House of the Seven Roofs

Ancramdale, NY

Farmhouse complex reconstruction in upstate New York

A horse breeder dedicated to maintaining open space in Columbia County called on Fradkin & McAlpin to restore and redesign a tumbledown Greek Revival farmhouse acquired when purchasing an adjacent farm. The house, stripped down to its timber frame, was reconstructed with a series of pavilionlike elements that recall the forms of similar local Greek Revivals, with their many added ells and wings. As you round the bend in the quiet country road on which the structure is sited, there is no sign that this special place is anything but a vintage house that was preserved intact through the centuries.

Key details

• Designed the transformation of a dilapidated 19th-century house into a polished home
• Filled interiors with reclaimed woods—walls and ceilings as well as floors
• Clad the exterior in pine siding, left to weather naturally to soft gray
• To add distinction to the enormous barn across the road, added a cupola and a series of square windows

Fact Sheet (168 KB PDF)