Dr. Sylvester Willard Mansion facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Dr. Sylvester Willard Mansion
|
|
Dr. Sylvester Willard Mansion
|
|
 Location in New York
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 203 W. Genesee St., Auburn, New York |
|---|---|
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1836 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Neoclassical |
| NRHP reference No. | 89001948 |
| Added to NRHP | November 13, 1989 |
The Dr. Sylvester Willard Mansion is a really old and important house in Auburn, New York. It's also known as the Willard-Case Mansion or the Cayuga Museum of History and Art. This amazing building and its smaller buildings have a lot of history to share!
Contents
What Does the Willard Mansion Look Like?
The Willard-Case Mansion is a huge brick house built in the Greek Revival style. This style was popular in the 1800s and looks like ancient Greek temples. It was first built between 1836 and 1843.
Later, in the late 1800s, some Classical Revival parts were added. The house has two stories and a stone base.
Grand Front Entrance
The front of the house has a grand entrance called a portico. It looks like a temple front with a triangular roof (a pediment) and huge, fluted columns. These columns are in the Ionic style, which means they have scroll-like designs at the top.
Inside, you can see a special window made by the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company. This beautiful window was added around 1894–1896.
Outdoor Features
Outside the mansion, there's a fancy cast iron fence from the late 1800s. It has stone pillars that make it look even grander. There's also a detailed wrought iron garden gate with pretty decorations.
Theodore Case and Movie Magic
In 1916, a scientist named Theodore Case bought the Willard Mansion. He was an inventor who loved movies! He turned some of the smaller buildings on the property into his research labs.
From Carriage House to Movie Studio
One old carriage house became an experimental movie studio. Here, Ted Case worked on new ways to make movies. Another building, a former greenhouse, became the Case Research Laboratory.
Inventing Sound for Movies
Ted Case was an American physicist. He is famous for inventing the Movietone optical sound-on-film method. This invention was super important because it allowed movies to have sound! Before this, movies were silent. His work helped create "talkies," which are movies with spoken words and music.
The Willard Mansion Today: A Museum
Today, the Dr. Sylvester Willard Mansion is home to the Cayuga Museum of History and Art. It also houses the Case Research Lab.
What You Can See at the Museum
This museum shares the history of the local area. It also has collections of fine art. A special part of the museum is dedicated to cinema history. It shows off the amazing work done by Theodore Case and his team at the Case Research Laboratory.
The Dr. Sylvester Willard Mansion was recognized as a historic place in 1989. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Gallery
-
Tiffany window.
-
Tiffany window detail.
-
Tiffany window close-up detail.
-
Elaborate cast and wrought iron garden gate.
See also
- Theodore Case
- Theodore Case Sound Test: Gus Visser and His Singing Duck
- Movietone sound system
