The Birches (Garrison, New York) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
The Birches
|
|
Front view in 2008
|
|
| Location | Cat Rock Rd., hamlet of Garrison, town of Philipstown, NY |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Peekskill |
| Built | 1882 |
| Architect | Ralph Adams Cram |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| MPS | Hudson Highlands Multiple Resource Area |
| NRHP reference No. | 82001259 |
| Added to NRHP | 1982 |
The Birches is a historic house located in Garrison, New York, a small community in the United States. It was built in 1882 for a very important person named William H. Osborn. He was a famous railroad leader in the 1800s.
The house was designed by a well-known architect, Ralph Adams Cram. He used a style called Gothic Revival, which looks a bit like old castles or churches. The Birches was part of Osborn's larger property, which also included his main home, Wing & Wing, and his amazing summer estate, Castle Rock.
In 1982, The Birches was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's a special building that is important to history. It's located right across the road from the Garrison Grist Mill Historic District, another historic spot.
What Does The Birches Look Like?
The Birches is a unique house with interesting details. The bottom part of the house is made of stone. The upper parts are made of wood and have a special kind of roof called a gambrel roof.
- The front of the house has a section that sticks out. It's covered in shingles and has decorative wooden beams.
- There's also a porch with an open roof that extends from this section.
- The windows and doors on the first floor have rounded tops, which adds to its classic look.
There's also a smaller building on the property. It used to be a carriage house, where horses and carriages were kept. Later, it became a garage for cars. Today, it has two apartments inside.
The Story of The Birches House
The Birches was built in 1882 for William H. Osborn and his family. It became known as the Honeymoon House within the Osborn family.
- William Osborn's sons, William Church Osborn and Fairfield Osborn, both lived here after they got married.
- They stayed at The Birches while their own homes nearby were being built.
- When the family wasn't using it, sometimes their servants lived there.
The Osborn family had thought about giving The Birches to the Town of Philipstown to use as a public library. However, because someone was almost always living in the house, they never followed through with this plan. A library was eventually built nearby, just across Route 403.
The Osborn family finally sold the house in 1976. New owners bought it and made many updates between 2009 and 2012. They were careful to keep many of the original old details that make the house special.
Why The Birches is Special
The design of The Birches by Ralph Adams Cram is quite unique for its time and place. It shows a style called Victorian Gothic. This style was inspired by earlier designs from architects like Calvert Vaux and Frederick Clarke Withers. They built many beautiful Gothic Revival cottages in the Hudson Valley area.
The stone on the lower part of The Birches looks similar to other buildings that the Osborn family owned in Garrison. The house's style also connects it to the famous Castle Rock, which was William H. Osborn's grand summer home. You can even see Castle Rock over The Birches when you look at it from certain angles.
