Guilderland
Historical
Society
- Guilderland properties listed in the
National Register of Historic Places - Hayes House
The Hayes House viewed from the northwest (August 2025).
Photos of the Hayes House in the 1972 NRHP nomination document
click on an image to obtain full size view
1. Hayes House viewed from Fairview Avenue (1972?; photos
taken by Sidney Brown)
2. music room, view to
northeast
3. front parlor, view to east
Text information from NRHP nomination of 1972
Hayes House entered on the NRHP 17 January 1973
Located on a residential street in the Village of Altamont adjacent
to the fairgrounds, the Hayes House is a large square two and a half
story frame structure on a stone foundation.
Features: The front (north) facade is three bays wide with an
enclosed porch running the length of the ground floor along the
entire north facade and half of the west facade. The front entrance
is centered on the north facade. On the second floor over the front
door a french window opens onto the L-shaped balcony above the
enclosed porch. Fluted ionic pilasters are located at the corners of
the building, and on the front (north) facade two story columns
support another porch with a balcony on the third floor, sheltering
the central section of the second floor balcony. The building has a
hip roof of slate which terminates in a deck enclosed by a
balustrade. Gabled dormers with paired windows are located on the
third floor on all four facades. There is a projecting cornice with
brackets and a frieze with a band of dentals. A chimney is located
in the center of the building. On the rear (south) facade is a one
story porch and kitchen entrance. The ground floor windows have
stained glass transoms, and the window on the landing of the stairs
is entirely stained glass. Side lights flank the front door which is
inset with an oval pane of glass. The house has a central hall plan
with a double parlor on the west side. The two front rooms are
separated from the central hallway by pairs of oak corinthinian
columns on pedestals. Many interior features remain well preserved.
These include original mantles, parquet floors, many of the original
lighting fixtures and a dumb-waiter in working condition. The house
has been refurnished for public presentation. A tool shed and garage
are located to the rear (south) of the building, and the foundations
of the mill are still visible on the west side of the house.
Date of initial construction: 1910
Statement of significance: The Hayes House in Altamont,
built in 1910, reflects the tastes and ambitions of a progressive
small town miller who was in his day the magnate of the community.
The house is the second one on that site owned by Hayes. The first
was a smaller, frame house which Hayes moved in 1910 to the adjacent
lot to the east where it now stands. Hayes built his mill between
the house and the railroad tracks to facilitate the loading of flour
and grain onto the Delaware and Hudson trains, and he equipped the
mill with the most modern machinery of the day. The success of the
Hayes business had an effect on the economy of the village as it
attracted farmers from the surrounding area into Altamont, thereby
benefitting local merchants. Hayes's prosperity was manifest in 1910
with the construction of a newer and grander residence on the lot
beside his mill. This close proximity between house and mill allowed
Hayes to supervise his business from the side porch and illustrates
an early twentieth century businessman's integration of work and
home life. Only the cement foundations remain of the mill which
burned in the 1960's, however the house, last owned by a niece of
Mr. and Mrs. Hayes, has been virtually unaltered since the time of
its construction. The lavish interior details including stained
glass, elaborate woodwork, and parquet floors have been well
preserved and the house is maintained by the Altamont Fair and open
to the public during the fair week in August.
Hayes House
NRHP nomination document (29MB pdf)
map location from NRHP document (Hayes House)
Google Earth kml
file
Guilderland NRHP properties
Guilderland Historian
Guilderland Historical Society