201 Union St Schenectady

 Young/Carmichael House
 
Prior to 1870 the corner site of this house was the occupied by a Dutch Colonial style vernacular wood frame building that served as the offices of the Phyn and Ellice fur trading company in the 1770s.  In the 19th century, the property was owned by Dr. William North Duane who maintained his office in a building then on the site of No. 203, resided at No. 205, and leased the corner premises to John Fullagar, who was described in an 1841 advertisement as a “General Dealer in Groceries, Dry Goods, Family Medicines, and the first quality Cider Vinegar.”  Later Duane leased the property to a grocery store operated by Peter “Pop” Stickles.  The structure was replaced in c. 1872 by the present house constructed by Levi A. Young, a dealer in pianos, organs, and sheet music who maintained his shop on State Street.  In 1882, Young sold the house to Dr. Benjamin Franklin Carmichael, a dentist, who maintained his office and home in the house until his death in 1944.
 
Designed in the Second Empire style, the house presents a three-part façade that features a mansard roof with tower.  The central section projects slightly forward of the body of the house and contains the main entrance as well as serving as a base for the tower.  The symmetry is broken at the first floor by paired windows to the east of the entrance and a projecting bay window to the west.  The brick façades, laid in an American common bond pattern, rise above a stone foundation.  Tall narrow windows are characteristic of both the Italianate and Second Empire styles.  Windows and the entry door are topped with curved lintels, reflecting the shape of the upper sash, and window sills are supported on small brackets.  The pair of curved-top entry doors contains glazed and wood panels.  The fascia of the cornice is ornamented with round-topped raised panels with small half-round balls centered at each, a detail shared with No. 203 next door.  The mansard roof is covered with a polychrome pattern of gray, green, and red slate shingles that form “floral” rosettes between the dormers, chimneys, and tower.  The mansard roof on the rear wing, visible from the Ferry Street side, was recently re-roofed in new slate that matches the vivid colors and pattern of the original roofing.