FAYETTEVILLE, N.Y. – If you ever get a chance to walk the grounds of Syracuse University and find yourself admiring the school’s architecture and design, you can thank Virginia Denton.
After graduating from SU in 1961, she took a position in the University’s Office of Design and Construction. She would serve there for 42 years and, in 1986, was appointed director, becoming the first woman to oversee construction, renovation and maintenance of all facilities at a major university.
She worked on the design of the Carrier Dome, Eggers Hall and the “Place of Remembrance,” which honored the 35 Syracuse students who died in the 1988 bombing of the Pan Am 103. In May 1991, she oversaw the delicate moving of SU’s Holden Observatory.
“Her hand can be seen on every building at Syracuse University,” said her cousin, Christopher Borg.
Denton died in 2018 at the age of 80.
Borg, a native of Massachusetts, saw up close Denton’s passion for architecture and preservation when he visited his cousin’s cobblestone home at 5498 North Manlius Road in Fayetteville, which she shared with her friend and colleague, Antje Lemke, every summer.
Built in 1805, it began as a one-room post-and-beam settlement house, part of the early development of land claims included in the Military Tract to reward Revolutionary War soldiers from New York regiments.
It was acquired in 1818 by a farmer, Michael Hutchins, who, as he prospered, added the Greek Revival cobblestone portion to the original frame house. The “Hutchins Home” is the only cobblestone structure in Fayetteville.
The house remained in the Hutchins family until 1915 when it began what Borg said Denton called, “a period of neglect and bad decisions.”
In 1969, Denton and Lemke purchased the property and began what would become a 50-year restoration and preservation project.
“Over the years, the house has passed through many hands which imposed the indignity of conforming modernization or the slovenliness of neglect,” the Post-Standard’s Ramona Bowden wrote in 1976. “Now it is experiencing a renaissance and is gratefully reflecting the spirit of its new owners.”
“Denton had a vision,” Borg said.
The women began restoring the historic property to what it was, recognizing that the work had to be done the right way. There would be no quick fixes.
Plaster-and-lath surfaces, wood casings and siding, and the cobblestone masonry were restored. Wide-plank wood floors were hand-scraped and refinished, and fresh paint was added throughout. New plumbing and wiring were installed, and modern amenities were introduced such as central air conditioning, an energy-efficient boiler, JennAir and Bosch appliances, mesh Wi-Fi, surround speaker wiring, and smart home systems. These modern conveniences fit seamlessly into the authentic feel of the house or are hidden from view.
Denton also employed her personal philosophy of “good goes with good,” especially when bringing together fixtures and furnishings from different periods that withstood the test of time.
A small house, which had been moved onto the property during the 1950s, was also restored and made into a guest house and library, which held Lemke’s incredible book and record collection.
Borg was always an interested spectator to the construction during the family’s annual summer barbecue there.
He had grown close with his cousin since childhood and he considered her a mentor and advisor. He also shared his cousin’s “strong interest in architecture and design.”
In 2017, Borg said, “made a deliberate choice to get the home’s remodeling over the finish line.”
He moved from San Francisco and oversaw the last details of Denton’s and Lemke’s “mind-blowing” and meticulous restoration.
“Every surface, every room, has been touched,” Borg said.
He feels honored that he has had a chance to finish what his cousin and her friend worked so hard on.
“They deserve all the credit,” he modestly said. “They did extremely thoughtful, personal work.”
“Letting go of this house is the hardest thing I have ever had to do.”
For more information about the property, please contact realtor, Gabe Seifter, of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services. His information is below.
THE DETAILS
Address: 5498 North Manlius Road, Fayetteville, N.Y. 13066
Price: $650,000
Size: 4,818 square feet
Acreage: 2.12 acres
Monthly Mortgage: $2,246 (based on this week's national average rate of 3.19 percent, according to Freddie Mac, for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage with a 20 percent down payment. Fees and points not included.)
Taxes: $12,324 (Based on assessed value of $292,300)
Built: 1805
School District: Fayetteville-Manlius
Kitchen: Seller Christopher Borg loves the kitchen. “It is so big,” he said. “It is absolute pleasure cooking there.” Although not at first. He remembers his cousin’s glances when pools of water accumulated on the butcher block counters while he was cooking at which point he was quick to wipe them down with a dish towel. The room was kept historic but with modern JennAir/Bosch appliances. A prep kitchen houses a deep sink, microwave, and dishwasher to maintain historic authenticity of the kitchen. A large dough chest, as seen in a bakery, was the gathering place for friends.
Living areas: A 50-year renovation has just been completed, with “every surface having been touched.” Floors have been scraped and refinished, plaster redone, and walls repainted. Home remains authentic to its period but is also ready for a modern family, with updated air-conditioning, Wi-Fi, and LED lighting. The dining room feels much like it did when it was the original room at the one-time one-room house. The fireplace has cobblestones. The living room, with its high ceilings, is in the added-on cobblestone portion of the house. There is an office with an incredible bookcase and a spacious second living room upstairs.
Bedrooms: There are four bedrooms inside the main house. The master bedroom was where the restoration project got underway. The bedrooms and the living room upstairs create a nice gathering place for families.
Bathrooms: There are two-and-a-half bathrooms in the main house. The master bathroom upstairs is a “double bathroom” with two full bathrooms adjacent to each other, one with a tub and a shower. A funny note about the dedication of Virginia Denton can be seen here. She added an access panel to the bathroom’s plumbing built into the base molding of the master bedroom. Inside this small compartment is a note explaining how to carefully put back in place the access panel and slide the note under the molding for the next time.
Guest house / library: Originally a house that was moved to the property from a local farm during the 1950s, this space housed the owner’s incredible book collection and was used as a study. The library has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a sleeping loft. The kitchen mirrors the kitchen of the main house.
Outdoors: Home is built on about two acres of property. It is very close to a Wegmans and Green Lakes State Park. Seller’s cousin said that the grounds were “very quiet and peaceful” and it thought it “transported” one to the countryside. There are expansive lawns, stonewalls, patios and gardens. There is a professionally kept arboretum. The house, guest house and garage are roofed by Alaskan Yellow Cedar.
Agent: Gabe Seifter
Howard Hanna Real Estate Services
Address: 6866 Genesee Street, Fayetteville, N.Y. 13066
Phone: (315) 559-5068
Email: gabe@investsyracuse.com
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