Guilderland
Historical
Society
- Guilderland properties listed in the
National Register of Historic Places - John Schoolcraft House
The John Schoolcraft House front elevation viewed from the
southeast (August 2025).
Photos of the John Schoolcraft House in the 1982 NRHP nomination
document (1 marked April 1979; 2-4 May 1980)
click on an image to obtain full size view
1. John Schoolcraft House viewed from
southeast
2. detail of
gable end on southern elevation
3. detail of front
door
4. detail of pinnacle with crockets
Text information from NRHP nomination of 1982
John Schoolcraft House entered on the NRHP 10 November 1982
Application file # 6; National Register Guilderland Multiple
Resource Area # 13.
The house is located on a corner lot of Western Avenue at
Schoolcraft Street. The Hamilton Union Presbyterian Church is
located to the east of the house and commercial properties are
situated on the west side.
Features: Outstanding example of the Gothic Revival style
with gingerbread vergeboards, pinnacles with crockets, casement
windows with diamond panes and cased with hood moldings, bay windows
with tracery, paneled chimneys, balustrade with low-relief tracery,
and horizontal beaded siding. (The chimney crowns were removed not
long before 1980).
Date of initial construction: ca. 1835.
Historical and Architectural importance: The house is
believed to have been built for John Schoolcraft in 1835. The
Schoolcraft family was instrumental in developing the glass industry
in Guilderland. John Schoolcraft was *[uncle] to the famous Henry
Rowe Schoolcraft, a writer, scientist, and businessman. The house
has been divided into apartments#, but remains one of the
finest examples of Gothic Revival style homes in Albany County.
Surviving near a modern suburban environment, the Schoolcraft House
stands out as a remarkable structure of great architectural
significance. Its Gothic embellishments include crockets, lancet
windows with tracery, label-molded lintels, battlements, and ornate
bargeboards, all of which contribute to its romantic appearance.
Unusual in this region at the time of its construction, the
Schoolcraft House is a rare example of its type and period in the
Town of Guilderland.
[*HRS was the uncle of the John Schoolcraft of
this house, not the other way round]
[#The house is now owned by the Town
of Guilderland, and recently has been extensively restored]
John
Schoolcraft House NRHP nomination document (11MB pdf)
map location from NRHP document (#6 John Schoolcraft
House) site map with building locations from 1979 tax
map
Google Earth kml file
Guilderland NRHP properties
Guilderland Historian
Guilderland Historical Society