Austin, William, House

About this property

The William Austin House is a historic house located at 34 Seneca Street in Trumansburg, Tompkins County, New York. The William Austin House (34 Seneca Street, Trumansburg, NY 14886) was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. Portions of the text below were adapted from a copy of the original nomination document. The William Austin House, built in 1870, is a fashionable, Second Empire style brick dwelling located in the northwestern fringes of the historic core of the village of Trumansburg. The immediate neighborhood around the Austin House consists of late nineteenth and early twentieth century dwellings on relatively small village lots informally landscaped with lawns and mature trees and shrubbery. The dwelling is located on a .68-acre corner lot at the intersection of Seneca and Bradley Streets; a circular gravel driveway provides access to the front (south) facade of the house overlooking Seneca Street. There are no outbuildings located on the property. The Austin house consists of a large, essentially rectangular, 2+1⁄2-story brick main block and an asymmetrically placed rear wing. Overall features of the building include slate-clad, Mansard roofs pierced by dormer windows accented by round or miter-arched lintels; broadly projecting eaves supported by elaborate scroll brackets; and generally regular fenestration, with paired and single double-hung sash predominating. Most window openings are rectangular and feature simple iron sills and flat-arched iron lintels; the second story of the front facade is enlivened by a prominent pair of round-arched windows with keystoned iron lintels. Third-story dormer windows are generally rectangular, although a few asymmetrically placed round-arched windows and oculi accentuate the Mansard roof. The front facade and west elevation of the main block are dominated by a handsome verandah with a slate-clad, Mansard roof pierced by tiny, decorative dormer windows (with round or miter-arched lintels). Bold, square posts with elegant, molded details support the verandah's broadly projecting, bracketed eaves. The main entrance consists of a pair of molded wood doors surmounted by a large, round-arched fanlight. The east elevation of the main block features a prominent, two-story bay window; the east elevation of the rear (north) wing contains a secondary entrance with a small, yet handsome, porch with Victorian-inspired details similar to those found on the front verandah. Many of the building's interior features survive with a high degree of integrity of design, materials and craftsmanship. Notable features include original room configurations, a variety of restrained Victorian era woodwork (window trim; baseboards; wainscoting) and original staircases. Of particular note are four marble fireplaces with elaborate Eastlake inspired details.

Location

Categories

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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