Wow. I can't believe that this wonderful 1835 Grist Mill, that comes with a Victorian cottage in St. Johnsville, New York, (a total of a 5 building package), is under $1M. 7bds, 7ba, $750K.
The Stone Grist Mill, The Mill House, The Hog 'n House Cottage, Barn, and Carriage House are the 5 buildings. The Grist Mill was finished in 1835. Interior is part Museum, Luxury Kitchen, and a Full 3rd floor private Primary Bedroom w/En-suite.
Original Grain Milling mechanicals have been put back in place and Painstakingly restored.
It doesn't say if the artifacts in the museum come with it, but there is so much to look at, how can you buy this place without all the antiques?
The few times that I've seen old mills where the owners converted them and stripped them of all the original equipment, I actually wanted to scream, grab something, and hit them with it.
Isn't this some huge kitchen?
And, here's the spacious primary bedroom. Why are they selling this? I would never let it go.
How cute. A little grooming area.
Love the wide plank floors and stone walls.
More original mill equipment.
The Victorian Guest house has five Large bedrooms that are adorably decorated w/First Floor Primary En-suite.
Isn't this lovely?
The primary suite.
They really went all out decorating this place.
Beautiful Victorian home.
The Hog 'n Haus Cottage is a renovated livestock pen from 1888 and has been transformed into a Romantic one room cottage w/ Bathroom overlooking YOUR OWN 40FT WATERFALL!
What a sweet little one room cottage.
Here's a big barn or carriage house.
2 car garage plus shed or workshop.
The grounds are gorgeous.
The property measures 4.70 acres.
98 notes
·
View notes
History and Architecture Quiz Answer
The answer is Old Brick.
Just north of the central part of Iowa City and located on the eastern edge of the University of Iowa campus stands a red brick church building we now call Old Brick. It is one of the oldest in Iowa City and is the oldest surviving church building. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
Old Brick was constructed in an eclectic Romanesque revival style between 1856 and 1865. Following the derecho of July of 1877, the tall steeple that was destroyed needed to be replaced. A square crenelated parapet was installed making the tower look like a castle from the Middle Ages of Europe. Various other details blend a sixteenth century church floor plan with revivalist themes from Norman Period and the High Middle Ages.
The building was constructed for the North Presbyterian Church. The congregation of this church organized in 1840 and was the first Presbyterian congregation in Iowa City, so their buildings were also known as First Presbyterian. The congregation also appears in histories as the “Old School” church. There is a lot to unpack there, and critical discussion of the schism that led to Old and New School Presbyterian churches is valid but will not take place here. It is enough to note that the schism in the North was resolved by 1869.
It’s not clear at this time what role the individuals that were members in the First Presbyterian Church played in the change in Iowa that occurred in the decades leading to the Civil War, but since the new church building was not completed until after the end of the Civil War it likely played no great part in events surrounding the war or its related movements such as Freedom seekers passing through Iowa City on the way to Chicago or Canada.
In the decades following the Civil War, the polymath Professor Samuel Calvin was a member of First Presbyterian church and he took some of the first aerial photographs of Iowa City from the top of the tower. But the building is more than a symbol of the Nineteenth Century. Old Brick is also the living record of the contemporary historic preservation moment in Iowa City.
A short version of the story of saving Old Brick goes as follows. By the late 1960s, the First Presbyterian Church had a new pastor and many members of the congregation wanted to move to a new building. Iowa City was undergoing urban renewal and demolition of old buildings was very common. The appeal of the suburbs probably was at its greatest since the major expansion of suburban styled subdivisions in Iowa City during the first decades of the twentieth century. The church decided to move to a new location on the edge of the built up area of town, offering to demolish the building to more easily find a buyer of the property.
In a series of events worthy of a novel or movie adaptation a story unfolded in the local, state, and, at one point, the national press. There were many players including multiple parts of the State government, sometimes working across purposes. University professors from two universities, the The University of Iowa administration, the Iowa Board of Regents, The Iowa Division of Historic Preservation, as well as members of two church congregations and other members of the Iowa City community organized in three different groups all played a role. For the promotional reel, pan in on two members of the church as they nail grievances to the door and then are later excommunicated for causing a disruption. The Iowa Division of Historic Preservation ultimately was a major broker of the final negotiation as were a group that included lawyers and concerned citizens who were vocal in the press and the courts. Again, there is much to tell here at another place or time.
Today, Old Brick is a good example of adaptive reuse of a historic building. Operated by the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa, the main hall, the former sanctuary, serves as an events space sought after by many. The former classrooms and offices serve as low cost rental space for nonprofit organizations.
Links for Old Brick and Friends of Historic Preservation
Old Brick website https://oldbrick.org/
Friends of Historic Preservation https://www.ic-fhp.org/about
Sources
Clarence Ray Aurner, Leading Events in Johnson County, Iowa History. Volume 1. Cedar Rapids, IA: Western Historical Press, 1912, pp. 311–322
Clarence Ray Aurner, Leading Events in Johnson County, Iowa History. Volume 2. Cedar Rapids, IA: Western Historical Press, 1913, pp. 366–367
Daily Iowan, Nov. 23, 1967, p. 1
Daily Iowan, Jan 1, 1974, p. 1
Iowa City’s Friends of Historic Preservation: Their First 25 Years. Iowa City: Friends of Historic Preservation, 2001.
Joseph Hubbard, Chair. The Presbyterian Church in Iowa, 1837–1900: History. Cedar Rapids: Committee of Synod of Iowa, 1907, p. 3
Mrs. Joseph E. [Tillie] Baker, North Presbyterian Church. National Register Nomination Form ID 73000730, Washington, D.C.: Keeper of the Register, National Park Service, 1973
This essay relates to the quiz questions posted on March 14, 2023 and was written by Tim Weitzel.
CC-BY-NC 4.0 or by standard written permission from the author.
0 notes