Astor Home for Children facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Astor Services
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North facade, 2008
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| Location | Rhinebeck, New York |
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| Nearest city | Kingston |
| Area | 18.4 acres (7.4 ha) |
| Built | 1914 |
| Architect | McKim, Mead & White |
| Architectural style | Jacobean Revival |
| MPS | Rhinebeck Town MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 87001098 |
| Added to NRHP | 1987 |
The Astor Home for Children building, now called Astor Services, is located on Mill Street (US 9) in Rhinebeck, New York. It is a place that helps kids with their mental health. They offer support for children who are dealing with tough feelings or emotional challenges. This help is available for kids who live there and for those who visit for appointments.
The organization started in 1904 as Holiday Farm in Rhinecliff. In 1914, a wealthy man named Vincent Astor hired a famous architecture firm, McKim, Mead & White, to design the current building. The organization bought the land and moved in. After Vincent Astor passed away, Catholic Charities took over. The building has been changed and added to over the years. But enough of its original parts remain that it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. This is a list of important historical places in the United States.
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History of Astor Services
Alice Morton, whose father was a former governor and U.S. Vice President, started Holiday Farm in 1902. It was a home for children who were recovering from illnesses. They accepted boys aged six to nine, and girls aged six to fifteen. Children needed a doctor's note to show they were not sick with something that could spread. They were picked up at Grand Central Station in New York City and brought to Rhinebeck. Their train fare, food, and clothes were all free. In 1917, Vincent Astor was the president of the organization.
Ten years later, in 1914, the organization bought the land where the current building stands for just $1. Vincent Astor, a rich resident of the area, hired the famous architects McKim, Mead & White to design the building. At that time, the property had the main home with only its east side, and a small guest house. The guest house might have been used by staff members.
Later, the facility was renamed the John Jacob Astor Home For Convalescent Children. In 1945, Catholic Charities began running the home. Seven years later, in 1952, they decided to change what the home focused on. Instead of just helping kids recover from physical sickness, they started helping children with emotional problems. Two new sections were added to the building in 1954 and 1963 to help with this new mission. Vincent Astor died in 1959.
In 1966, the home opened a place in Rhinebeck where kids could get help without living there. Eight years later, in 1974, it became one of the first mental health places in the country to be officially approved by the Joint Commission. This means it met high standards for care. In 1978, it started running the Head Start Program in Dutchess County. This program helps young children from low-income families get ready for school. The Astor Learning Center, a private school for children with emotional challenges, opened on the grounds in 1980. Because of all these new programs, the name was changed to Astor Services in 2009.
The Astor Services Property
The Astor Home is on a large piece of land, about 18.4 acres. It is next to Route 9 on the east side and a stream called Landsman Kill on the south. The land is gently hilly and mostly covered with trees. Two of the five buildings on the property are considered important to its historical listing. These are the main home and a guest cottage.
Main Building Features
A short circular driveway leads from Route 9 to the main building. The front of the building, facing north, is very impressive. It is a two-story building shaped like an "H" with a steep, pointed roof made of slate. It has many unique features from the Jacobean architecture style. For example, it has tall roof gables and brick chimneys that stick up. The ends of the building also stick out. The doors and windows have fancy stone decorations. The main entrance has a grand porch with four large columns. These columns support a detailed stone carving above them.
At the back of the building, two-story sections extend from the southeast and southwest corners. The east side has a brick and stucco section with decorative brick patterns. There are two more sections on the east side, which were added later and are made of brick and concrete. A small chapel and another wing are attached to these corners. These newer sections are not considered part of the original historical design.
The inside of the building has been changed a lot over the years to fit the needs of the facility. It does not have much of its original layout anymore.
Other Buildings on the Property
Near the west side of the main building are two newer buildings, which are garages. There is also a swimming pool to the south of the main building. These are all too new to be part of the original historical listing.
Several hundred yards south of the main building is the guest cottage. This is the other building considered important to the historical listing. It is a two-story house made of wood siding. It sits on a stone foundation built into a hillside. This means only one story can be seen from the north side. Its roof has wide overhangs. A two-level porch runs along the entire south side of the house.
