The roof is on! Marilyn Kaplan, renowned preservation architect for Hudson’s Historic Robert Jenkins House, will talk about the restoration project and what’s next
October 16, 2024, Hudson, NY: Since the beginning of 2024, extensive work has been under way to repair and conserve the Historic Robert Jenkins House in Hudson. Roof, parapets, and gutters have all been replaced or repaired. On Saturday, October 26, at 1:30pm, project architect Marilyn Kaplan of Preservation Architecture in Albany will describe the extent of the project, along with plans for additional work over the next year. The event is free and open to the public. Unfortunately, the building is not yet handicap-accessible, although a plan for accessibility is one of the proposed next steps.
The Robert Jenkins House is located at 113 Warren Street on a particularly beautiful and internationally trendy block of the city near Hudson’s waterfront. The historic house is owned by the Hendrick Hudson Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, which maintains it as a DAR chapter house. The restoration project has, to date, completed replacement of the house’s slate roof and extensive masonry repairs. Yet to be completed are updates to its aging infrastructure, restoration of certain windows and exterior doors, and creation of an accessible entry at the rear of the house. Funding assistance is from a Save America’s Treasures grant awarded by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, and also from the HRBT Foundation, the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, and the generosity of chapter members and friends and neighbors.
The house’s grounds are also undergoing repair and conservation. An enormous maple tree growing at the rear of the house at Cherry Alley had a makeover recently thanks to the vision of the chapter’s Conservation Committee and the generosity of a chapter member who funded the work. Heavy and dangerous limbs were removed. Limbs in need of support were cabled to protect against environmental damage such as wind and ice. At the heart of this work is a vision that includes accessibility for members and guests. The backyard is intended to be a focal point for a stairless access as well as a relaxing space for gatherings and teas and for enjoying nature for years to come.
The 1811 house, built by Robert Jenkins, son of Hudson Proprietor Seth Jenkins, is on the National Register of Historic Places as Nationally Significant and is in the Front Street-Parade Hill-Lower Warren Street Historic District. The house is a fine early example of federal-style architecture in the Hudson Valley where Dutch architecture dominated during the 18th century.
Routine business of the Hendrick Hudson Chapter, NSDAR takes place in the house, which also features a museum and a historical and genealogical library. In 1900, the chapter received the house as a gift from DAR member Frances Chester White Hartley, the granddaughter of builder Jenkins. Hartley was born in the house in 1833. In 1900 the house became the site of the city’s first and only free public library, losing that distinction only in 1959 when the Hudson Area Library was established. The historical and genealogical library remains open to the public and still is free of charge.
The house is also arguably Hudson’s museum. In 1900, a broad invitation to contribute to the new museum was issued by the Columbia Republican, which, in a lengthy story about the house, said “donations of books, pictures, relics and curios will be most acceptable, in fact anything of merit which will adorn, beautify or be of use.” The resulting historic collections include artifacts and documents from the whaling and Civil War eras, furnishings, and fine art.
Chapter members say the Historic Robert Jenkins House is truly an “American Treasure,” as evidenced by the Save America’s Treasures grant.
The Hendrick Hudson Chapter of the DAR was chartered in 1896. The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution is a nonprofit, nonpartisan women’s volunteer service organization welcoming eligible women without regard to race, creed, or religion. The Hendrick Hudson Chapter includes 130 members who trace their lineage back to a patriot in the American Revolution–whether serving as soldier, shopkeeper, seamstress, or financial supporter. The mission of the DAR is to promote historic preservation, education, and patriotism.
The chapter and the chapter house can be accessed at hudson-dar.org, facebook.com/HudsonDAR, instagram.com/robertjenkinshouse, hendrickhudsonchapterdar@gmail.com, and (518) 828-9764.
Hendrick Hudson Chapter, NSDAR 