Adolph Brower House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Adolph Brower House
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Front (south) elevation and east profile, 2008
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | New Hamburg, New York |
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| Nearest city | Poughkeepsie |
| Built | ca. 1845 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| MPS | New Hamburg MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 87000114 |
| Added to NRHP | 1987 |
The Adolph Brower House is a historic home in New Hamburg, New York. It stands at the corner of Division and Water streets. This house is very old and important. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
Adolph Brower built the house around 1845. He was from New York City. He owned a lime quarry nearby. The house is made of brick and shows the Greek Revival style. This style was popular a long time ago. The Adolph Brower House and another house nearby are the oldest in New Hamburg. They still look much like they did when they were first built.
Contents
Exploring the House's Design
The Adolph Brower House sits on a large piece of land. It has a swimming pool and another small building. The house faces Division Street, but its official address is Water Street.
The house has two and a half stories. It is made of brick. The roof is made of slate and has a pointed shape called a gable. There are two chimneys. One is on the side, and one is inside.
Front Porch and Windows
The front of the house has a two-story wooden porch. This porch has a low, flat roof. It has square columns, just like the house across the street. These columns have special designs at the top. Another porch on the side has been covered with wood.
The windows on the front of the house have stone sills. They also have fancy decorations above them.
Side Views of the House
On the west side of the house, there is another two-story porch. This porch looks out over the Hudson River. It has been covered with metal siding. The bottom part of the house is made of stone. This stone part goes up to the second floor. There is also a garage here.
A Look Back at History
Maps from the 1800s show a building on this spot. At that time, Ephraim DuBois owned the land. In 1837, Adolph Brower came from New York City. He bought the property. He built the house to watch over his lime quarry and kiln operations. He sold lime to local iron makers, farmers, and builders. Some customers were as far away as New Jersey. They got their lime by river boat.
Later Owners and Changes
In 1870, Albert Tower bought the house. He was in charge of the Poughkeepsie Iron Works. He closed down the lime kilns. He focused only on getting limestone from the quarry. You can still see parts of the quarry behind the house today.
Over the years, New Hamburg's industries changed. The road near the house was closed. The land around the house was also changed. But the house itself has not changed much. Some modern materials have been added. Also, parts of the front porch were rebuilt to look exactly like the original.
Understanding the Greek Revival Style
The Adolph Brower House is a great example of Greek Revival style. This style was inspired by ancient Greek buildings.
Some key features of this house that show the Greek Revival style are:
- The pointed parts of the roof (called gable returns).
- Small, low windows (sometimes called eyebrow windows).
- The large porch with columns.
- The way the inside of the house is laid out, with a hall on one side.
The front entryway is also very detailed. It has glass panels next to the door and above it. The railing on the porch is also very well made. These details show how developed this architectural style was.
