21 N Ferry St Schenectady

 Swart Apartments
 
Prior to its construction, the lot on which the Swart Apartment building stands was occupied by a simple two-story wood frame house.  The property was acquired by Maggie E. Swart, who occupied the adjacent home at 23 N Ferry St., in 1898.  The present apartment structure reflects the increasing population density of the Stockade in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as small single family wood structures and vacant side yards were replaced with larger homes or multi-family housing structures.  This building features a formal symmetrical facade that simulates the appearance of a single family house with paired bay windows and gabled dormer window pediments that create a picturesque profile against the skyline.  The architectural detailing includes references to Schenectady’s Dutch heritage by the use of Baroque stepped dormer pediments with curved gables, stamped sheet metal panels in the dormer facing that simulate clay tile wall shingles and roofing shingles on the sloping face of the roof, and the diagonal muntins in windows and door transoms that recall the early diamond pane leaded-glass window sash of 18th century houses in the Mohawk Valley.