Vireum

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According to the Village of Ossining Significant Sites & Structures Guide (Page 177):

Property Name: Vireum Schoolhouse
Street Address: 1 Snowden Avenue
Section, Block, and Lot: Section 89.19, Block 1, Lot 7
Architect/Builder:Unknown
Date of Construction: 1870, Renovation into condominiums: 1988
Architectural Style:Second Empire (1860s-1880s).

Second Empire-style architecture was a style that originated in France and was named for Napoleon III’s campaign to modernize Paris in the mid 19th Century. This style, which is similar to the Italianate style, utilizes elements such as tall, arched window openings, columns flanking the main entryway, and cornices below the roofline. The primary distinguishing characteristic is the Mansard roof, a configuration in which the roof has a steep pitch on the lower section and a shallower pitch on the upper portion. This style of roof was initially designed to provide extra space while not subjecting the owner to additional taxation under French law, as the rooms located inside the roofline were not considered a full additional floor.

The Vireum Schoolhouse, built in the Second Empire style, is three- and one-half stories in height, with a T shaped plan; the larger west wing is seven bays wide and three bays deep, while the east wing is slightly smaller in its dimensions. The left and right sides of the main façade feature sets of four over four double hung windows with arched openings, with a set of three, two over two windows on the center bay of each side of the third floor. All of the window openings on the main façades and side elevations are arched, featuring limestone keystones and springers on each arch. The first-floor windows openings on the main façade and side elevations contain a curved decorative motif below each arch. Bands of projecting brick surround the window bays on the main façade and side elevations, with a dentil cornice above the second story windows.

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The structure’s east wing features slightly different architectural detailing on elevations, lacking the raised brick and around the window bays and containing a slightly different arch profile around the window openings. The mansard roof is punctuated by a mix of gabled and shed dormers on the main façade and gabled dormers on the side elevations of the west wing and the entire roofline of the east wing.

Significance:

Architectural and Cultural the Vireum Schoolhouse is architecturally significant as a well preserved example of the Second Empire architectural style used in an institutional context. It is also culturally significant for its association with the Brandreth family, descendants of the eminent Sing Sing-based entrepreneur Benjamin Brandreth.

Narrative:

The Vireum School for Boys was founded in 1870 by Major Henry C. Symonds, a former West Point English professor who was married to Beatrice Brandreth, a daughter of Benjamin Brandreth, builder of the Brandreth Pill Factory (see entry). Symonds later served as president of the village for several years during the late 1870’s and early 1880’s. The original name of the school, Vireun, was a combination of Virginia and Eunice, the names of Symonds’ daughters. At some point in time the name of the school and building were changed to reflect the common mispronunciation of its name, Vireum. It was established as a college preparatory school and was geared toward preparing school-aged young men for entrance into military academies, whose standards for enrollment had become more rigorous following the end of the US Civil War. The school sent several hundred graduates on to schools such as West Point and Annapolis during its years of operation. After the closing of the school in the early 20th century, the structure served as a factory for a time until lying abandoned for many years. It was restored in 1988 and was adapted for residential use, which continues today.

Taken with a Sony RX100 MVII.

Ossining First Baptist Church

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Property Name: First Baptist Church
Street Address: 1 Church Street
Section, Block, and Lot: Section 89.19, Block 4, Lot 47
Historic District: Downtown Ossining Historic District
Architect/Builder: J.Walsh, Architect; John Hoff, Builder
Date of Construction: 1871- 1874
Architectural Style: High Victorian Gothic (1860s-1890s)

High Victorian Gothic architecture, which evolved from the older Gothic Revival style, differs from that style in its use of contrasting polychromatic bands on the exterior wall surfaces and more elaborate decorative elements. This style was usually reserved for public buildings such as schools or churches. As it is related to the Gothic Revival style, structures in this style also contain such elements as steeply pitched rooflines, elaborate ornamentation, and a predominantly vertical orientation.

The First Baptist Church consists of two sections: a rectangular main section and a smaller, perpendicular northern section. The main section’s 100 foot tall spire, which is surrounded by 16 pinnacles, was added in 1894. Older photographs show that the building originally had an ornamental roof cresting that was subsequently removed at an unknown date. The structure is capped with a gray slate gable roof with four gabled dormers. Each contains a large pointed arch window and elaborate decorative exterior woodwork around the gables. The pointed arch-shaped double front doors at the main entryway facing Church Street are surrounded with polychrome brick trim and a decorative fanlight above the door. Eight stained glass windows located around he perimeter of the structure illustrate scenes from the Bible. The church is constructed with brick and limestone.

Significance: Architectural and Cultural

The First Baptist Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 as architecturally significant for its status as the best example of High Victorian Gothic architecture in the Village. Other examples include the First Presbyterian Church (see entry) and the First Baptist Church (see entry). The nomination took place prior to the 1989 designation of the Downtown Ossining Historic District in which the Church is located and listed as a contributing structure. The Church is also culturally significant for its association with its founder, Captain Elijah Hunter (1749-1815), a Sing Sing-based landowner and businessman who later served as the first Supervisor for the Town of Mount Pleasant prior to the formal incorporation of Sing Sing Village in 1813; the Sing Sing Baptist Congregation, founded in 1786; and for its overall role in the cultural life of the Village since its construction in 1874.

The First Baptist Church, completed in 1874, is actually the second structure to occupy the site at 1 Church St; the first was constructed in the early 19th Century to house the Sing Sing Baptist Congregation. This congregation was founded in April of 1786 by Captain Elijah Hunter, a Revolutionary War spy who was the founder of the hamlet Hunter’s Landing, an early waterfront settlement located near the current-day train station which grew to later become part of Sing Sing Village. Hunter chose a triangular-shaped site at the center of the Village near the convergence of the Albany Post Road (known today as Highland Avenue or Route 9), Croton Avenue, and Main Street in order to maximize its visibility and emphasize its central importance to Ossining’s religious life. The original First Baptist Church was a place where blacks and whites would worship side by side in a setting that permitted a degree of equality that did not exist elsewhere, a tradition that continued with the construction of the current structure. The original church building was demolished once the size of the congregation grew too large and the present structure was built on the same site. The church was designed by J. Walsh, a Brooklyn-based architect, and was built for a cost of $75,000 in 1874 dollars. (Village of Ossining Significant Sites and Structures Guide page 192.)

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Taken with a Sony RX100 VII

Long Island City

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About a month ago my younger daughter was visiting NY City, so I went in to have lunch with her. She was staying in a friend’s apartment on Long Island City. I remember Long Island City as being mostly factories and warehouses. Things have certainly changed: High rise apartment buildings, lovely parks along the river, nice restaurants etc. Her friend’s apartment certainly had some fantastic views. And only one stop away from Grand Central.

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Taken with a Sony RX100 VII

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery/Old Dutch Burying Ground

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A friend recently loaned me her old camera: an almost 20-year-old Nikon D40. I wanted to see what I could do with such an old, 6-megapixel camera. So, I went for a walk in nearby Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. It was a very pleasant camera to use small, light, pleasant colors, no complicated menus etc. and the results were pretty good.

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Taken with a Nikon D40 and Nikon Nikkor 18-55mm f3.5-5.6