Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout20211080 Smiley-Brackett Landmark Application f FOR OFFICE USE1 ""HANDWRITTEN APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED** .,01-01;.1 S� (Application#) 'r CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS 1 J �_ r CITY COUNCIL iT CITY HALL-474 BROADWAY (Date received) � SARATOGA SPRINGS, NEW YORK 12866-2296 it-br[AaRnSEU '4' TEL: 518-587-3550 X2533 www.saratoga-springs.org (Project Title) PETITION FOR: ZONING AMENDMENT Check if PH Required ❑ Staff Review 1. Name of Petitioner: Adam Favro,President,Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation 2. Type of Amendment (Map or Text): ❑ Map Amendment: Site Location: Smiley-Brackett Cottage,166 Excelsior Avenue Tax Parcel #: 166:1-15.2 Current Zoning: UR-1 Proposed Zoning: No change Reason for amendment: To designate the property as a City Landmark,without changing the zoning. ❑� Text Amendment: Section to be amended: 7.4.18 City Landmarks and historic Districts Proposed wording of text amendment (attach additional sheets if necessary): 7.4.18 A.9"Smiley-Brackett Cottage",166 Excelsior Avenue,Tax Map ID 166.-1-15.2 Reason for amendment:To add this property which is eligible for listing on the State and National Registers of Historic Pieces to the list of City Landmarks in the Zoning Ordinance. The cottage is a unique and intact example of Gothic Revival architecture. Sarah Smiley was a nationally known Quaker Preacheress and supporter of the Temperance movement. Charles Brackett was a son of Saratoga Springs and an Academy Award winning screenwriter,producer and novelist. 3. Professional Representing Applicant (if any): Name: Phone: Address: Email: Identify primary contact person: o Applicant 0 Owner 0 Agent 4. Does any City officer, employee or family member thereof have a financial interest (as defined by General Municipal Law Section 809) in this application? YES NO xxx . IF YES, a statement disclosing the name, residence, nature and extent of this interest must be filed with this application. Please check the following to affirm information is included with submission. City of Saratoga Springs p.1 of 2 Revised 1/2021 Application for Zoning Amendment © Environmental Assessment Form -All petitions must include a completed SEQR Short or Long Form. SEQR forms can be completed at http:l/www.dec.ny.gov/permits/6191.html. ®APPLICATION FEE (NON-REFUNDABLE)**: Make checks payable to the "Commissioner of Finance". **Refer to the current Fee Schedule for the Planning Department published on the city's website. El Submit 10 copies, and one electronic copy (PDF) of complete petition and all attachments. ❑Location map (Map Amendment): Submit (4) large scale 24" x 36", and (10) 11"x17" copies. All completed petitions are to be submitted to the Office of the Mayor for consideration. I, the undersigned owner or purchaser under contract for the property, hereby request zoning amendment approval by the City Council for the above petition. I agree to meet all requirements under Section 240-10.0 of the Zoning Ordinance for the City of Saratoga Springs. Furthermore, I hereby authorize members of the City Council, Planning Board and designated City staff to enter the property associated with this petition for purposes of conducting any necessary site inspections relating to this petition. ,�/ Applicant Signature: 1 0128/2 02 1 Name: Adam Favro,President,Saratoga Springs Preservatio oundation Phone:518 587 5030 Address: 112 Spring Street,Suite 203 E-mail:adam@tpcwellness.com Saratoga Springs,New York 12866 If applicant is not currently the owner, th owner mus OwnetSign re: ETr77o e: , 4 Date: /0/.�, aA Print Name: ASPM N. FAV R 0 City of Saratoga Springs p.2 or 2 Application for Zoning Amendment Short Environmental Assessment Form Part 1 -Project Information Instructions for Completing Part 1—Project Information. The applicant or project sponsor is responsible for the completion of Part L Responses become part of the application for approval or funding,are subject to public review,and may be subject to further verification. Complete Part 1 based on information currently available. If additional research or investigation would be needed to fully respond to any item,please answer as thoroughly as possible based on current information. Complete all items in Part 1.You may also provide any additional information which you believe will be needed by or useful to the lead agency;attach additional pages as necessary to supplement any item. Part 1—Project and Sponsor Information City Landmark Designation--Adam Favro,President,Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation Name of Action or Project: Designate the"Smiley-Brackett Cottage"a City Landmark Project Location(describe,and attach a location map): 166 Excelsior Avenue,Saratoga Springs,New York 12866 Brief Description of Proposed Action: Amendment to Article 7.4.18.A of the Zoning Ordinance to add the Smiley-Brackett Cottage at 166 Excelsior Avenue,Tax Parcel#166.-1-15.2 to the list of City Landmarks. The property is eligible for listing on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. It is a unique and intact example of Gothic Revival architecture. Sarah Smiley was a nationally known Quaker Preacheress and supporter of the Temperance movement.Charles Brackett was a son of Saratoga Springs and an Academy Award winning screenwriter,producer and novelist. Name of Applicant or Sponsor: Telephone: 518 587 5030 Adam Favro,President,Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation E-Mail: edam@tpcwellness.com Address: 112 Spring Street,Suite 203 City/PO: State: Zip Code: Saratoga Springs New York 12866 1. Does the proposed action only involve the legislative adoption of a plan,local law,ordinance, NO YES administrative rule,or regulation? If Yes,attach a narrative description of the intent of the proposed action and the environmental resources that ❑ n may be affected in the municipality and proceed to Part 2. If no,continue to question 2. t• 2. Does the proposed action require a permit,approval or funding from any other government Agency? NO YES If Yes,list agency(s)name and permit or approval: ❑ 3. a.Total acreage of the site of the proposed action? acres b.Total acreage to be physically disturbed? acres c.Total acreage(project site and any contiguous properties)owned or controlled by the applicant or project sponsor? acres 4. Check all land uses that occur on,are adjoining or near the proposed action: ❑Urban ❑ Rural(non-agriculture) ❑ Industrial 0 Commercial El Residential (suburban) Forest ❑ Agriculture ❑ Aquatic ❑ Other(Specify): ❑Parkland Page 1 of 3 SEAF 2019 5. Is the proposed action, NO YES NIA a. A permitted use under the zoning regulations? ❑ ❑ ❑ b. Consistent with the adopted comprehensive plan? ❑ ❑ ❑ NO YES 6. Is the proposed action consistent with the predominant character of the existing built or natural landscape? ❑ ❑ 7. Is the site of the proposed action located in,or does it adjoin,a state listed Critical Environmental Area? NO YES If Yes,identify: ❑ NO YES 8. a. Will the proposed action result in a substantial increase in traffic above present levels? ❑ ❑' b. Are public transportation services available at or near the site of the proposed action? ❑ ❑ c. Are any pedestrian accommodations or bicycle routes available on or near the site of the proposed ❑ ❑ action? 9. Does the proposed action meet or exceed the state energy code requirements? NO YES If the proposed action will exceed requirements,describe design features and technologies: ❑ ❑ 10. Will the proposed action connect to an existing public/private water supply? NO YES If No,describe method for providing potable water: ❑ ❑ 11. Will the proposed action connect to existing wastewater utilities? NO YES If No,describe method for providing wastewater treatment: ❑ ❑ 12. a.Does the project site contain,or is it substantially contiguous to,a building,archaeological site,or district NO YES which is listed on the National or State Register of Historic Places,or that has been determined by the ❑ El of the NYS Office of Parks,Recreation and Historic Preservation to be eligible for listing on the State Register of Historic Places? b.Is the project site,or any portion of it,located in or adjacent to an area designated as sensitive for ❑ ❑ archaeological sites on the NY State Historic Preservation Office(SHPO)archaeological site inventory? 13. a. Does any portion of the site of the proposed action,or lands adjoining the proposed action,contain NO YES wetlands or other waterbodies regulated by a federal,state or local agency? ❑ ❑ b.Would the proposed action physically alter,or encroach into,any existing wetland or waterbody? ❑ ❑ If Yes,identify the wetland or waterbody and extent of alterations in square feet or acres: Page 2 of 3 14. Identify the typical habitat types that occur on,or are likely to be found on the project site.Check all that apply: ❑Shoreline ❑ Forest ❑Agricultural/grasslands 0 Early mid-successional ©Wetland ❑ Urban ❑ Suburban 15. Does the site of the proposed action contain any species of animal,or associated habitats,listed by the State or NO YES Federal government as threatened or endangered? ❑ ❑ 16. Is the project site located in the 100-year flood plan? NO YES ❑ ❑ 17. Will the proposed action create storm water discharge,either from point or non-point sources? NO YES If Yes, El ❑ a. Will storm water discharges flow to adjacent properties? ❑ b. Will storm water discharges be directed to established conveyance systems(runoff and storm drains)? ri ❑ If Yes,briefly describe: 18. Does the proposed action include construction or other activities that would result in the impoundment of water NO YES or other liquids(e.g.,retention pond,waste lagoon,dam)? If Yes,explain the purpose and size of the impoundment: ❑ ❑ 19, Has the site of the proposed action or an adjoining property been the location of an active or closed solid waste NO YES management facility? If Yes,describe: ❑ ❑ 20.Has the site of the proposed action or an adjoining property been the subject of remediation(ongoing or NO YES completed)for hazardous waste? If Yes,describe: ❑ I CERTIFY THAT THE INFORMATION PROVIDED ABOVE IS TRUE AND ACCURATE TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE Adam FFavro,President,Saratoga Springs Presevation Foundation Date. 10128/2021 Applicant/sponsor/name: Signature:.",'7,00* Title: see above PRINT FORM Page 3 of 3 11,531,,%nil , _ Ix mg Wry as 4.1111010, ,---- All litj!.4 0 -:,-• 'N ÷ tP,0 :. !,,° isi W.gligt, ---- U k 1101111111, -.. il!‘4,_ . , to 1.000. or 1/161111 Oil _ 9 ' 166 00 - - _-_ ® I� .,_ libIN\\\\1116AllE4( " ty -, --t--- \ t - `L.' /__ 1_r- ` 16000 179,00 111 J / --:-'----"t'_:----.7- :'--'Ll21:d 1 -- -- _ iA .mom... ? Ear._ : �Gott'OF.S�MT�OA SPRINGS OD The Amendment to the Zoning Ordinance will add the Smiley-Brackett Cottage at 166 Excelsior Avenue, Tax Parcel # 166.-1-15.2 to the list of City Landmarks in the Zoning Ordinance. The cottage is a unique and intact example of Gothic Revival Cottage architecture. Sarah Smiley was a nationally known Quaker Preacheress and supporter of the Temperance movement. Charles Brackett was a son of Saratoga Springs and an Academy Award winning screenwriter, producer and novelist. • The addition of the Smiley-Brackett Cottage will support the Zoning Ordinance's intent to "protect and enhance the landmarks and historic districts which represent distinctive elements of the City's historic, architectural and cultural heritage" by making the Cottage subject to the City's Historic Review Ordinance. • The action will not result in any change in the use or intensity of use of land. • The action will assist in retaining the character of the existing community. • The action will have no impact on a Critical Environmental Area. • The action will have no impact on traffic or transportation infrastructure. • The action will have no impact on the use of energy or energy conservation opportunities. • The action will have no impact on water supplies or treatment facilities. • The action will enhance, not impair, the quality of this important architectural and historic resource by providing protection to the property under the City's Historic Review Ordinance. • The action will not impact natural resources. • The action will not result in an increase in erosion, flooding or drainage problems. • The action will not create a hazard to environmental resources or human health. The Smiley / Brackett Cottage 166 Excelsior Avenue 7- .. s4"--- 3.- h 4 re ,. -.IAi namalt _ F — � '. , - l E Excelsior Park and Springs - 1895 e ailli ;- U WGCCLAWI 1 `y OVAL O \ �Ii ..._\ '10.4t,")---: � " A}� SAgATOLA —11111 't « AT L6T9C�,a p sy�� ;,�h�x �)?i.: -- 41' , �! .Wei-Me IST .40151".- .1,..li1111%' ...' ' i aR„ _ �llyi\0 44111 '�- 11 .3M.4ai fi,___•', ,4:si—a,,,,,,, ,,,..... • is ..., .. .......„_, , • .• „,u, •,,, •_. _ _ ,. •,4-•••:.A ,,, , .111. ...------r 0-0 A.IltIiii i /1+� 1 '�'' al l F..r - X ,...,-- ril - 1i. 1 1., , !... -- � a . ,, ok, , \ • 'Mit IA 3_4 I i ,. ti, t�}4�lnniiliinuu► sem 11;',1'..: • : ;$1:f 1 ali gue i 1: Kowa �,� •+ F� souzleso 10140,. r.: G . :.�Hiy�nlrr..fNne:�hYTr.,,, ieb14"444Y4re,,n. .df.",, r.z..clCc.Tear„�7T.xfew C Photos of Excelsior Park _ � '`)�vtu ig;.t 1 'S v', j ? .R 111" ..� xe a .: r '_ E d• - ! n e �� I o �ii From 1901 Brochure Henry Lawrence House Today Excelsior Park — 1873 Print 1 i h • pp ,.,E ,--:-...=' --. .010t,. - .- --, .,....,ii-<.--, , „if.-.--,-----?:- . -...?., -p j 5.�., syy �' ce y LL, G ; 1 .11.!' y At a r r,P'"± .,t "r„ y y x e ,b9 1d. Fran engraving by P.R.R.Pearson,t873 Excelsior Spring. Ivcared in Excelsior Park The Gothic Revival Cottage DEBIQN VII • In October 1872 Sarah F.Smiley purchased a 60 x 120-foot lots from Henry Lawrence in Excelsior Park and built a Gothic v Jr Revival Cottage. �a1 • A note in the September 19,1872 Saratogian said that Miss Smiley had begun construction of a cottage and that the land was a '"'� gift from Mr.Lawrence. ;17" i +- 111�`' 0% • The Gothic Revival style was popularized by Andrew Jackson Downing in The Architecture of Country Houses published in 1842. Many of the designs in the book were supplied by architect Flg. Alexander Jackson Davis. Although the architect is unknown, Miss Smiley's cottage is like one in Downing's book. luck • The Gothic Revival style is characterized by: 16XI7 • Steeply pitched roofs with cross gables • One-story entry with pointed arches /6n Ls 16e1e. • Decorative verge boards • Arched windows with a gothic shape 1 I 4INICIPAL 1a.2B oa From:A.J.Downing's The Architecture of Country Houses Sarah Francis Smiley 1830 - 1917 • Born 1830 in Vassalborough,Maine. Daughter of the Principal of the Friends Female College in Providence,Rhode Island. • A well-known Quaker family,Miss Smiley's father and brothers founded Mohonk Mountain House in the Catskills in 1870. ,�r ''\ • After the Civil War she became a missionary to emancipated 4: �� slaves in the south and helped build schools. tr -.• ."-41 • In 1868-69 she traveled to England where she was honored by the British Yearly Meeting of Orthodox Friends. Developed a reputation for preaching and spoke before 't , congregations of several denominations and published her second ';� 4 book in 1871: Christian Work and Christion Service;An Address �� " 3 t3°" • In 1872 she preached before a mixed audience of men and women 4. �i at the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn,New �` York. According to Harper's Weekly, Miss Smiley and the Rev. Theodore L.Cuyler were roundly criticized by the Presbytery who -- noted:To teach and to exhort, or to lead in prayer in public and promiscuous assemblies is clearly forbidden to women in the Holy Oracles. < • Miss Smileycontinued topreach around the countryand was V � .��� active in the Women's Christian Temperance Movement. • Upon her death in 1917,the cottage was left to The Society for the 1d188 a°"""II,.a wvr."�"K.,..'"=:,%=". Home Study of Holy Scripture and Church History,a group she �NRON�PxmOocem nr Zit founded to promote religious study by mail. Charles W. Brackett 1892 - 1969 • In January 1921,Charles W.Brackett purchased the cottage from the Society for the Home Study of Scripture and Church History, which he had rented since 1919. He had previously purchased % — extensive property along Excelsior Avenue surrounding the ► cottage in June 1920. • • Mr.Brackett went on to build the two Gothic Revival buildings on f_ `' either side of the original cottage,as well as out buildings. • Born in 1892,Mr.Brackett was the son of prominent State Senator ,� 1 Edgar T.Brackett. Educated at Williams College and Harvard Law School. He wrote several novels and became the New ? Yorker's drama critic in 1926. • A Hollywood producer and screen writer,he collaborated �`' frequently with the director Billy Wilder.Their The Lost Weekend won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Screen Play. He won Academy Awards for Best Screen Play for Sunset Boulevard and Titanic,and a Lifetime Achievement award in 1957. • In December 1968,just prior to his death in March 1969,he sold the property to Daniel M.Jewett,Jr.and his wife Joy. In 1976 they in turn sold it to Daniel M.Jewett,Jr.and his wife Michiko. Smiley Brackett Cottage circa 1990 • z: • , iii te, a wE g a G � � H` a � o n New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Historic Preservation Field Services Bureau a NEWYOAKSTATE Peebles Island, PO Box 189, Waterford, New York 12188-0189 518-237-8643 Bernadette Castro Commissioner May 23, 2006 Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation P.O. Box 442 Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 ATTN: Carrie'v'Voerner, Executive Director re: National Register inquiry Gothic Revival Cottage Saratoga Springs, Saratoga Co. Dear Ms. Woerner: Thank you for contacting the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) regarding the property noted above. We have evaluated the documentation you provided relative to the Gothic Revival cottage located at 166 Excelsior Avenue. Based upon available information, it is the opinion of the SHPO that the cottage property meets the criteria for listing in the State and National Registers of Historic Places. Enclosed please find our resource evaluation summary for the property in question. Your letter request of May 15 was accompanied by draft documentation in support of a National Register nomination for the Gothic Revival cottage. As you are aware from our discussion, our office requires that a signed statement of owner support be received before a nomination proposal is scheduled for formal review by the State Board for Historic Preservation. We hope that your organization will be successful in obtaining the property owner's consent to State and National Register listing. In the interim, we will retain the documentation submitted for this property for further review and processing once the necessary owner consent is received. We hope that the enclosed eligibility determination is sufficient for your immediate purposes. Please call me at 237-8543 ext. 3260 if you have any questions. Sincerely, Raymond W. Smith Program Analyst encl. An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Agency �d prrnfed on recycled paper RESOURCE EVALUATION PROPERTY: Frame Gothic Revival Cottage MCD: Saratoga Springs DATE: 22 May 06 STAFF: RWS ADDRESS: 166 Excelsior Ave COUNTY: Saratoga USN: 09140.001475 W.yMne.r.W "� W fie Iu'1.,0,11 I. ❑ Property is individually listed on SR/NR: name of listing: ❑ Property is a contributing component of a SR/NR district: name of district: II. X Property meets eligibility criteria. ❑ Property contributes to a district that appears to meet eligibility criteria. Pre SRB: ❑ Post SRB: ❑ SRB date Criteria for Inclusion in the National Register: A. ❑ Associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; B. ❑ Associated with the lives of persons significant in our past; C. X Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period or method of construction; or represents the work of a master; or possess high artistic values; or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction; D. ❑ Have yielded, or may be likely to yield information important in prehistory or history. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The building at 166 Excelsior Ave is architecturally significant as a rare and substantially intact example of frame, Gothic Revival style cottage architecture in the city of Saratoga Springs, Constructed in 1872, the 1 a/2 story, clapboard sheathed residence incorporates many of the design and decorative elements espoused by Andrew Jackson Downing as set forth in his influential pattern book, The Architecture of Country Houses, first published in 1844. The cottage was one of the first private residences built in the proposed Excelsior Park, and is the earliest extant building remaining from this ultimately unsuccessful venture. Exhibiting Gothic Revival form and embellishments illustrated in Downing, the cottage is a distinguished (although late) example of its type, period and method of construction and a rare building type in Saratoga Springs. Flanked by a pair of later dependencies exhibiting compatible architectural form and details, the cottage remains an important example of Gothic Revival residential architecture clearly inspired by a specific pattern book design. First occupied by Quaker educator and preacher Sarah F. Smiley and later by writer Charles W. Brackett, the cottage at 166 Excelsior Avenue derives additional significance as the seasonal residence of individuals prominent in the history of this spa community. If you have any questions concerning this Determination of Eligibility, please call Raymond W. Smith at (518) 237- 8643, ext. 3260. oa..L_ Uy , N W rorx NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Rev. Aug. 2002) {Expires 1-31-2009) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES REGISTRATION FORM This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (National Register Bulletin 16A) . Complete each item by marking "x" in the appropriate box or by entering the information requested. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable. " For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. Place additional entries and narrative items on continuation sheets (NPS Form 10-900a) . Use a typewriter, word processor, or computer, to complete all items. 1. Name of Property historic name _Smiley, Sarah and Brackett, Charles, Cottage other names/site number 2. Location street & number _166 Excelsior Avenue not for publication city or town _Saratoga Springs vicinity state New York code county _Saratoga_ etade zip code 12866 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this nomination request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register Criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant _ nationally statewide locally. ( See continuation sheet for additional comments.) Signature of certifying official Date State or Federal Agency or Tribal government In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register criteria. ( See continuation sheet for additional comments.) Signature of commenting official/Title Date State or Federal agency and bureau 4. National Park Service Certification _.mak I, hereby certify that this property is: entered in the National Register _ See continuation sheet. determined eligible for the National Register See continuation sheet. determined not eligible for the National Register removed from the National Register other (explain) : Signature of Keeper Date of Action 1 of 6 Lvu�.cLySaratoga, New York 5. Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply) _X_ private public-local public-State public-Federal Category of Property (Check only one box) _X_ building (s) district site structure object Number of Resources within Property Contributing Noncontributing 3 _2 buildings sites structures objects 3 2 Total Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register None Name of related multiple property listing (Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing. ) NA 2 of 6 aaratoga, vew York 6 6. Function or Use Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions) Cat : Domestic: Single Dwelling Sub: Domestic: guest/caretaker structure Domestic: guest/caretaker structure Domestic: secondary structure garage Domestic: secondary structure shed Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions) Cat. : Vacant/ Tot in Use Sub: Vacant/Not in Use Domestic single dwelling: house Vacant/Not in Use Vacant/Not in Use 7. Description Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions) _Mia-19"' Century - Gothic Revival Materials (Enter categories from instructions) foundation stone roofslate walls Wood other _Chimneys - Brick _Porches - Wood _Decorative Trim - Wood Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current condition of the property on one or more continuation sheets . ) 8. Statement of Significance Applicable National Register Criteria (Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register listing) AProperty is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. _X_ B Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past. _X_ C Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction. D Property has yielded, or is likely to yield information important in prehistory or history. 3 of 6 ••.•_••••,�•'1 , +Jr ut-I'�GLL 4..WLLQyC Saratoga, New York Criteria Considerations (Mark "X" in all the boxes that apply. ) A owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes. B removed from its original location. C a birthplace or a grave. D a cemetery. E a reconstructed building, object, or structure. F a commemorative property. G less than 50 years of age or achieved significance within the past '50 years, Areas of Significance (Enter categories from instructions) _B Religion - Sarah F. Smiley _B Performing Arts - Charles Brackett C Architecture Period of Significance Sarah F. Smiley 1872 - 1907 _ _B Charles Brackett 1919 - 1964 _ _C 1872 Significant Dates _1872/3 Construction of Main Cottage _ _Residence of Sarah F. Smiley, 1873-1907_ _Residence of Charles Brackett - 1921 - 1964 Significant Person (Complete if Criterion S is marked above) _Sarah F. Smiley and Charles Brackett Cultural Affiliation N/A Architect/Builder Unknown Narrative Statement of Significance (Explain the significance of the property on one or more continuation sheets . ) 9. Major Bibliographical References (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form on one or more continuation sheets . ) Previous documentation on file (NPS) preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67) has been requested. previously listed in the National Register previously determined eligible by the National Register designated a National Historic Landmark recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey # recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # 4 of 6 .7 czLauuya, ivew YOrK Primary Location of Additional Data State Historic Preservation Office Other State agency Federal agency Local government University Other Name of repository: 10. Geographical Data Acreage of Property _5 . 1 UTM References (Place additional UTM references on a continuation sheet) Zone Easting Northing Zone Fasting Northing 1 18 600620 4771335 3 18 600435 4771210 2 18 600620 4771225 4 18 600435 4771325 See continuation sheet . Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property on a continuation sheet . ) Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected on a continuation sheet . ) 11. Form Prepared By name/title Douglas M. Kerr, member, Board Of Directors organization_Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation_ date_November, 2005 street & number_117 Grand Avenue telephone 518-587-5030 city or town Saratoga Springs state NY zip code 12866 Additional Documentation Submit the following items with the completed form: Continuation Sheets Maps A USGS map (7 . 5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property' s location. A sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources . Photographs Representative black and white photographs of the property. Additional items (Check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items) 5 of 6 Saratoga, New York Property Owner (Complete this item at the request of the SHPO or FPO, ) name street & number telephone city or town state zip code Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings . Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U. S.C. 470 et seq. ) . A federal agency May not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. Estimated Burden Statement : Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to range from approximately 18 hours to 36 hours depending on several factors including, but not limited to, how much documentation may already exist on the type of property being nominated and whether the property is being nominated as part of a Multiple Property Documentation FOrm. In most cases, it is estimated to average 36 hours per response including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form to meet minimum National Register documentation requirements . Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Chief, Administrative Services Division, National Park Service, 1849 C St. , NW, Washington, DC 20240 . 6 of 6 Smiley/Brackett Cottage Saratoga County,New York Name ofProperty County and State Continuation Sheet Narrative Description The Smiley/Brackett Cottage is a 1 1/2 story, frame, Gothic Revival structure with a centered gable, modified cruciform plan, and a front porch. The cottage is constructed at the edge of a valley known as Spring Run or Ten Springs Valley such that a windowed conservatory at the rear elevated on the exposed basement walls looks out over the valley. The structure fronts on Excelsior Avenue, formerly Spring Avenue. On either side it is flanked by two smaller 1 '/2 story, frame, Gothic Revival structures, each with a centered gable. These guest/caretakers quarters are set further back on the property, some 5 feet below the brow of the valley. The interiors of the three structures were not available for inspection. The Smiley/Brackett Cottage sits at about the center of a 5.1 acre lot which is wooded to the sides and rear of the structures. The property also contains a small shed to the east of the three main structures, and a two car garage to the west. Although one of the guest/caretakers quarters may be occupied, the structures have riot been maintained since purchase by the current owner in 1968. The exterior needs paint. There is evidence of deterioration of wooden decorative elements (indeed some are missing). The slate roofs need repair; one of the guest/servants quarters has a hole in the roof where the chimney has fallen. The other chimneys need repair and repointing. The foundation plantings and the remainder of the property are overgrown with little resemblance to what was once a park-like setting. The cottage has been placed on the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation's list of endangered buildings. The Smiley/Brackett Cottage is unique in Saratoga Springs, one of the few examples of Gothic Revival architecture and almost the lone survivor of a 19th Century hotel and resort complex known as Excelsior Spring Park. The cottage sits at its original location and although deteriorating, retains its original features which contribute to its story-book charm. Main Cottage The central structure of the Smiley/Brackctt,Cottage is a 1 1/2 story Gothic Revival building built in 1872/73. The cottage is located in a residential neighborhood on the edge of a valley known as the Valley of the Ten Springs in the last quarter of the 19th Century. The landscape in front of the building is level. To the rear of the building the land slopes downward such that the rear of the structure's foundation wall is exposed. The overall shape of the cottage is a modified cruciform, about 30' wide, with a single centered gable on the front(north) elevation. The walls of the first floor on this façade are blank, but for a door and windows under the porch roof. The centered gable has a window. On the east facade, there are two windows on the first floor and a single Smiley/Brackett Cottage Saratoga County,New York Name of Property County and State window on the second floor gable end. The west facade is similar, but has a three bayed window on the first floor. To the rear of the structure, a gable ended conservatory extends on the exposed foundation overlooking the valley(about 20' wide by 10' deep). The first floor of this wing is glassed in on its three sides. Gables extend from either side of the roof of the conservatory wing. The structure is constructed of wood on a stone foundation. It is sheathed in clapboard, currently painted grey with white trim. The relatively steep roofs are covered with slate. The shingles are square-ended, but tbr a 7 course band of fish scale shingles. A brick chimney rises from the center of the structure. The front facade has a one story porch at its center. The porch is supported by 5 wooden clustered shafts inspired by gothic church architecture, with pointed gothic arches between. Under the porch, the windowed double door is placed asymmetrically to the left, balanced by two double hung windows to the right. Photos of the structure from the late 1960s show a balustrade with pierced tracery over the porch (currently missing). r - N � P 42 1 1, 3 -:: �r ,3 :14:::r `- __ I _ - i Y -t_1 ;. :.fa. U E ,— ,r - -' 4 - r } • 3 ,"AlLLI . —R041/ kA P': 51 r r `' I it fn _4:-- Rt/ ` - i ,:rte, ft Smiley/Brackett Cottage ca 1969 Credit: Joe Alper In the gable above the porch, two pointed arch, double hung windows are contained within an arched frame. The vergeboard trimming the gable end is pierced in a trefoil manner and its point is topped by a finial or hip knob. The east facade has two four over four double hung windows with triangular pedimented frames. The upper story window consists of an arched casement window. The west facade is similar but for a three bay window on the first floor. The vergeboards on these facades are simpler than those on the front, consisting of intersecting arches with Smiley/Brackett Cottage Saratoga County,New York Name of Property County and State a trefoil or cloverleaf point. Although not present at this time, it appears that the gables were topped by a finial. The conservatory wing over looking the valley has details echoing the front porch. Clustered columns with pointed arches support the second story. Behind these columns a band of diamond pattern windows over a paneled base enclose the wing. This enclosure may be a later addition as open verandas were a noted aspect of Greek Revival design as espoused by A. J. Downing. The windows on the side gables have pointed arches with shutters. The side gable ends have vergeboard tracery consistent with the front facade. On the east side of the conservatory wing, a door and steps lead down to the ground. The steps have iron railings with filigreed wrought or cast iron balustrades. Guest/Caretakers Quarters To the east and west of the main cottage are two nearly identical, 1 1/2 story centered gable Greek Revival structures. The one to the east is slightly smaller in area (about 13' x 13') than the one to the west(about 17'x17'). Unlike the main cottage, the gable ends of these structures face the street. Both structures sit on stone foundations and are constructed of wood. They are sheathed in horizontal siding painted grey with white trim. Both have slate roofs with a decorative band of fish scale shingles similar to the main cottage. Each has a center chimney of brick. The chimney of the east structure has fallen in, leaving a hole in the roof The entranceways to both buildings consist of a porch supported by simple brackets with an applied archway extending on either side. In the late 1960's photo above, these archways are extended between the three buildings forming a trellis or pergola connecting the three structures. The porch steps have iron railings similar to those on the conservatory wing's steps. The windows are of the double-hung pointed arch type, with pairs of windows surrounded by an arched frame. The vergeboards on the gable ends appear to be identical to those on the main cottage, although the finials are missing. The date of construction of these two supporting structures is not clearly known. Prokopoff and Siegfried (1970) and Kettlewell (1991) suggest that the western structure is original to the design.*with the eastern structure added by Edgar or Charles Brackett which would be after the properties purchase by Brackett in 1921. Several points suggest that both supporting structures were added at a later date. The original lot purchased by Sarah F. Smiley, the first owner of the building was 60' wide by 120' deep. The main structure is about 30' wide with about 25' between it and the I7' wide western supporting structure. Since the lot was not enlarged by Sarah F. Smiley—Charles Brackett purchased the surrounding acreage in 1920—only the main structure would have fit within the lot's boundaries. Smiley/Brackett Cottage Saratoga County, New York Name urProperty County and State Saratoga Queen of Spas (Swanner 1988) contains an 1873 engraving showing Excelsior Spring and Excelsior Park. The spring and bottling plant are located in the foreground, with the Smiley/Brackett Cottage located in the background at the left of the image. Although engravings of this type may have altered details to enhance the picturesque, it is interesting to note that the main cottage stands alone. .� '4 moL -� .s ,-•y— _ - ,-.. T-4.i....,,,,.. .24,-4,-'z � •, , ' • -,:,y-:.,:•-n- .- ' i7e.. -4 14- C iM w 11 .--41 x -3.,E-.-,---4-,'...- 1P1' -:,%-,1 - :1--piE0 7-:-4, ' .-.7"_. 4,-7---4,-,--i;-t-.,..if--- --i- �t-l .. `�,L _ 11 r ft- ` , sg .' , ` n' ". h•.7a'' '�_ .' ,k : gi ... 7 .,:''',..K.,,,--•'- .Ym• 1ir Ntif _ _ '� h.�iCY, from engrureog baP.R,ft P,irstuy !N'i Excelsior Spring, located i t Excelsior Park Iii addition, while the two supporting structures are well done and highly sympathetic to the original cottage, there are differences in architectural details which suggest that they are not of the same vintage. The fenestration of the gable ends of the main cottage consists of two pedimented rectangular double hung windows on the first floor, with a single rounded arch window on the second floor. The double pointed arch windows are saved for the centered gables. On the flanking structures, all of the windows are of the double pointed arch variety. Additionally, the porch roofs on these two structures are supported by relatively simple generic Victorian style brackets. The clustered columns and pointed arches found on the porch and conservatory are not carried over to the supporting structures. , Finally, review of the Town Tax Rolls shows a significant increase in the assessed value of the property from $2200 in 1921 to $3500 in 1923, with the entire increase taking place in the value of the improvements. Taken together—the lot size, the pictorial evidence, the minor differences in architectural details and the tax rolls —strongly suggest that Brackett had both structures built in 1922 after his purchase of the property in 1921. He may have built one as a guest/caretaker cottage and the other as an office: Smiley/F3rackett Cottage Saratoga County, New York Name of Property County and State Shed and Garage On the western side of the property there is a single story two car garage with its door and gable end facing the street. The garage is grey with white trim. To the east of the principal structures is a small shed, also grey with white trim. Both structures appear to be 20th century additions and have little or no significance. Smiley/Brackett Cottage Saratoga County,New York Name of Property County and State Continuation Sheet Narrative Statement of Significance The Smiley/Brackett Cottage, built in 1872 and expanded in 1922 is a classic example of Gothic Revival cottage architecture popularized in mid-19th century America by Alexander Jackson Davis in his 1837 book Rural Residences and by Andrew Jackson Downing in cottage Residences (1842) and The Architecture of Country Houses (1850). Set overlooking a picturesque valley in a wooded suburban/rural setting, the structure retains most of its original form and detail, although it is rapidly deteriorating. The Smiley/Brackett Cottage is within an area known as Excelsior Park, developed by the Lawrence family, that included springs, a hotel, a wooded park, and "villas". It recalls the growth of Saratoga Springs into one of the nation's pre-eminent summer resorts over the second half of the 19th century. The Smiley/Brackett Cottage was built by Miss Sarah F. Smiley (1830-1917), the "Quaker Preacheress". Miss Smiley was a nationally known religious figure who established schools and libraries for emancipated African-Americans in the south during and after the Civil War, challenged the role of women in religion, authored several books of religious thought, and was active in the Wonten's Christian Temperance Union. Miss Smiley used the cottage as her residence and summer residence between 1873 and 1917. Charles W. Brackett(1892-1969)was a native Saratogian who lived in the cottage beginning in 1919, ultimately purchasing the surrounding property and the cottage in 1920 and 1921 respectively. Author of several novels between 1919 and 1929, Brackett was the drama critic for the New Yorker magazine, but is best known for his work as a screen writer and producer in Hollywood—particularly his association with director Billy Wilder. Among Brackett' credits are the Academy Award winning films "Sunset Boulevard", "The Lost Weekend"and the original "Titanic"_ Mr. Brackett lived in the cottage until 1938 when he moved to Hollywood, California, returning to his native Saratoga Springs and the cottage often in the summers. History of the Property and Historical Context Situated about a mile northeast of the center of Saratoga Springs, New York, the area known as Excelsior Park and the Valley of the Ten Springs was purchased by Henry H. Lawrence in 1858. The springs had been discovered in 1814 and Lawrence retubed them, bottling water and selling it under the Excelsior Spring name (Swanner 1988). In addition to the spring (its pavilion is now located at Saratoga Race Track) Lawrence established a bottling plant(destroyed by fire in 1966) and a hotel known as Mansion House. Recognizing the commercial success of John Clarke's Congress Park combination of springs, a pleasure pavilion, a park and lots for real estate development, Lawrence created Excelsior Park, a shady, tree lined walk through the Valley of the Ten Smiley/Brackett Cottage Saratoga County,New York Name ofPropertyCounty and State ice_ 1 •a.4 } . silo .r5 2s., - 5 THT ,: ver- cam. r I . _ . fik 1 . -tL� � . paw -Matra 11 �"!• ■ Ory ^ ` .vi�' fid. 1' ma.\, !t' b , ...._ ,..,„vi . 1 1= �, �y sY.. 1 • . i s J{r y ; C y (1.' _ vac^ '' Q ! Y S5 �■O_ s. 4,iik 4"" .4414 110.'''- 16 7: r,41,1,i : .....erry I . .,4 ..,,,,i 1 i ii,,,,,,,_. ity., .,1, _ '-gt \ A or 4.0106 f y V +!. 1 e R E • } Lam.~ i ,, . ,. ..6 +a•"-c•� �'K` a ° I"` ' ., f a -. - et, mss: • R l ,.y,--Cy • _eft..doe . c1IPI • c np V giilv ! 0,://7.4-f,,, or r W.:',.._c ,410.. tF I y '� a ifs` , } : la� '�'• i. L � !s a ._•1 .. 1 11101W _ ior • use€rt x 1L y ....".... Ar t.4„:,-; .5 pri gietalligiv ,1 ,21.f . .. . F; • 1 ` kc z ___,7 ,I1 Dr orreregrrkir r.7 IF .131 Aa -1si.a ," r :, w i s \ y 1- Jai/. n[ •, Stniley/13rackett Cottage Saratoga County, New York Slate. Name of Property County and Stat J--7,--,--.1e:;; 2„ ;-:.,..,,-, 4-- ,..„.-,.. ..,,.4..,.. ..., 14,.i.: .,. .,....s:-_,,,4..,....r_l:,..,;f1.-„A„„,,,.,,w,•,;,, -..„ ,4 ' : -2. 14;411 . .... + ..,,;,.,.......,,:-.:.- .r.' ..,. is,.11g,..,16,07:.,,,•-:;:'----,',... '"at. •01:,4.A — - " ..,.'' ..7;:"- ". ; ;:i, ``.--x--$-A"i.il--,'- '''''''". ',•„:7-' 1-4Y,;"! -,...t,ri4 .,.. .-- , - .- :_,,,,:•,s;7. ,.! .. .,_ -, V*k' ' .'•.i> ' '.. ' '44•'''CiP ..._ ..!.-r' -....,.„..: :•'' .....,.. ..,:-: , — •-. S.,,-• ',.... ,...,Al,'•'••,.':,,t.' `, '`- - • -- "'1"f4•.'---, •'••• • ,-.'•..• •,,•,,r.) ..F. . , s• .- . . . .. _L _,_,_.-,...„,„,,,,,.r.sZ,7,7,77.. ,• •i',i1":,,Z_4C4...'Fr, ,*.,."''•V- Lit4' ". .-"`'.T"-":••••••••• G;i1.41:44', '42tittrWalr 4-';` ...%44,4 .1,fill.437 -:--,t3-574:, :...21...-,L----,---- --'''---.2:: f ,!.kt -;:--,.1" -...4.. ''.,..?;.•,4‘ •,..x., i. ''-,.11;..•- • ..- •'''•7-",.',-•• 9,'.-'''"•••••,-.2.7..:"A'Al •,,Ar,7:4 ,"' ;-•.,.,?: :.IT.:4•I jr. ..--t.a .t..'73-- . -,i,..kliq' L4.-.• -:-.;,-1..:14.`, -,.;.iv---1 •fr,,,;,1 t. ..71'"A "4". t •••-''' 1•"'' ''''''f2.;16 -:•,..•'•Pit141. -'••: ''".-- -• ", . i t•;,•.:',.-. 111.$""-,- ili,...4'. -,2..- '. ,.7.7!`7.46le,4..A.-'744r."2.1 •!. ' ',-T - -,''''.i. '.--1 ---,-'' 10*1 VON . '-';-,-,,,,,.` '-••,..'-,- ---;.,,-;,. 1..%1/4,.-.., ,f-,-..,;;,..;-, `,'.___,-- -" .',-;,-. .'-t,'-f,i1L0 -.,,,,,,,s.a •_''',3,-..i,•;;g7.:i. .- .-,:,.. . -.---,.-- . .`,' "L .,';--i_..7 ,irs'147-'.''','''Z ..% 1,-.1iied ••.''-'' -,,.-,..„,,L,Orvar•'-'1 ';'. ''-7-r: `'- •-•'• -•••--6'.:.* ••'' • ,• -_ 14 r-,,fq kk• 1,-.f..-- ,,,,-- ,--r-- , --. ,-., .......--.,,,L.-,-/-*•mwtagmetio 4.-1"'"'• I,LI,I.,v..,V.I.4.10.1,' ,IL ,....__. - , ',• ...;,,:= -...,.f.f....,:-..i.,,..t ., ;i 1,,;z ,if,,:, q.;,..,..7,!1.1 • • •• •• -!:•-•i?"' A'.. '4;44,,'4',4:4-•• 4 '44;44••: t; .."- '.."-•• .'Alt; i A'•,42';'.."114?.... ..! - 1-•,a,• ' `-','" 'S„.t " ',L.'?" ' ....4.- ..f • 'F,ri.,' :1.7 r:•••qr-ri,. -,1.--, - Li,•.. i • '' • '.."0-“ - . . , '' 1 ....• '..41.t.rt;''..-k, ..*:;:ni kt,1',. -'-----..,.-aitor: .) ;','...,-1,. t-- --•,--•-.1--&-• , .1.f.,..„,?;„.. t. '' : . .,,,,iz-....• •,, -,i4L" 4V- ' '''' '1 lif 4 r-A-.=• ' . „„,i,,..,4_,_";• ;,,::._ 441;•,:yk??!,-1' .,,.'4... .4i INA !.... 'F'''', ''''/,:;•*•4.:2',..4...i• - "I'k ifti ', ''' ''-'rt III .r.r.int 1..,.......„1,.;,=:,,;..,.. _— V..,11_ :.k..,..--1..,A j. 1,4 • .tip; ' N' ' til ..tr. 1' ..... .,—.......,.. = JPAt . ,r, i s,,;...,11- ..-- 4 ill t ' , „.. I 10trIE4.A...,11.•411e.V.,.nifrIld,Kay-al.-A.1,N.S. -.. : ; -.4" .41k",44:10:;1.4.1..7-44r,.-4',24-4-4,.: ''..?"::' ' ....,•?."4•,.:'%*=',''.. ., 4 • ,i'.. 4 , , .;''.' .,,,,I,s ,c;a:- .---"•:;:*:.; _ C.-:::'' '. , ''''' ilq..4ti, i,•:-;::-.4:-....A , 1 ,, - I.. I -. . .I, r,2'it',;'!.:;•-j$ t ,,,..;t'"-1,....11-. ,...i. 2,, .. — 11 ,!' i::•'.1 1 4 4 .4,-,: ...: ,...- r,,,...g, - . - t: • *'... , ,,,,14,4'.!.,•,..•;i1. :i. i',,, _ '•,-..,-„,.,- .7.,'''-•••':r•':-.4' ' . - ,-,.. _ '''...&' .1; t--....4..T- ...--7.. ...• . , • ; - . -----•-•_---,--,--2.,... "..,-•/.:•ji_...4 , , — ......-4' r..... ''S-,.,„..,.., 110;•G' ' r - L- ••../ ... .. ., ••,- , — ' -•-,,.:','"------ . •• if: ....•.• '•••,,.....•••'••••;•-•4'••• •••'7, I . 1. ,... , ., . "" • •-:•,...2•-•.....i ''.,f,,,,Z.Z.V.;,4-.1,.....::-...... ,',%•741,... NO.•. '. ..... ,...,"7... --.•,' • • ..7,-,-;....,"- -...:4‘!-- - - ' - i,,x-es..1.si,,iiii.v..0.04.,g.c,.ar,ii['AMC. Photos of Excelsior Park from 1901 Brochure mitt Brackett Cottage Saratoga County, New York Name of Property County and State Springs to his pavilion and bottling plant, the Mansion House hotel and building lots (Corbett 2001). Contemporary images of the area show wide, tree lined streets with picturesque villas in keeping with the idea of park-Iike rural/suburban settings promoted by A. J. Downing (see 1873 engraving above). A description of Excelsior Spring in H7.rling's /882-3 Saratoga Springs Directory notes: Excelsior Spring situated on Spring Avenue, about one mile northeast of Town Hall, in Excelsior Park. Henry Lawrence, Proprietor. There is a beautiful walk through the woods to the spring, the water of which has been appreciated for its valuable qualities for more that half a century. And an advertisement for the spring notes that"it is to most persons very agreeable to the taste, and prompt in action as a gentle Detic and Cathartic." In addition to being a healthful and aesthetic attraction, there is no doubt that it was a commercial venture as well. A further entry for Excelsior Park notes the existence of"villa sites". Ultimately Excelsior Park was not successful as a real estate development—only a few lots were sold according to entries in city directories—although the Mansion House (renamed Excelsior Spring Hotel) and the bottling plant survived into the 20th century, and Mr. Lawrence's house still stands at the corner of Excelsior Avenue(formerly Spring Avenue) and Excelsior Springs Avenue, Sarah F. Smiley, late of Baltimore could not have known this when she purchased a 60' x 120' lot from Mr. Lawrence in October 1872. It is possible that it was just a lot, not a finished structure, since in a contemporary journal Miss Smiley wrote that Mr. Lawrence gave "her choice of building lots" (Arthur's 1879). However, it also could be that Miss Smiley Purchased a "model" home constructed by Mr. Lawrence to entice the public to purchase lots and build homes in Excelsior Park. The Gothic Revival cottage design that Miss Smiley chose was well suited for the site for a number of reasons. It was in keeping with the naturalistic/romantic tendencies permeating popular culture at the time. The paintings of Bierstadt and Moran celebrated the natural landscape. John Ruskin's The Seven_Lamps afArchitecture was published in 1849 and widely distributed. And there were the works of popular tastemakers such as Davis and Downing. Sarah Smiley may have had an affinity for the Gothic Revival style for other reasons. First, she traveled had traveled to England to confer with religious leaders and preach in 1868 and 1869. Thus she would have been exposed to the Gothic Revival craze sweeping that nation. Moreover, a deeply religious woman may have been attracted to a style associated with godly structures and imbued with "the "loftier" moral precepts of an earlier day, in contrast to contemporary secular and industrial society (Massey and Smiley/Brackett Cottage Saratoga County,New York Name of Property County and State Maxwell 1994). Regardless of its inspiration, Sarah Smiley's little cottage is Saratoga's serendipity. The architect of the cottage is unknown. It is likely to have been constructed by a local builder, but the end result is quite similar to the "Symmetrical Cottage" illustrated in Downing's The Architecture of Country Houses published in 1842. In his introduction to the 1969 Dover Publications reprint, Johnson (1969) notes that A. J. Davis, among others, supplied the designs for the book since Downing was a landscape architect and not a particularly accomplished draftsman. Miss Smiley's cottage has a similar modified cruciform plan with a centered gable and a porch with clustered columns and a balustrade railing above. DESIGN Vit 6YWKETRiCAL COI TAPE t'5' i4�yi0, 5 [it II F � �-Afl , _. f''Les. -1.". S'J +'r..'Ff ti dJa451%, !�( i1t_;� V rt ' Tw ,-,..77-----':'"C- k 45l." L I .. re py-'1T -ii'-` 5- FA 3 „ f �. sn- f i ii i Y i ';n ”k,i,;.41,- 1' $ R li4- �{ -.. '.7k-44,4'1''' 'r i, 41 • 1,: . :k- 1....-, ` �: I y -. Fig.27 I 1 Alta ,' 14 X17 i lar.1Z a-1 mil, I 16irld J4 t . Early }r_rr 1 A7 I'BINCITAL€LbOE. Fig.28 From: A. I Downing's The Architecture of Country Houses Smiley/Brackett Cottage Saratoga County,New York Name of Property County and State Downing notes of this design: Whoever loves symmetry and the simpler kind of cottage beauty, including good proportion, tasteful forms, and chasteness of ornament, we think, cannot but like this little design, since it unites all these requisites. It is an illustration of a cottage made ornamental with a very trifling expense, and without sacrificing truthfulness to that kind of tasteful simplicity which is the true touchstone of cottage beauty. (Downing 1969) One can understand how a religious woman without great means would be delighted with such a design. One aspect of the Smiley/Brackett Cottage's significance then, rests in its almost perfect structural embodiment of Davis' and Downing's idea of the rural cottage. The fact that the building remains in its park-like setting, and that most of its exterior details survive from 1872, lend the integrity of design and setting necessary for inclusion in the National Register. In addition to significance under Criteria C of the National Register Criteria, the Smiley/Brackett Cottage has significance under Criteria B. It is intimately associated with the lives of persons associated with Saratoga Springs and our nation's past—Sarah F. Smiley and Charles W. Brackett. Sarah F. Smiley Sarah F. Smiley was born in 1830 in Vassalborough, Maine. She was the daughter of a Quaker minister who became the principal of The Friends Female College in Providence, Rhode Island, and it is assumed that she received her education there. Her father and brothers went on to buy and operate the Mohonk Mountain House in New York's Catskill Mountains in 1870. Both during and after the Civil War Miss Smiley — - traveled the states of Virginia and North Carolina; aiding fellow Quakers and organizing schools and libraries for emancipated African Americans. This activity was not without peril, as it was not unusual for these efforts to be greeted by hostility from white residents, who on occasion burned down the new libraries - and schools (Selleck 1995). In this role, Miss Smiley was a model o for the character, Clara Mott, in Liberty Belles, a living history program about extraordinary women by Anne Pasquale. Subsequent to her work in the south, Miss Smiley traveled to England in 1868— 1869 where she was honored by the British Yearly Meeting of Orthodox Friends. In 1869 she also published her first book Who is He?An appeal to those who regard with any doubt the name of Jesus. Smiley/Brackett Cottage Saratoga County,New York Name of Property County and State Living in Philadelphia and Baltimore between 1869 and 1872, Miss Smiley developed a reputation for preaching and spoke before congregations of several denominations. In 1871 she published her second book: Christian work and Christian service;An address. It was around this time that Miss Smiley met the Rev. Theodore L. Cuyler, the well known leader of the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn, New York. Taken with Miss Smiley's skills as a preacher, Rev. Cuyler invited her to preach before his congregation on a Sunday evening in early 1872. Rev. Cuyler noted that her address was "weighty, spiritual, scriptural, orthodox, tender and melted some men to tears whom I have never seen much moved before"(Harper's 1872). Miss Smiley spoke before a mixed audience of women and men—a"promiscuous" audience in the language of the day. In so doing she ignited a controversy over the role of women in the Brooklyn Presbytery that lasted until 1874. As reported in the New York Times and the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, the Presbytery ultimately determined that Rev. Cuyler, and another Presbyterian church that had allowed Miss smiley to preach before a mixed gender audience, had not meant to intentionally defy the church's prohibition against such activity. The Presbytery went on the find; Meetings of pious women by themselves for conversation and prayer we entirely approve. But let not the inspired prohibitions of the great Apostle as found in his epistles to Corinthians and to Timothy be violated. To teach and to exhort, or to lead in prayer in public and promiscuous assemblies is clearly forbidden to women in the Holy Oracles. (Harper's 1872) Miss Smiley continued to preach to other denominations—Baptist, Methodist, Quaker and Congregationalist--and was such a popular speaker that her sermons were advertised in advance and she was invited to preach around the country. In 1872 she was baptized and in 1881 she joined the Episcopal Church. Perhaps because of her association with Rev. Cuyler, who defended mightily her right to preach before the Brooklyn Presbytery and who summered at Dr. Strong's Sanatorium in Saratoga, Miss Smiley bought the lot on Excelsior Avenue in October 1872. The Town Tax Rolls indicate that by 1873 she had a lot and house valued at$200. And so began an association with Saratoga Springs that lasted until 1917. Beginning in 1874, Miss Smiley's name becomes associated with the Women's Christian Temperance Union and newspapers report that she made several appearances at their meetings. In 1878, a newspaper article noted that Miss Smiley conducted a daily morning Bible class at the Bethesda Church in Saratoga. In 1880 and 1887 she published two additional books while living in Saratoga.Springs. One of them, Garden Graith or Talks Among My Flowers, published in 1880, celebrates her garden at the cottage in Excelsior Park. While city directories noted in 1891 that she had moved to New York, she continued to be listed at her cottage, presumably because she summered in Saratoga. Smiley/Brackett Cottage Saratoga County, New York Name of Property County and State Miss Smiley died in 1917 leaving her estate, including the cottage, to The Society for the Home Study of Holy Scriptures and Church History, a group she founded to promote religious study by mail. In the mid to late 19th century, there were not many avenues for women to assume positions of leadership- Sarah F. Smiley did so through her preaching and in so doing raised issues of women in the pulpit that are still with us today. She courageously traveled the south during and after the Civil War establishing schools and libraries for emancipated African Americans. She lent the weight of her celebrity to the Women's Christian Temperance Union, adding to its credibility in its early years_ Alongwith Florence Nightingale and Clara Barton, she was one of those in the 19th century pioneering new roles for women. Charles W. Brackett Charles W. Brackett was a writer and an Academy Award winning screen writer and producer, and a native Saratogian with an association with the Smiley/Brackett Cottage dating to 1919. :y 4'),-.: Born in 1892, the son of a prominent Saratoga . z' , y, �, Springs attorney and State Senator, Mr. Brackett s. .: tom ; 1' .A `. . attended Williams College and Harvard law School. After completion of service in world War I and while ` * .••a completing law school, in 1919 Mr. Brackett rented "`� °` `` Sarah Smiley's cottage from The Society for the Home = '"" ' ��,t- Studyof HolyScriptures and Church history. Here he -r--�- ' -,a y. „I:si 1 iiu r{ started work on his first novel, The Counsel of the r.:48§24,,,u , �. .• ,� Ungodly(1920) which was serialized in the Saturday " ;'. .€ , Evening Post. Several additional novels followed ., r,t �ti '' ' through 1934. In 1926 Mr. Brackett was hired by the F; { t•i yy r � t ,4 ,ik r t t� ' legendary Harold Ross of the New Yorker as the ., <,°f r .„,,I.„-:.,-44,:,:.,4:,' i, magazine's drama critic, a post Mr. Brackett held until ,:I IA ItI.E:i 11LL V:10:771929. It was during this period that Mr. Brackett purchased the land surrounding the cottage (1920) and the cottage itself(1921). Presumably, this was also the time when he •` added the two supporting structures, perhaps as an office and a guest house. T' While still living in Saratoga Springs, Mr. Brackett made his first foray to Hollywood in 1932 as a writer for Paramount Pictures. At the same time he was a partner in his father's law firm in Saratoga Springs, Brackett and Eddy, an association that lasted his lifetime. Continuing to work in Hollywood, Mr. Brackett moved in 1938, although he continued to visit Saratoga Springs and use the cottage until 1964. Smiley/Brackett Cottage Saratoga County, New York Name of-Property County and State Brackett worked on numerous films, but is best known for his work with famed director Billy Wilder. Wilder and Brackett were the subject of a lengthy article in Life Magazine in 1944 which celebrated their relationship as the sort of"odd couple" Hollywood screen writing. Mr. Brackett and Mr. Wilder collaborated on a number of films for Paramount Pictures until 1950, including such Academy Award winners as The Lost Weekend, To Each His Own and the original Titanic. Mr. Brackett was also involved with Ninotchka with Greta Garbo and The King and T. Mr. Brackett was a major figure in Hollywood in its golden years. His screen plays brought to the fore significant societal issues such as alcoholism in The Lost Weekend. In 1957, Mr. Brackett received an honorary Academy Award for his service to the industry as head of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1949 to 1955. Mr. Brackett died in 1969, S /Brackett Cottage Saratoga County, New York Name of Property County and State Continuation Sheet Major Bibliographical References Arthur's. 1879.Literary and Personal in Arthur's Illustrated Home Magazine October 1879. T.S. Arthur& Sons, Philadelphia Barnett, Lincoln. I944. The Happiest couple in Hollywood in Life Magazine, December 11, 1944. Time-Life, New York Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Approximately 50 articles mentioning Sarah F. Smiley available on Iine from the Brooklyn Public Library at: http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/eagle/ Corbett, Theodore. 2001. The Making of American Resorts; Saratoga Springs, Ballston Spa, Lake George. Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, New Jersey Deed. Charles W. Brackett to Daniel M. Jewett and Joy L. Jewett, his wife. 1968. Deed at Book 845, Page 70. Saratoga County, New York Clerk's Office Deed. Franklin W. Lawrence and Emily C.S. Lawrence, his wife to Charles W. Brackett and Elizabeth Barrows Fletcher Brackett, his wife, 1921. Deed at Book 310, Page 212. Saratoga County, New York CIerk's Office Deed. Henry Lawrence and Caroline W. his wife to Sarah F. Smiley. 1872. Deed at Book 177, Page 57. Saratoga County, New York Clerk's Office Deed. Society for the Home Study of Holy Scripture and Church History to Charles W. Brackett and Elizabeth Barrows Fletcher Brackett, his wife. 1921.Deed at Book 310, Page 248. Saratoga County, New York Clerk's Office Downing, Andrew Jackson. 1969. The Architecture of country Houses with an Introduction by J. Stewart Johnson. Dover Publications, New York Downing, Andrew Jackson. 1981. Victorian Cottage Residences. Dover Publications, New York Harper's. 1872. A Woman in the Pulpit in Harpers Weekly, Vol. X I.-No.792 March 2, 1972. Harper& Brothers, New York Huffing, H.P. 1882. Saratoga Springs Directory 1 882-3. Kirwin & Williams and H.P. Hulling, Saratoga Springs Joki, Robert. 1998. Saratoga Lost. Black dome Press Corp. Hensonville, New York Kettlewell, James K. 1991. Saratoga Springs;An Architectural History 1790- 1990 Lyric Ballad Book Store, Saratoga Springs, New York Smiley/Brackett Cottage Saratoga County, New York Name of Property County and State Massey, James and Maxwell, Shirley. 1994. Gothic Revival. Abbeville Press, New York, London, Paris McAlester, Virginia and McAlister, Lee. 2004. A Field Guide to American Houses. Alfred A. Knopf. New York New York Times. 1874. The Temperance Crusade in New York Times March 4, 1874 Available by subscription to ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times 1851-Current file. New York Times. 1882.An Ulster County Nook in New York Times August 14, 1882. Available by subscription to ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York times 1851- Current file. Pasquale, Anne. Liberty Belles-- The Study Guide: Available on-line at: http.//www.Iivinghistoryprograms.cor/liberty_belles study guide.htm Prokopoff, Stephen S. and Siegfried, Joan C. 1970. The Nineteenth-century Architecture of Saratoga Springs;Architecture Worth Saving in New York State. New York State Council on the Arts, New York Rothe, Anna, Editor. 1952. Current Biography 1951. The H. W. Wilson Company, New York Selleck, Linda B. 1995. Gentle Invaders: Quaker Women Educators and Racial Issues During the Civil War and Reconstruction. Friends United Press, Richmond, Indiana Smiley, Sarah F. 1880. Garden Graith or Talks among my Flowers. Anson F. Randolph & Company, New York Swanner, Grace Maguire MD. 1988. Saratoga Queen of Spas. North Country Books, Utica New York Sylvester, Nathaniel Bartlett. 1979 History of Saratoga County New York Heart of the Lakes Publishing, Interlaken, New York Saratogian. 1969. Charles Brackett is Dead at 77: Obituary_in The Saratogian March 10, 1969. Saratogian, Saratoga Springs, New York Tax Rolls. Town of Saratoga, New York. 1873. Assessment Rolls. Archived at Saratoga Springs City Historians Office Smiley/Brackett Cottage Saratoga.County,New York Name of Property County and State Continuation Sheet Verbal Boundary Description All that piece or parcel of land situated near the Excelsior Spring in the City of Saratoga Springs, N. Y. bounded and described as follows; Beginning at the point where the northerly line of the right of way of the Boston & Maine Railroad intersects the center line of the road leading from Excelsior Spring northerly to Excelsior Ave.; running thence along the center line of such road north fourteen degrees thirty two minutes east three hundred forty and eight tenths feet to the interception of the south line of said Excelsior Avenue; thence north seventy-seven degrees fifty eight minutes west along the south line of Excelsior Avenue six hundred feet; thence south 14 degrees 32 minutes west 400 +- feet to the northerly line of the right of way of said Boston & Maine Railroad; thence easterly along said northerly line of such right of way as it runs to the place of beginning. Boundary Justification The boundaries were chosen to preserve the setting of the Smiley/Brackett Cottage as it might have been when Sarah Smiley first constructed the cottage. While the original lot was 60' by 120', no lots were sold on either side of Miss Smiley's and the cottage thus sat surrounded by open space. The 600' by 340-400' lot proposed is the last remaining parcel of the property that Mr. Brackett purchased and will preserve the setting from encroachment by modern development. Smiley/Brackett Cottage Saratoga County,New York Name of Property County and State Continuation Sheet USGS Map SARATOGA SPiiNO5 QUADRANGLE .a rA1 NEW YORK —SARATOGA ca 7.5 MINUTE SE,kl (TOPOGRAP IHC) c 1,5~ SE./.Sip"}e;: f9'9L'AH'n`„':C::k `Wf .1t 37'30” x19 6.c eo rrn Y - °DI 73°45' t : 'r.ai '73 ri�¢iucs •0r i _ - °4 i}• Hum • • • - :aAa" ` ' : , i i I s al.w j 'ass S 1 °° • f_ FEET l ti ;fTERI.f'41_t •i i .} - f ...e-,-.45 _ _ 1 }.Ji-Y I'i A11 I �' . ,}fsIt :}`4 ^�svSrn .3!"' LP�}N " Al l 13i•n'4,. - - . _ , :L 4L de, 7 • . - ,e,,,,..„,...,71.„. ' f , ,.�.• hi - . .:.A.g .106.A. SPRINGS ' ["f 4 • f - pa. } s l ,,, . .i `yr ,•-• 1 :7 it•f k, ,Z • Jim. }7�..� 1 f d sock,' 't -.d1.,•,.. "C 't 1 /LTi L.$lfi7UP1 wd:, ; • -"'/ ' ).--: ti Approximate Location of Orackett Cottage Lot Excelsior Avenue,Saratoga Springs. New York Smiley/Brackett Cottage Saratoga County,New York Name of Property County and State Continuation Sheet Photographs All photos taken by Douglas Kerr on October 10, 2005. Original photos are in possession of Douglas Kerr, 60 State Street, Saratoga Springs, NY. Number Description 1 North facade Centered gable and entrance on north facade 3 Entrance on north facade 4 Gable and vergeboard on north facade 5 East facade 6 East facade main gable 7 East facade—conservatory wing, steps and iron railing 8 West facade 9 West facade—conservatory wing 10 West guest/caretaker structure— west and north facade 11 East guest/caretaker structure—north and east facade 12 Entryway—east guest/caretaker structure " • '' ' ' '.k: _ fY}f 1 1•,k i f". 1 \..,am'''ine,•= - Sk 4 ¶L; � 1fi Y�% 4 ..4...,.......„,........z...,4..........z.......„...:. . ., ......,.........,..„,........?................. ...._ �,___,a. ,• 'f 114'-.:1 g'r6 4. r,` F • 4 ni 1-,,. ,_..:_. __,_ i.i, .,..,. ,..-..-. . „. .-447„-_- . , -I i IT 1')97 ., 769 ., _4,47:1,..:::,..:•01._ i.r� A ,•r,...",-...,..'.,;.---Ft.., - • ir i rl'rr . ,, , /.1 ,_11_r. •ti 1. 111 �., .r - ems Y. - ,J i hf eZi ':// - .. ` �},r�; . 1 " ° ` *Re :4. ..v { . _. , . i ',1 , \ ,... . f ii . • ', •'-.- . . . -1."::-, -..''t'''.';':-7 N� • 1111 ! ; • .» 3> 1(1' 4.`'' .•j 1, =' :i • .tic T q I� 'r _iT ; : id c . i . i • r ! _ • - 1 r ,�. I 1 L pr • .�« . , • . . .— • ,, Ir: ",—f'iIr l d i 1/ 1-4 ,1 fei • IP 4 51 rte: , ;1111114f!'. , . r - r , ,f`*,- ri -*,,,-.. - i -." -% . . ..-- " i ti /I 1,1 i . ,L,i-AC. (.:, "lit, ............-.4111.0- . :$ 1 '., ',, ,':11/4kc-: '',,' ,:• 91111 11 1 .Oil 1 Pi AL • ..-.41;r4 .. ,..',...,--=-- • ' )11,1 ; .11- 4. t 1111,/. . ' tt y ' :f: • '•O'. ..''N','"''..... . 1'014.40 411;1 d''',,fl',16,44,..,,, '4 1 4 4 1‘''.N,,.NNN,‘- '.s ' s''...N 6 k i i i 4-17 '^- - \ - :1.4:4, 74:,.'I!17''.4.' - `...,,:.. e f ilt. (� s.4 r�"y ♦.iw 3 r a � A Ft. gr k a� s. Ho v,, 4. 4. 111 ti 1 1 , _ -• ,40. 7 L w �q J red `yr�,' r. �7,7,;1.1,.:(4 iC �, iiki, i �` _ Y • _r F �=a.. '✓ _',fir #.? ° 1 R e }r 1:'71 aye , f f , ` N { �N •r C: • 111.'; .d.,,. f k''' • •"--,„"e,,,,&Sl" r j yr.a .71�— -. '. ipie11' li •C► ', v- i .r`i r tr!r. • F 1ipXl�L .L.' u�._ ,' }-,...,,..*.-,--",;!,,,...,..-.5-, -4,1".It_„ ,C 'S. k, , V` ..sr... `_{ a Y.. y r r b-, - ,: T '� 54' y°I I gr a.°� r t.' 'q1f.J#rS'.r{Iii'' ((�f• 7i'- f, / 1 . F C�y '4 1r‘vy 41.:',•710.••,' iyk4: 4 o a''r's '4iij ? f+ • n. r��i k, a�.- ,uta Aw'i •" `"..� �. - • ' d ‘2.,0 �, !�MK a"r.-° p, (1 • ' "�r : 1°# r 4 ,• ' x,-6} ��.it� ��'.,, 1 t' p{ :i 1 r- 1.' - • �'y)' 1 _ + • :4 - R �' '. lit / -t,� ! `•+r,-.� .*1 '1..'. r te'..a - �'• .' r sem• ..„.:,•`.‘,Y.+may"-yr• -Ar _ f • , "__ _ _ _ a sv •_s a� f- F"e •. ''+�"` 1...:). + Ysri a „.."7'''''-r n 5Ci7__ ` ....- .--2. f ,•• -•°V.'!.' - • - ' ''1' * • `4,L ' : fit 'i 0 ,” -'. ".. ,-.:**::%.;"-.--. ,, if; dt. { 'fir 4 , 5 1 .,,>n T1 .rt € r, .in k ,j r .:„.=.0.44.;,.........,-......i.„.............. Vi./.s. L (; • k' '� `��f,y� .1 IilF:71. ; xF1•fA f . �a . h skr ,, _ ;, 4 __.� r; . ', ' '1 . ` 1 ' • i Orr,,a' YJ 3 '(/ k 5 •1 •. -.14 Ate.. 4A t-- ; , .-� - - lll f 4y 'TT Y t Y' ! ' 1 j 5 mar,. , v -4'4.--''''� I L 'It l - r • ,. • J `' tr • v .*T •a..�5r;: is ) ° .rf - - - '�' .t,''''''''''' 1 ..A-pp t� i. 3 aka k R'p'°• -011111P. a , 1^k...;•1..,". i 'iT mac• " kl ,r.;�A I + 0S :+1% -',.,•-t-' '�. . _,Vii. �1.l'y1 TF a. ',....,.::-.1/... d' 1 - .• — ,4. 704 t :5, 'd ,. •• -----„, .,. . .., ,,ift , t r_ i• .IIIIIP"g:gllMamimimmr41111.11M111111111111111I1MlimmmuimtaajlliIlli ' ..'. t AN1.1.-041,1,VAA.4 • l . -tea' kor 'a� 4'1::'" k .'kb'. , _ • 1 1 , 1 . . : ...,...: V' _ .-, 1, , P . ... fel r �.y1 x f r� • Emsk. _,. f�) # �1' `�` s1,�a` \ -• - �_- 'ori _, . t' R, .. u. _� r Y,,Pz_ -a i .i _ r -