1849-50 A House Transformed
Martin Van Buren Nat’l Hist Site
Architect Richard Upjohn’s renovations to Lindenwald in 1849-50 had a tremendous influence on the main house, originally built in 1797 by Judge Peter Van Ness. The red brick was painted yellow and brown and a four-and-a-half story Italianate tower was added to the rectangular Georgian structure to break up the symmetry characteristic of the earlier style. A Gothic Revival front porch with elegant Victorian tracery was added. When the renovations were complete the house was far more fashionable and had many more rooms.
The additional rooms were welcomed since the house was often filled with the President’s family and guests as well as household servants and farm hands. Van Buren had four sons, three daughters-in-law and 11 grandchildren ranging in age from infancy to their 20’s. There were two maids, a cook and a laundress – usually Irish immigrants – employed and living in the house. Friends, politicians, business associates and farm hands came and went and sometimes stayed the night.
Marker is on Old Post Road, on the right when traveling south.
Courtesy hmdb.org
