Upstate

Restore a Historian's 18th Century Dutch Gem in Kinderhook, Yours for $390K

True old house aficionados will be able to look past the listing photos for this 18th century Kinderhook dwelling and see the great bones of the house and the charm of the site, even with its once-grand landscaping a bit overgrown.

exterior of 33 broad street in kinderhook

by Susan De Vries

05/27/2022 0

Known as the Schermerhorn-Pruyn House and tucked away on more than eight acres, but just a stroll from the center of town, the house on the market at 33 Broad Street may also be recognizable to local history buffs as the longtime home of anthropologist and historian Roderic Blackburn and social worker DeGuerre A. Blackburn.

map of kinderhook — The house on a map of 1858. Map by F.W. Beers via Library of Congress

The couple purchased the house in 1967 and, after returning from field work in Kenya, began restoring it. As Blackburn wrote for Early Homes magazine in 2006, while he knew little of early Dutch-American houses at the time, investigation into the house and the restoration project led to a scholarly focus on the period. He authored “Dutch Colonial Homes in America” and co-authored “A Visible Heritage: Columbia County: A History in Art and Architecture” with historian Ruth Piwonka, lectured extensively and served on the boards of local museums and organizations.

Blackburn’s research indicated that the earliest portion of the house dated to the early 1700s when the land was owned by Cornelius Schermerhorn. The simple two-room house was expanded after it was sold to Frans Pruyn by at least 1736, including the addition of a dining room and porch to create an L-shaped house by the Revolutionary period. The house stayed in the Pruyn family until the early 1860s.

exterior of the house — The house in 1986 when it was surveyed for inclusion in the Kinderhook National Register Historic District. Image via NY State Historic Preservation Office

As is the case for many houses of this vintage, the early 19th century brought some modernization, and while the couple left intact a two-story addition from the period, they removed a Federal-era mantel to reveal the original 18th century jambless (open hearth) fireplace. In addition to updates to electrical, plumbing and heating, other work included adding a hand-painted border to the dining room (based on late 18th century examples found in other homes in the area), the insertion of a modern cooking space into the former summer kitchen, enclosing an early porch with glass, bringing the fireplaces back to working order and furnishing the house with period pieces as shown in a 1986 issue of Colonial Homes.

exterior of the pool house — The pool house under construction in 1986. Image via NY State Historic Preservation Office

The surrounding acreage got some attention as well, with the creation of a formal knot garden, visible in its prime in the Early Homes article, and the addition of a pool and classically inspired pool house in the 1980s.

The current listing photos capture the house and grounds in the midst of an estate clean-out but, despite the clutter, some of the original details, including wide planked floorboards, Dutch doors, cabinetry and fireplaces, can be seen. Also visible are views of the 1960s to 1980s additions by the late couple. The hand-painted border still decorates the dining room, the kitchen with its bank of cabinets and tile backsplash doesn’t appear to have changed, and the pool house has murals in keeping with its 1980s origins.

The main house has four bedrooms and 2.5 baths and there is some additional living space in the pool house, which has a kitchen, bath and bedroom. Presumably another update to the electrical, heating and plumbing is in order but for the right buyer the sale could mean an opportunity to own a slice of history.

While the acreage offers a bit of seclusion, the house is about a 10-minute stroll to the center of town, which has gained some new businesses such as the restaurant Morningbird and will soon be joined by a cocktail lounge, art gallery and bookstore all located in the former Kinderhook Knitting Mill. Also within walking distance are the Columbia County Historical Society’s James Vanderpoel House and the Jack Shainman Gallery.

The property is listed with Ronnie M. Rebis of Grist Mill Real Estate for $390,000.