Mount Gulian — Beacon, NY

Mount Gulian was the colonial homestead of the Verplanck family, constructed circa 1730, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The house served as the headquarters for General Frederick von Stuben in 1782 and was the site of the founding of the Society of Cincinnati. It is a Dutch Colonial home constructed of stone and wood clapboards and its most prominent architectural element is an imposing wood shingle gambrel roof. The house was restored in 1975 but had started exhibiting significant exterior deterioration in recent years.

The present owner, the Mount Gulian Society, received a New York State grant, administered by the New York State Office of Parks and Recreation and Historic Preservation, to enable it to replace the failed wood shingle roof and assorted trim. Given the prominence of the gambrel roof as the dominant architectural feature of the home, it was essential that the roof replacement design be thoughtfully carried out by an architectural firm experienced with historic architecture.

Martin Jay Rosenblum, AIA and Associates prepared detailed drawings and specifications for a historically accurate reconstruction of the roof, including eaves, fascias and dormer window trims.