge, whose masterful skill and expertise with stone can still be seen at the Rowena Memorial School, in Palenville, and at the Catskill Public Library, and who also built Irving and Grandview schools, among other structures.
Several of the Howland children went on to build major wealth in the corporate and industrial world, including Canadian oil, and the ties they maintained to the Catskill area further enhances the historic significance of the Moore-Howland Estate.
[Saturday: Durham’s Torry-Chittenden Farmhouse]
***
To reach reporter Jim Planck, call 518-943-2100, ext. 3324, or e-mail jplanck@thedailymail.net.
The NYS Board for Historic Preservation makes recommendations for new listings four times a year, and announced the two sites in its most recent set of proposals on June 22.
The Moore-Howland Estate is a 23 acre property which overlooks the river north of Catskill village, and includes five buildings of combined stone and wood, plus three smaller structures, and is classified Late Victorian/Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals — the latter designation having in great part to do with an expansion in 1900 by noted architect Katherine Cotheal Budd.
The nomination’s informational packet, written by NYS Historic Preservation Office Program Analyst Kathleen LaFrank, contains a wealth of important local history and, of the site, LaFrank notes, “The Moore-Howland Estate is significant as an outstanding intact example of a Hudson Valley estate in the town of Catskill.”
The building was built in two parts — the original 1866 cottage of Hudson River School artist Charles Herbert Moore and his wife Mary Jane Tomlinson — and the later addition designed by Budd, who was the NYS Chapter of the American Institute of Architects’ first female member.
Nor was architecture her only talent, as LaFrank also explains that Budd had “trained as a painter under William Merritt Chase,” the American impressionist whose canvas content also included landscapes of the Hudson River School of Painting.
Ironically, Moore, the site’s first owner, was himself deeply involved in the Hudson River School, and was a great admirer of Thomas Cole’s work, and knew his son after Cole’s death.
Moore’s own studio was apparently one of the rooms in the original cottage, and for a good number of years he produced many excellent paintings of scenes in the area, including the definitive painting of Cole’s home, Cedar Grove.
LaFrank clarifies, however, that when the bottom eventually fell out of Moore’s landscape market as tastes changed, an offer with steady income for Moore as a teacher at Harvard was accepted, and, in 1871, the Moores sold the property.
The new owners were businessman Benjamin Howland and his wife Louise, and it was Howland who helped drive the community’s economy with manufacturing, including the expansion and renaming of the Steam Woolen Company, and afterward, the creation and construction of the Hop-O-Nose Knitting Mill.
Later, in 1900, the Howland’s grown children decided to expand the building, and it was they who retained Budd as the architect to do so.
LaFrank notes that while Budd’s standing and role in early 20th century architecture is documentable, little has been revealed of Budd’s life and existing architecture, thus increasing the significance of her work in Catskill.
“The Moore-Howland Estate,” explains LaFrank, “is especially important as a rare documented example of this important architect’s work.”
Also of interest, if only locally, is that the masonry contractor for the expansion’s stone work was George W. Holdridge, whose masterful skill and expertise with stone can still be seen at the Rowena Memorial School, in Palenville, and at the Catskill Public Library, and who also built Irving and Grandview schools, among other structures.
Several of the Howland children went on to build major wealth in the corporate and industrial world, including Canadian oil, and the ties they maintained to the Catskill area further enhances the historic significance of the Moore-Howland Estate.
[Saturday: Durham’s Torry-Chittenden Farmhouse]
***
To reach reporter Jim Planck, call 518-943-2100, ext. 3324, or e-mail jplanck@thedailymail.net.
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