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Cloverly
Photograph by John E. Reinhardt
Cloverly, c. 1900
Photograph courtesy of John F. Matthews |
One of the most remarkable buildings in the Chestnut Street Historic District, "Cloverly" was built in the mid-1890s for James VanDeusen, part owner of VanDeusen Brothers, a wholesale drug firm that made "VanDuesen's Ready Remedy" and other "patent" medicines. The Chestnut Street District consists of large houses built for the middle and upper-class beneficiaries of the prosperity created by the Rondout area's role as a Hudson River Valley transportation center. Subsequent owners of the house were engaged in the shipping business, banking and manufacturing interests of the Rondout area. Cloverly is an excellent reflection of the area's late 19th-century exuberant growth and prosperity. Aesthetically, Cloverly offers a rich mix of architectural styles and influences. The gambrel roof of the main section is a Dutch Colonial Revival stylistic feature, but projecting wings are topped with the slanted Second Empire style mansard roofs. Other decorative features point to the earlier Italianate style, while columns, and Palladian windows suggest the influence of the more formal Colonial Revival style. A tower perches on the left side of this amazingly varied building, an obvious element of the Queen Anne style. Over 100 fan-lights, portals, and casement windows adorn Cloverly. Recently restored, Cloverly stands near the top of a hill overlooking the Rondout area, commanding an impressive view of the transportation hub that made its construction possible.
Cloverly is located at 70 West Chestnut Street, within the West Chestnut Street Historic District. The building is a private residence and not open to the public.
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