ELBRIDGE, N.Y. – In the early 1960′s New York State’s architectural heritage was, according to the Post-Standard, “dwindling.”
In Onondaga County, the grand homes on James Street in Syracuse were gone as were many of the county’s other historically significant buildings.
In order to save the rest, a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts made possible for a book written by four Syracuse University architecture professors.
Published in 1964, “The Architecture Worth Saving in Onondaga County” highlighted 60 area buildings which the authors believed needed to be preserved.
One of these was the John Munro House at 5407 Hamilton Road near Elbridge.
The book’s authors called the cobblestone house “perhaps the most important Gothic Revival building in Onondaga County.”
“Standing amid century-old hard maples on an expansive site, crowning a gentle rise with a skyline of gables and chimneys, is more than a farmhouse; it must be included with Whig Hill and Roosevelt Hall as one of three county country houses in the grand manner, the tradition of the great country estates.”
The builder of the home was John Munro, whose grandfather, Squire, was one of the original settlers of Elbridge.
Finished in 1850, Munro hired English architect Thomas Atkinson for the project. The cobblestones were brought down from Lake Ontario by sleigh and the wood was taken from the 142-acre property. The woodworking was done on the premises.
(Munro was a hardworking farmer and true Renaissance man. He was active in politics and in his church. On his farm he had hundreds of cows and pigs. He raised geese, chicken, turkeys, oats, barley, wheat, rye, and corn. In 1851 he raised tobacco and hired workers to roll cigars. In 1864, he tried his hand at sugar cane.)
“It is a significant house,” says Cheryl Drake, just the third owner in the home’s 170-year history. “The craftsmanship is wonderful.”
Drake’s husband William bought the house in 1974 and she married him on the landing of the home’s main staircase in 1981.
When asked what her first impressions of the historic home, the New Zealand native replied, “Huge!”
The farmhouse has 16 rooms, nine bedrooms, four bathrooms, two front parlors, five black marble fireplaces, an office, formal dining room, family room a billiard room and over 5,600 square feet of space.
She joked that she had “come from modern” and was now living in a home steeped in the past of Central New York.
“Every weekend we went to estate and antique sales,” she said, “looking to fill the house.”
The results speak for themselves. The magnificent house looks like a museum and nearly every piece looks like it belongs there.
They did a lot of work on the grounds and planted arborvitae to make the property more private.
The patio the couple added is a special favorite for Drake.
“I love to watch the cows,” she said.
Drake says the home’s huge attic has “a lot of potential for someone” and believes it could be made into an apartment.
The home has not been registered as a historic landmark which allows for new owners to make changes.
“It is going to be a hard place to leave,” Drake said. “I have had so many great times here and have a ton of great memories.”
She hopes that a young family will buy it continue its story.
For more information about this property, please contact owner and realtor, Cheryl Drake of Howard Hanna Real Estate. Her information is below.
THE DETAILS
Address: 5407 Hamilton Road, Elbridge, N.Y. 13060
Price: $1,775,000
Size: 5,640 square feet
Acreage: 142.75 acres
Monthly Mortgage: $5,904 (based on this week’s national average rate of 2.89 percent, according to Freddie Mac, for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage with a 20 percent down payment. Fees and points not included.)
Taxes: $14,107 (Based on assessed value of $445,000)
Built: 1850
School District: Jordan-Elbridge
Kitchen: By today’s standards the kitchen of this historic farmhouse is “simple” according to owner Cheryl Drake. But, she adds, its simplicity makes it a “very easy kitchen to work in.” Everything she says is within arm’s reach. The kitchen has a center island, stove and refrigerator. The kitchen’s amazing historic fireplace is largely decorative today.
Living spaces: This architecturally significant home looks much like it did when it was built in 1850. It has 5,640 square feet of living space and has two front parlors which are Drake’s favorite rooms. They are great for entertaining and fun to decorate during the holidays. The home’s formal dining room was once used to feed the farm’s field hands. It has one of the home’s five black marble wood-burning fireplaces. A “great” home office was where Drake worked during the COVID quarantine. The home includes a mud room, billiard room, and television room. The huge attic and basement have potential to be something more.
Bedrooms: There are nine large bedrooms in the house. Eight are on the second floor. The master bedroom is very warm. Many have the unique windows seen throughout the house.
Bathrooms: There are four bathrooms, three on the second floor, in the house which are all newer than the rest of the home.
Outdoors: This 142-acre property has been a working farm for 170 years. The home is surrounded by maple trees which are hundreds of years old. Drake and her husband built a backyard favorite which is a favorite for her. She enjoys watching the wildlife and the quiet privacy of the surrounding landscape. The grounds have hosted many weddings, including Drake’s, and the front veranda makes for a beautiful background. There is a large garden shed and two large barns, one of which is heated which makes for a great workshop. The home is located in a “wonderful location,” Drake said. It is “easy to get anywhere.” It is five minutes from Skaneateles and 20 minutes from Syracuse.
Agent: Cheryl Drake
Howard Hanna Real Estate
Address: 28 East Genesee Street, Skaneateles, N.Y. 13152
Phone: (315) 415-9563
Email: cheryldrake@howardhanna.com
Website: cheryldrake.howardhanna.com
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Do you know of any older homes in Central New York which have fallen on hard times but have a lot of potential should they be restored to their original grandeur? A fixer-upper with a lot of potential? Consider nominating them to our new feature, “Save this Home,” in which we will spotlight grand houses of the past around Central New York that need to be saved. Send nominations to home@syracuse.com.
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