43 Washington Ave Schenectady

JOHN SANDERS HOUSE and  Schenectady Female Academy

In 1791 John Glen sold two Washing­ton Avenue lots, one to Alexander McMichael and the other to John Bon­ney, reserving a mortgage on each piece. Here the two men erected two separate houses. The one owned by McMichael has a brick floor in the attic and a hoist block in the rear of the attic. The house of John Bonney has a regulation wooden floor. In 1803 John Sanders forclosed on both pieces of property, and at some later date the two houses were incorpor­ated into one building, now known as Numbers 43 and 45. One of the interes­ting and unexplained features is an arch­way, completely bricked but still plainly seen on the front face of the building. It was here the Schenectady Female Academy was housed for many years.

 Originally constructed between 1785 and 1791 for John Glen Jr. on land that was formerly the rear yard of #1 Union St., the property passed to John Sanders and his son Robert Sanders, of Glenville, in the early 19th century.  In 1837 the property was sold to James W. Beekman of New York City, a nephew of Robert Sanders, and remained in Beekman family ownership until 1921, when sold to others, and appears to have been used primarily as rental property.  From 1834 to 1837, a portion was the site of the Schenectady Female Academy, also known as the Schenectady Female Seminary, or informally as “Miss Sheldon’s School.”  Miss Urania Sheldon, the school’s founder, married Union College president Eliphalet Nott in 1842. The building was originally constructed as two attached Federal style houses.  The left hand or northern portion, No. 43, was constructed with a carriage drive-through that was located at the site of the present entrance and hallway.  The facade is constructed of brick laid in Flemish bond, with brownstone beltcourses and lintels over a sandstone foundation wall, and painted wood six-over-six double hung window sash.  An arch of brickwork to the left of the present entry marks the location of the original entrance door to No. 43.  A separate entry to No. 45, located to the right (or south side) of the present entrance, survived into the early 20th century.  In-fill brickwork can be seen below the sill of the window to the right of the existing entry door.  That entrance opened into a hall that led to a graceful Federal style open stair that ascended from the first to third floors, with a skylight above.  As a result, the principal parlor and bedrooms in the southwest corner of the house extend across three-quarters of the original width of the house.  Many rooms retain mantels, doors and trim, cornice moldings, and other elements of the period.  A cooking fireplace with integral bee-hive oven remains in the basement of No. 45.