National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Thomas Cole National Historic Site Catskill, New York Thomas Cole National Historic Site Historic Structure Report Volume I: Parts 1 & 2 October 2019 Figure 1. An undated view of Emily Cole (?) in the West Parlor (103) of the Thomas Cole House. Thomas Cole National Historic Site [hereafter THCO] Archives, Box 5, Folder 5. THOMAS COLE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE THOMAS COLE HOUSE HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT PMIS 216977 VOLUME I PARTS 1 AND 2 JOHN G. WAITE ASSOCIATES, ARCHITECTS 384 BROADWAY, ALBANY, NY 12207 • 64 FULTON STREET, SUITE 402, NEW YORK, NY 10038 The architects thank the staff of the THOMAS COLE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE and the National Park Service representatives from the ROOSEVELT-VANDERBILT NATIONAL HISTORIC SITES and the NORTHEAST REGIONAL OFFICE JOHN G. WAITE ASSOCIATES, ARCHITECTS PLLC 384 BROADWAY, ALBANY, NEW YORK 12207 - 64 FULTON STREET, SUITE 402, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10038 John G. Waite, FAIA Clay S. Palazzo, AIA Douglas G. Bucher Elyse DeRuzzio Chelle M. Jenkins Katherine A. Onufer, AIA Matthew K. Scheidt, AIA Edward A. Sehl MT. IDA PRESS, LTD. 111 WASHINGTON AVE # 306, ALBANY, NY 12210 Diana S. Waite Jane E. Trask KOHLER RONAN, LLC 93 LAKE AVENUE, DANBURY, CT 06810 – 171 MADISON AVE., NEW YORK, NY 10016 Robert V. Hedman, P.E. ARTIFEX, LTD. 2641 N CHARLES ST, BALTIMORE, MD 21218 Matthew J. Mosca HISTORIC DESIGN, INC. ROANOKE, VIRGINIA Jean C. Dunbar CONTENTS VOLUME 1 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ........................................................................................................................vii MANAGEMENT SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................xi ADMINISTRATIVE DATA .....................................................................................................................xviii PART 1 CHRONOLOGY HISTORICAL BACKGROUND & CONTEXT ........................................................................1 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................................23 Exterior ................................................................................................................................................................... 27 Interior ..................................................................................................................................................................... 48 Basement ......................................................................................................................................................... 48 First Floor ........................................................................................................................................................ 76 Second Floor ................................................................................................................................................. 117 Attic ................................................................................................................................................................ 131 CHARACTER-DEFINING FEATURES ......................................................................................................138 Exterior ................................................................................................................................................................. 139 Interior ................................................................................................................................................................... 143 Room-by-Room Charts ....................................................................................................................................... 153 CODE ANALYSIS ..................................................................................................................................153 EXISTING CONDITIONS – PROBLEMS OF REPAIR ...............................................................................157 Exterior .................................................................................................................................................................. 157 Interior .................................................................................................................................................................. 162 Basement ....................................................................................................................................................... 162 First Floor ...................................................................................................................................................... 167 Second Floor ................................................................................................................................................. 173 Attic ................................................................................................................................................................ 178 PART 2 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TREATMENT AND USE .............................................................................180 Treatment Plan ...................................................................................................................................................... 183 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................................................193 THOMAS COLE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE – HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT – VOLUME I v VOLUME II APPENDICES APPENDIX A: MEASURED DRAWINGS, JOHN G. WAITE ASSOCIATES, ARCHITECTS PLLC APPENDIX B: MEP ASSESSMENT REPORT, KOHLER RONAN, LLC APPENDIX C: HISTORIC PAINT FINISHES STUDY, MATTHEW J. MOSCA, ARTIFEX, LTD APPENDIX D: THOMAS THEODORE THOMSON, PROBATE INVENTORY, AUG. 23, 1821 , THOMAS COLE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE ARCHIVES APPENDIX E: INVENTORY OF JOHN ALEXANDER THOMSON’S ESTATE, 1846, THOMAS COLE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE ARCHIVES LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1. An undated view of Emily Cole (?) in the West Parlor (103) of the Thomas Cole House. Thomas Cole National Historic Site [hereafter THCO] Archives, Box 5, Folder 5. ...........................................................................................ii Figure 2. Sketch of Cedar Grove by Frederic Church, 1848. Note the original east chimney and the roof hatch. Frederic Edwin Church, “Cedar Grove, Catskill,” October 1848, graphite on paper, 6¾ x 10¼ in., OL.1980.1413, Collection Olana State Historic Site, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. .....................xx Figure 3. The Thomson and Cole family tree. Information courtesy of THCO, Mt. Ida Press, and familysearch.org. ...........2 Figure 4. Oil painting of Cedar Grove in 1868, by Charles Herbert Moore. The original interior east chimney is clearly seen at the right end of the roof. The west addition on the porch is visible through the trees. The trellis work is in place between the brick piers of the porch. THCO, TC.2000.4. ..............................................................................13 Figure 5. Undated views of the house before the circa 2000-2001 restoration. The shed-roofed appendage north of the porch housed a privy. THCO Archives, scanned collection. ..........................................................................................20 Figure 6. South elevation. JGWA, 2019. ....................................................................................................................................28 Figure 7. Undated photograph of Cedar Grove from the south, in the early twentieth century. The opening for the roof hatch can be seen at the roof ridge, and the ground floor and first-floor west additions are visible behind the southwest porch (left). The dark areas seen in the south facing walls of both additions are doorways. THCO Archives, Box 2, Folder 2. ..............................................................................................................................29 Figure 8. The undated view above and the circa 1905 view to the left show the small, original east interior chimney. In the upper image, the west additions are visible past the south porch. THCO Archives, (upper image) Box 2, Folder 2; (lower image) Charles Van Loan, scanned collection. ...................................................................................30 Figure 9. Two undated historic views of the house from the south. Both images show the west additions. The door to the addition on the first-floor porch is visible just above the porch balustrade. THCO Archives, (upper image) Box 5, Folder 1; (lower image) scanned collection. .....................................................................................................31 Figure 10. An undated view (upper image) and circa 1905 view (lower image) by Charles Van Loan of the south porch, looking east. The upper image shows a wood weather vestibule with a scalloped crest at the main entrance. THCO Archives, (upper image) Box 3, Folder 21; (lower image) Box 6, Folder 5. .................................................32 Figure 11. The Thomas Cole House from the southeast (upper image); the main entrance in the south elevation (center image); and the basement of the south elevation, looking northeast. JGWA, 2019. ...............................................33 Figure 12. The south porch, looking west (upper image); and the west porch, looking north (lower image).