Statement of Significance: 204 Church Street (Residence of architect Arnout Cannon)

Prepared by: Design Historian Holly Wahlberg on behalf of City Councilman Chris Petsas Date: September 26, 2014

Criteria: identified with historic personages; embodies the distinguishing characteristics of an architectural style; is the work of a designer whose work has significantly influenced Poughkeepsie’s architectural heritage

204 Church Street was built in 1887 by Poughkeepsie architect Arnout Cannon, Jr. (1839-1898) as Cannon’s personal and office. As the son of a prominent Poughkeepsie builder, Cannon served a four year carpentry apprenticeship starting at age 15 under his father’s training followed by two years of architectural in the office of architect Frederick Diaper. (All four of Cannon’s brothers - Charles, George, William, and Cornelius - became carpenters, and Can- non frequently partnered with his brother Cornelius throughout his career.)

Except for a period of distinguished service in the Union army during the Civil War where he served as Lieutenant Colonel of the 97th United States Colored Infantry, Cannon remained in Poughkeepsie his entire life practicing residential, school, church, and commercial in his native city and throughout the Hudson Valley in places such as Rhinebeck, Red Hook, Highland, New Paltz, Newburgh, Milton, Marlborough, Yonkers, and Beacon. One architect who got his start on Can- non’s staff, Percival Lloyd, went on to design some of Poughkeepsie’s finest .

At the start of his career, Cannon supplemented his architectural practice by acting as a builder. His work as a builder includes some of Poughkeepsie’s most notable landmarks: Vassar Brothers Old Men’s Home (Cunneen-Hackett), Vassar Col- lege Chemistry Laboratory , the John P. Adriance home on Academy Street, and Vassar Brothers Institute. Additional income came from his invention, the “Cannon Patented Dumbwaiter” which was sold throughout the nation. (Cannon’s brother George was also an inventor and patented a dumbwaiter improvement and the “Diamond Point Nail Set.”)

In 1884, Cannon turned exclusively to architectural design. In domestic architecture, Cannon had a full range of capabilities and seemed as comfortable designing elaborate for the wealthy (Rhinebeck’s Wilderstein, the Brinckerhoff at 85 S. Hamilton St. and the Wm. T. Reynolds House - Italian Center on Mill Street) - as he was creating charming diminutive cottages on Carroll, Montgomery and Hooker or larger scale homes on Garfield Place, Balding Avenue, Church Street, and Mill Street.

His commercial architecture included designing or remodeling several of the most significant retail and office buildings in Poughkeepsie including the Elting Building - 292 Main (1891), the M. Shwartz Building 303-307 Main (1891), the Welles- Zimmerman Building 284 Main (1891), and the Sampson Brothers Clothing Store 302-304 Main (1891).

Cannon also designed moderately priced townhomes considered “neat and handsome” in appearance in the “latest style” with “all the modern conveniences.” The brick row Cannon designed on Church Street survives just east of his own home and office. As the chosen commercial architect of retailer Mark Shwartz, it is likely that Cannon designed “Queen Anne Row” on Garden Street, developed in 1890-1891 by Mark Shwartz.

Cannon also maintained a thriving practice as the leading hotel designer in the region. His work included major alterations to the Nelson House, the United States Hotel in Newburgh, the Dibble House in Beacon, and the Mizzentop Hotel in Pawling. His most celebrated work as a hotel designer was the Palatine Hotel in Newburgh which was owned and operated by the Bain family, proprietors of the Nelson House.

Cannon’s large scale 1888 remodeling of Wilderstein in Rhinebeck (where he transformed the Suckley family’s restrained Italianate villa into a fashionable Queen Anne mansion) was a project similar in scope and style to the work performed on what is genreally considered Poughkeepsie’s most well-known and admired house at 85 S. Hamilton Street. We also know that Cannon designed one of Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery’s most impressive mausoleums - the massive Tower family .

At age 56, Cannon sadly developed significant eye trouble and was forced to retire from active designing. Three years later, as his health and eyesight continued to deteriorate, Cannon left his home at 204 Church Street after breakfast one morning and made his way to the Masonic Temple on Cannon Street (purported to be one of his favorite designs) where he shot himself through the heart.

Architectural Significance: From 1885 to 1887, Cannon developed a significant portion of the 200 block of Church Street as a handsome urban row of buildings in the Queen Anne style that would include his own residence and office in the most prominent corner location of the row. Cannon utilized varying textures of scalloped shingles and decorative paneling along with projecting bays and dormers, a turret topped by an ornate iron finial and spindlework detailing to give this house the rich visual texture and interest that distinguish the Queen Anne style.

Drawings of the building were published in the local paper as an advertisement of Cannon’s skill and taste. Images of Can- non and this building were also published in the commemorative 1889 Souvenir Edition of the Poughkeepsie Eagle - indicat- ing the esteemed place Cannon held in the community and the importance of this particular building as a symbol of his professional achievement. The attached but separate office section of the building was removed at an unknown date prior to 1980, leaving the portion of the building that served as the Cannon family home still surviving.

This building was added to the National and State Registers of Historic Places in 1980 as part of “Church Street Row.”

Front North Facade and porch details North and West Facades

1888 Drawing by Cannon Front North Facade details Rear South Facade Charles H. Barnes House 222 Church St.: Designed by Cannon (1890) - inset showing horseshoe

Church Street : Designed by Cannon (1886) 1887 Sanborn Map

Location of 204 Church St.

1895 Sanborn Map

1913 Sanborn Map East Facade

West Facade Arnout Cannon as a young Civil War soldier (right) and later as Poughkeepsie’s leading native born archi- tect (below)

Fallkill Place Brick Row: One of Cannon’s early works, designed in 1872

136 Franklin Street, built by Cannon c. 1873 as the home of celebrated 19th century poet, Wallace Bruce

West Facade

144 Franklin Street, built by Cannon (c. 1873) and where he lived with his wife and 4 children until moving to Church St. in 1887

132 Franklin Street, the Cannon family homestead where Cannon was raised; later the home of James W. Hinkley Advertisements for Cannon’s architectural firm and Patent Dumbwaiter business

In the early part of his career, Cannon was a builder as well as an architect. He was the builder of some of Poughkeep- sie’s most significant landmarks: Vassar Chemistry Laboratory, Vassar Brothers Home for Aged Men (Cunneen-Hackett) and Vassar Brothers Institute. Wilderstein: Rhinebeck (Major redesign by Cannon 1888)

Brinckerhoff House: 85 S. Hamilton Street (major redesign by Cannon 1893) Note similar use of tower, wraparound porch and elaborate trimwork Cannon’s similar porte cochere in both the Brinckerhoff House (above) and Wilderstein (below)

Wilderstein Carriage House designed by Cannon 1888 Phillips House: 18 Barclay Street (designed by Cannon in1891 for the business partner of his brother-in-law who lived next at 16 Barclay) 2 matching cottages designed by Cannon, 1883 7 and 11 Carroll Street 3 matching cottages designed by Cannon, 1884 13, 15, 17 Carroll Street 26 and 28 Carroll Street Designed by Cannon in 1885 and 1886 34 Carroll Street (designed by Cannon, 1893)

Bain House: 55 Montgomery Street (designed by Cannon, 1888) Mrs. Homer Nelson House 310 Mill: Designed by Cannon (1895)

Sutcliffe House 28 S. Clover St: Designed by Cannon (1887) 24 Balding Avenue: Designed by Cannon (1891)

5 Garfield Place: Designed by Cannon (1891) 12 Garfield Place: Major redesign by Cannon (1887)

19 Garfield Place: Designed by Cannon (1887) Wm. T. Reynolds House 227 Mill (Italian Center): Major redesign by Cannon (1880) E.L. Tompkins House in Beacon: Designed by Cannon (1893) Nelson House Addition with tower and bays: Designed by Cannon (1890)

Masonic Temple on Cannon Street: Major redesign by Cannon (1894) Palatine Hotel, Newburgh: Designed by Cannon (1892)

United States Hotel Addition, Newburgh: Designed by Cannon (1893) Akin , Pawling: Designed by Cannon (1894)

Mizzentop Hotel Annex: Designed by Cannon (1886) Elting Building: Designed by Cannon in 1891 M. Shwartz Building 303-307 Main Street; major redesign by Cannon 1891 Garden Street Row (once known as the “Shwartz Block”) developed by Mark Shwartz of M. Shwartz Clothiers (1890- 1891). Probable architect Arnout Cannon who was also working for Mark Shwartz as the designer of Shwartz’s store redesign Baptist Church Parsonage: Major redesign by Cannon (1894) - Demolished 1959 by Baptist Church

228 Church St. designed by Cannon 1886

Destroyed by arsonist 1982

284 Main St. designed by Cannon (1891) - De- molished 2009 by Michael DeCordova 242 Church Street: J.D. Carpenter House designed by Cannon 1881 - Demol- ished 1988 Stockton House 61 S. Clinton Street designed by Cannon 1892: Remuddled in 1957 by Chamber of Commerce’s “Operation ” project Bibliography: Improvement in Washington Street; Eagle 8/13/1872 House on Franklin for Wallace Bruce; Eagle 7/10/1873 A. Cannon Jr. Builder of Vassar Chemistry Lab; Eagle 4/10 and 4/17/1880 William T. Reynolds House Alterations on Mill Street; Eagle 5/22/1880 Cannon Designs Home for Disabled Ministers Church in Rhinebeck; Eagle 12/1/1882 Cannon to Have New in Armory Building; Eagle 3/8/1883 Cannon Ad for Instructing Architectural Students; Eagle 3/27/1883 House on Carroll St. for F.R. Bain; News-Telegraph 12/12/1885 Arnout Cannon’s Block on Church; Eagle 11/2/1886, 11/17/1885 and Courier 11/7/1886, 11/22/1885, 3/7/1886, 10/9/1887; News-Press 11/16/1885 and 11/17/1885 Cannon’s new on Church; Eagle 3/3/1886 Church and Academy Cannon’s new house; News-Telegraph 1/28/1888 and Courier 12/30/1888 Cannon’s New Offices at his new home on Church and Academy; Courier 2/5/1888 New Office and Residence of A. Cannon; Eagle 12/29/1888 Mizzentop Hotel Annex; Eagle 3/14/1886 and News-Telegraph 3/5 and 3/6/1886 and Courier 9/13/1891 Mizzentop Hotel Profile; Eagle 6/13/1886 and 8/19/1886 Arnout Cannon’s Buildings; Eagle 4/24/1887 Cannon Plans Elaborate Overhauling of Suckley Residence; Eagle 6/21/1888; Courier 5/27/1888 House of F.R. Bain on Montgomery; Eage 4/21/1888 and 7/3/1888 New Office and Residence of A. Cannon; News-Telegraph 12/29/1888 Arnout Cannon profile; Eagle Souvenir Edition 1889 Improvements to Palatial Dwelling of Lewis Tompkins Fishkill Landing; News-Telegraph 2/16/1889; Eagle 3/19/1893 Nelson House Alterations; Eagle 2/4/1890 Cannon’s Plans for Beacon Business Block; Eagle 1/27/1890 Charles H. Barnes House on Church by Arnout Cannon; Eagle 11/5/1890; 11/8/1890 M. Shwartz Purchases Cottage Hill; Eagle 4/26/1890 Work Underway on Cottage Hill; Eagle 5/23/1890 Handsome Block on Garden Street; Eagle 6/29/1891 M. Shwartz and Company’s new store by Cannon; Eagle 8/26/1891 Two Cottages on Garfield Place; Eagle 8/7/1891 Welles-Zimmerman Building, 284 Main; Eagle March 1891 Webster Hasbrouck House on Balding Avenue; Eagle 8/7/1891 Elting Building to be to city; Eagle 2/25/1892 S.D. Stockton’s House at 61 Clinton Street; Courier 4/17/1892; Operation Home Improvement Pok Journal 11/17/1957 Magnificent Tower Vault; Evening Enterprise April 27, 1892 and Courier 4/3/1892 Palatine Hotel by Cannon; Eagle 5/17/1892, Eagle 7/11/1892 and Courier 12/18/1892 and Courier 7/17/1892 Alterations to Baptist Parsonage; Eagle 3/13/1893 Plans for Extensive Improvements at Brinckerhoff House; Eagle 3/20/1893; Eagle 6/8/1893 and 7/29/1893 Cannon made Plans for James N. Gifford House on Carroll Street; Eagle 3/20/1893 and 5/15/1893 Poughkeepsie Arson at 228 Church Street; Poughkeepsie Journal 9/8/1982, 4/17/1983 Plans for United States Hotel in Newburgh; Eagle 1/21/1893 and Courier 1/22/1893 Cannon Architect for Akin Hall Library; Eagle 10/23/1894 Walter Scofield Joins Cannon’s Firm; Eagle 1/6/1894 Mrs. Nelson’s New House 310 Mill Street; Courier 8/4/1895 Cannon and Scofield Becomes Cannon and Lloyd; Courier 5/12/1895 National Register Nomination: “Church Street Row” by Townley McElhiney Sharp, August 10, 1980. Arnout Cannon, Sr. Obituary; Courier 9/9/1883; Eagle 9/2/1883 Cornelius L. Cannon Obituary; Eagle 5/30/1915 Mrs. Arnout Cannon, Sr. Obituary; 2/26/1907 Eagle George W. Cannon Obituary; 2/16/1911 Eagle Arnout Cannon, Jr. Obituary; Eagle 4/1/1898 and Courier 4/3/1898 and News-Telegraph 4/2/1898 Cannon Losing Use of his Eyes; Eagle 5/15/1895 George Cannon’s Nail Set Patent; Eagle 2/1/1890 George Cannon’s Window Patent; 12/10/1882 Courier “Arnout Cannon, Sr., Arnout Cannon, Jr., Cornelius Cannon, George Cannon” Biographical and Commemorative Record of Dutchess County, J.H. Beers, 1897.