A Brook Runs Through the Basement?

Dr. Richard Hull, author of  Historic Preservation as Sustainable Practice, appeared as a special guest speaker at the Orange County Citizens Foundation on November 1st.  I was in attendance at this event, and found Dr. Hull lecture delightful and filled with interesting personal tidbits about a lifelong admiration of the history of the County in which he was proud to be born and raised.  The video is of him describing his exploration of his new home as a boy, which also happened to be the oldest house in Orange County.  The section of the house that he is referring to is the ivy covered portion of the house pictured to the left.   It is known as the Staat House, and was built in the early 1700's, and remodeled in the 1800's for a growing family.  It has the distinction of being continously occupied for almost 300 years.

Orange County New York is rich in architectural history, and has exanples of architectural styles that range from pre-colonial times to modern designs.  The Orange County Citizens Foundation Exhibit Committee collected photographs, paintings and drawings from artists and owners from all over the county and grouped them by style and dates according to Virginia and Lee McAlesters's field guide to American Houses.  Dr. Hull and I are both on that committee, and we had several refreshing intellectual discussions regarding the architectural classifications of the buidings. But in the end, it was amazing to see all of the paintings and photos together, and it sent me on a trip around Orange County to explore all of the beautiful buildings that I had yet to see....

I'll have plenty to write about for a while.