I. SNYDER
The Snyder family properties include the original Jacob Lowe Snyder residence of 1809 and a numiber of other residences and dependencies from this family’s long occupation of the site:
- Minnie Snyder Residence (1886),
- Charles Snyder Residence (1892),
- Andrew Jacob Snyder I Residence (1887; remodeled cl950),
- barn (pre-1892),
- carriage house (1950),
- pig barn (1911)
and minor estate features.
Jacob Lowe Snyder Residence (Snyder Family Homestead; Century House) – [Map 1, 1]
This southward facing building is situated on the hillside at the southern end of the district overlooking NY Route 213. The residence was built by Christopher Snyder and Deborah Lowe Snyder for their son Jacob Lowe Snyder and his wife Catherine Hasbrouck Snyder. The latter were the great grandparents of Andrew J. Snyder II. The building is now known as Century House, due to A.J. Snyder II’s ownership of the Century Cement Company.
The Snyder house was built in 1809 and received significant alterations in c. l940. The earlier section (which features a date stone labeled 1809 on the west side) comprises a stone kitchen wing built into the hillside and a one and one-half story, frame section above. The basement features dutch-type doors, heavy exposed beams, a kitchen fireplace on the west wall and another fireplace on the east wall. The frame section features a center-hall plan under a gable roof, a formal entrance flanked by sidelights and a combination of original (1809) and Colonial Revival (cl940) features and decoration. Despite the cl940 alterations, this house still exhibits the features that characterize the Hudson Valley ethnic Dutch-Germanic dwelling type of the period: frame and stone construction, heavy post-and-beam framing with exposed beams, linear alignment of rooms, and one and one-half story form.
In c1940, Edward Milliken, a prominent Kingston architect, was responsible for alterations to the house; architectural drawings have been preserved that document the extent of these changes. A wide central dormer was added flanked by two small dormers with gable roofs. A one-story stone wing was added to the east end of the house. The rear of the building received several new details such as a porch and Dutch-type door entry. A one-bay-wide shed- roofed front portico supported by Doric columns was also added. During this renovation, the interior plan was changed slightly, new functional spaces were created (such as a new kitchen) and many neo- Federal details were added throughout the interior, including moldings, keystones in doorways and bookcase arches. A vault was added in the basement. A.J. Snyder II lived in this house until his death in 1974, and the house remains virtually intact to that date. All of the c1940 alterations remain in a state of pristine condition and are significant illustrations of Colonial Revival decoration, particularly as seen in contrast with the original features of the building. Today, the house, fully appointed with historic furnishings and Snyder family collections, is a remarkable representation of the property’s long history.
(one contributing building)
Barn – [Map 1, 2]
This large, multi-sectional frame building, located behind the homestead, is composed of two and two and one- half story sections. Probably built before 1892 (as an 1892 Sanborn map shows a barn of these dimensions in this location) by A.J. Snyder I, the barn generally features a gable roof crowned with an octagonal cupola, a large shed-roofed dormer with windows and an intersecting cross gable; there are two-over-two sash windows with shutters throughout. Inside, there is a caretaker’s apartment in the west end, a meeting room containing the Snyder tack and saddle collection and an upstairs apartment. The east end contains a room that houses exhibits, artifacts and sleighs. Archives and personal papers relating to the history of the Rosendale Natural Cement company are stored in an area above the east end. A section of the east end of the barn burned in 1973 and was rebuilt in 1974 in a style to match the original. The reconstruction was the work of Edward Milliken,
(one contributing building)
Carriage House – [Map 1, 3] –
This one and one-half story gable-roofed building was constructed in 1950 for A.J. Snyder II and was designed by Edward Milliken. It is considered non-contributing because it falls outside of the period of significance. It was built into the hillside and constructed of brick on its lower level and wood above; the back wall is of poured concrete. A cupola containing a bell is present on the roof. The building contains three horse stalls on the eastern end, a hay loft and a carriage storage area with more than a dozen of Snyder’s carriages on the west end.
(one non-contributing building)
Minnie Snyder Residence – [Map 1, 4]
This two and one-half storyframe building was built in 1886 (Its construction was recorded inthe Trial Balance Book for 1886.) by A.J. Snyder I for his daughter Minnie Snyder. The house is built into the hillside with the basement entrance at grade at the southeast corner. The first floor has two rooms and a kitchen addition; the second floor has two bedrooms and a bath. At some time in the twentieth century, the house was covered in asbestos siding. (one contributing building)
Charles Snyder Residence – [Map 1, 5]
This Victorian-era building is situated on Route 213 between the ceramic brick house and the Snyder homestead. It was constructed in 1892 (Its construction was recorded in the Trial Balance Book for 1892) by A.J. Snyder I for his son Charles (father of A.J. Snyder II) . The two and one-half story dwelling is of frame construction and is capped by a slate-covered gable roof. The first floor is sheathed in clapboard and the upper story in shingles; there is a circular tower with large glass panes surrounded by stained glass on the upper portion. The house also features a decorative porch with a hipped roof supportedby turned posts on the first story. Windows have louvered shutters that are currently in storage.
(one contributing building)
Andrew Jacob Snyder I Residence (Ceramic Brick House) – [Map 1,6]
This is a two and one-half story dwelling built into a hillside near the southwest corner of the district. The house was built cl887 (Kingston Freeman 9 Sept. 1887) by A.J. Snyder I. Originally, this house featured a mansard roof, double front porches and other period features that generally represented the Second Empire style. In 1950, these features were removed and the house was essentially restyled in the neo-Georgian mode, receiving a steep gable roof, broad center entrance with multi-paned sidelights and elliptical fan, and a palladian type window on the second floor. Today, the house is distinguished by a five-bay center-hall facade, gable roof with dormers and classical embellishment. The most distinctive feature of this building is its material; it is entirely sheathed in polychrome glazed brick. The brick is generally beige with bricks of other colors randomly worked in. The bricks used in the construction of this house were manufactured by Ingham and Sons, Wortley in Leeds, England. The name and address of the manufacturer are stamped in the bricks. Despite its non-historic redesign, this house contributes to the significance of the district because its distinctive method of construction is still intact.
(one contributing building)
Pig Barn – [Map 1, 7] –
Northwest of the carriage house is a small yellow barn built about 1911 for pigs. It has a concrete floor with drains. The interior is divided into three sections with a loft above. The barn is presently used for ducks, geese and storage.
(one contributing building)
Entry Gate – [Map 1, 8] –
A.J. Snyder II was particularly proud of the fact that Rosendale Natural Cement was used in the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. In 1940, an iron gate was installed at the main entrance to the property (on Rte. 213, just west of the canal slip); when closed, this gate forms the outline of the Brooklyn Bridge and the pillars (which are topped with copper light fixtures) resemble the stone towers of the bridge.
(one contributing structure)
J.W, Fiske Iron Works Flag Pole – [Map 1, 10] –
The sixty-foot flagpole is located between the large barn, north of the Tan House Brook and the Snyder homestead,
Three Carriage Stoops – [Map 1, 9] –
There are two carriage stoops to the left and right of the path that leads from the Snyder homestead to the large yellow barn. That to the right has two steps and is marked D.V.W. 1877; that to the left has four steps and is unmarked. The third carriage stoop is located between the barn and the carriage house; it has three steps and is marked A.J. Snyder. All three carriage stoops are placed on mill stones. These features were not counted because of their small size.
Pond and Dam – [Map 1, 37]
A pond and a dam are located near the western boundary of the district, due west of the pig barn.
(one contributing structure)
Upper Dam – [Map 1, 40]
Approximately 3,000 feet upstream on the Tan House Brook there is a small dam that at one time supplied water to the farm buildings behind the Snyder house. The remains of some of the water pipes can be found along the brook. This dam appears to have been built after 1900 (a valve is labeled 1908), possibly by A.J. Snyder II after he purchased the property.
Dam – [Nap 1, 42] –
There is a dam in the vicinity of the Jacob Snyder residence, east of the entrance drive (date unknown, not counted).
Horse Track – [Map 1, 11] –
Southeast of the Century Cement office is a quarter-mile oval horse exercise track. At the southern edge of the track there is a wood frame shed with two horse stalls. There are four large cement pillars, located on the north side of the road leading from the Beach Mine to the Century Cement plant, which mark the location of horses buried there. The horse track, stalls and markers were built between 1950 and 1955 and do not contribute to the significance because they are outside the period of significance.
(one non-contributing structure)