Balding Avenue Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Balding Avenue Historic District
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Houses on west side of street, 2008
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | Poughkeepsie, New York |
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| Area | 4 acres (1.6 ha) |
| Built | 1872–1905 |
| Architect | Percival M. Lloyd |
| Architectural style | Various Victorian styles |
| MPS | Poughkeepsie MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 82001120 |
| Added to NRHP | 1982 |
The Balding Avenue Historic District is a special area in Poughkeepsie, New York. It's located along Balding Avenue, between Mansion and Marshall streets. This four-acre (1.6 ha) area is home to 27 houses. Most of these homes were built a long time ago, in the late 1800s.
Unlike some other old neighborhoods in the city, Balding Avenue was a place where middle-class families lived. The houses still show this history. Because of its unique character, the district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. This means it's recognized as an important historical site.
Contents
Exploring Balding Avenue's Homes
Where is the District?
The Balding Avenue Historic District covers Balding Avenue itself. It stretches from Mansion Street in the south to Marshall Street in the north. It also includes the land around every house on this part of Balding Avenue.
The southern end of the district is close to downtown Poughkeepsie. You can find other historic buildings nearby. For example, the old Poughkeepsie post office is just around the corner. The offices of the Poughkeepsie Journal newspaper are also across Mansion Street. This part of Balding Avenue is very pretty, with big trees shading the street.
What Do the Houses Look Like?
The houses in the district are quite similar in design. They are usually two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half stories tall. All of them have clapboard siding, which means they have overlapping wooden boards on the outside.
You can see different Victorian-era building styles here. These include the fancy Second Empire style and the charming Queen Anne style. For example, four houses in a row (from 6-12 Balding) are built in the Hudson River bracketed style.
Middle-Class Charm
These homes have some decorations, but they are not overly fancy. This is a key difference from other historic districts in Poughkeepsie. Some districts feature homes of very wealthy families. Others show homes of working-class people. Balding Avenue is special because it represents a middle-class neighborhood. The simpler decorations on the houses reflect this.
There is only one house, at 1 Balding, that isn't considered part of the historic district. It was built in 1924, much later than the other houses. This means it doesn't fit the historical time period of the rest of the neighborhood.
A Look Back: History of Balding Avenue
How the Street Began
Maps from 1867 show Balding Avenue as a street that was still being planned. It must have been built soon after this map was made. The very first houses on the street, at 14 and 27 Balding, were built in 1872. These homes were in the Second Empire style.
Six more houses were built during the rest of the 1870s, mostly in the middle of the block.
Building Boom and Local Architect
Most of the houses in the district were built during the 1880s and 1890s. A local architect named Percival M. Lloyd designed one of the houses, 32 Balding, in 1896. This house has classic details. It's the only house on the street where we know who the architect was!
In the early 1900s, the last two houses, 4 and 11 Balding, were completed. The final corner lot at Mansion Street, 1 Balding, was built in 1924. Since then, there haven't been any major new buildings or big changes to the houses. This helps keep the historic feel of the neighborhood alive.
