Hyde Hall facts for kids
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Hyde Hall
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | Springfield Center, New York |
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| Built | 1817-1834 |
| Architect | Philip Hooker |
| Architectural style | Country Mansion |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000555 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 7, 1971 |
| Designated NHL | June 24, 1986 |
Hyde Hall is a beautiful old country mansion in Springfield Center, New York. It was designed by a famous architect named Philip Hooker for a rich landowner, George Clarke. The house was built a long time ago, between 1817 and 1834. It mixes English and American building styles. Hyde Hall is considered a very important historical building because of its unique architecture and how well its original plans and records have been kept. It's one of the few buildings still standing that Philip Hooker designed.
History of Hyde Hall
The George Clarke who had Hyde Hall built was the great-grandson of another important person also named George Clarke. This older George Clarke worked in the government of the New York colony in the early 1700s. He even served as acting governor for a while. The Clarke family originally came from a place called Hyde in England.
The younger George Clarke inherited a lot of money and land in New York from his great-grandfather. He moved to Albany in 1806. For a long time, people argued about who truly owned much of the land he inherited. However, George Clarke won his case in court in 1815, and the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed his ownership in 1818.
In 1813, Clarke married Ann Low Cary Cooper. She was from a very important New York family and was the widow of James Fenimore Cooper's older brother. In 1817, George Clarke bought land next to his wife's estate on Lake Otsego. He then hired Philip Hooker to design a country house for him. The building project grew bigger over time, especially after Clarke inherited even more money from his father in 1824.
Hyde Hall's Architecture and Design
The way Hyde Hall looks shows how it grew over the 14 years it was being built. It has several sections, or "wings," that face a central courtyard.
The first part built was called the Stone House. This section held the family rooms. It has a classic Palladian style, which means it has a main two-story part with a sloped roof, and smaller one-story wings on each side. It also has a porch. The details include Tuscan columns on the porch and special oval windows. The walls are made of smooth ashlar limestone. The rooms inside are cozy and include two library-living rooms.
The second part of the house was larger than the Stone House. It had rooms for servants and service areas, plus bedrooms upstairs. This section is simpler in design and its outside walls are made of fieldstone.
The third and final part built was called the Great House. This section has a neo-Classical style, which is different from the Palladian style of the Stone House. It uses straight lines and avoids curved shapes for doors, windows, and decorations. It was one of the first buildings in New York to use Doric columns, which are tall, simple columns. Like the second section, its walls are made of large, plain ashlar blocks. The Great House has two big rooms for entertaining guests: a drawing room and a dining room. Both are very large, about 34 by 26 feet and 19 feet high. Their ceilings are beautifully decorated. Upstairs, there's a smaller room, reached by a curved staircase, that was used as a billiard room.
Hyde Hall Today
Hyde Hall is located in New York, inside Glimmerglass State Park. It sits on Otsego Lake at the bottom of Mount Wellington. Also on the property is the Hyde Hall Bridge, a covered bridge that was built at the same time as the mansion.
Today, Hyde Hall is a New York State Historic Site called Hyde Hall State Historic Site. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 1986, recognizing its importance to the country's history. You can call (607) 547-5098 to book a tour of the mansion and see it for yourself!
See also
