An Eye-Popping Queen Anne in Kingston Filled With Period Detail, Yours for $329K

Just in time to perk up the house hunt after a snowy winter comes a bright Queen Anne specimen in Kingston, N.Y., that not only sports an eye-catching exterior but a pretty showy interior as well.

Located about 2.5 hours from Brooklyn by car, Kingston remains a magnet for old-house restorers, with fine examples of Victorian architecture, including Greek Revival, Italianate and Romanesque Revival. The town has four historic districts, including the Chestnut Street Historic District, an area largely comprised of mid 19th to early 20th century houses built for the middle and upper-class residents of the growing town.

Just a block or so outside of the district is 102 West Chestnut Street, an intensely pink Queen Anne currently on the market.

The house was built around 1892, perhaps for Frank and Minnie de la Vergne Dewey. Frank was a bank teller with the First National Bank of Rondout and the couple married in 1884. Only the heads of households were listed in the city directory at the time, and Frank is listed as living on Adams and Pierpont Streets in the late 1880s.

By 1892, Frank is living on on Chestnut Street, but it isn’t until 1895 that the residence is identified with the house number 102. Census records for 1900 show Frank and Minnie living in the house along with Mary Dooley, an Irish servant.

Frank and Minnie would have been in familiar company on the street. In 1895, Frank’s boss, Samuel Coykendall, President of the First National Bank of Rondout, moved into a Calvert Vaux-designed mansion just up the street.

The house Frank and Minnie moved into would have been much more modest in comparison but still a pretty detail-rich house by old house fanatic standards.

According to the Friends of Historic Kingston’s walking tour of the area, the house was one of three Queen Anne-style houses built in a row. No architect has been identified.

The slightly quirky paint choice on the exterior may not prepare a viewer for the sheer amount of period unpainted woodwork on the interior. While there have been alternations, there’s still fretwork, a gracious staircase, stained glass, mantels, pocket doors and window and door moldings.

The house has approximately 2,902 square feet spread out over two stories and an attic. The first floor holds a parlor, dining room, kitchen and bathroom.

There’s also a nice little reception room just off the entry, with the bay window making it an appealing spot.

The kitchen has had a fairly cookie cutter re-do, leaving it not quite as swoon-worthy as the rest of the house. So, if you are looking for a project and want to inject a bit more Victorian character into your cooking space here’s a perfect opportunity.

There are four bedrooms upstairs, and the master bedroom is the standout, with a columned and fretwork-ornamented room divider and wainscoting.

The other bedrooms are not quite so detail filled, but still have some window and door moldings. The woodwork is painted here, so perhaps the house can satisfy both ends of the great paint or not paint debate.

Of the two full baths, one is a period piece, with a clawfoot tub, original sink and tiles. There is also a delicate leaded glass window providing some filtered light.

Upstairs is not just any attic, but an unusual wood-encased space that could be a play area, guest room, studio or reading nook.

There’s also plenty of room for storing those off-season clothes or showcasing your quirky collection of Victoriana.

Outside there’s a bit of yard in the back and a driveway for off-street parking. The house isn’t far from the center of town and the other historic districts, including the Stockade District, which includes the original eight-block settlement of the Dutch settlement that became Kingston.

If you are in need of more period details for the house it’s also not far from Zaborski’s Emporium, a 40,000-square-foot salvage shop with a large selection of historic plumbing fixtures.

The house is listed for $329,900 by Hayes Clement of Westwood Metes & Bounds.

Related Stories

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• North of the City, Two Mid-19th Century Houses Charm With an Abundance of Historic Detail
• A Yonkers Colonial Revival With Stunning Hudson River Views, Yours for $1.65 Million

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