Oliver Wiswall House
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Oliver Wiswall House | |
 Oliver Wiswall House, Hudson NY 2025 | |
   | |
| Nearest city | Hudson, New York |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°14′47″N 73°48′34″W / 42.24639°N 73.80944°W |
| Area | 29.8 acres (12.1 ha) |
| Built | 1836 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 80002599[1] |
| Added to NRHP | September 4, 1980 |
Oliver Wiswall House is a historic home located at Hudson in Columbia County, New York, United States. It was built about 1836 and is a 2+1⁄2-story, L-shaped brick dwelling with a low pitched hipped roof in the Greek Revival style. The north elevation has porch with four Doric order columns and a dentilled cornice. Also on the property is a garage dated to the 1930s.[2] A substantial rear addition was built in the 1980s to provide modern amenities while preserving the historic front sections.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[1]
The house holds both architectural and historic significance due to both its architecture and its association with local history. It was built by Oliver Wiswall a prominent citizen of Hudson to serve as his family residence on his Mount Merino farm just outside the Hudson city limits in Greenport, New York.
The location of the house provides sweeping views of the Hudson River much prized by the Hudson River school painters.[3] The view from the house encompasses the river, the historic Hudson Athens Lighthouse, the town of Athens, New York (directly across the river to the west) and the Catskill Mountains in the distance. The house is located on Mount Merino Road which was named for merino sheep which were bred on the prominent hill, "Mount Merino," for wool. In 1810-1811 merino sheep were first offered for sale in the area designating the location as "Mount Merino," this was the first mention of this name for the mountain previously called "Rorabuck"[4] The Greenport Conservation Area is land that once formed part of Wiswall's holdings on the mount.
Mount Merino is featured on many Hudson River School Paintings. Sanford R. Gifford painted at least eleven distinct views of Mt. Merino and Henry Ayr painted many views as well. Two examples are shown on this page.
