Historic Structure Report, Architectural Data Section: The Playhouse

Pearson, Barbara

The purpose of this report is to record the existing conditions at, and to make recommendations for the preservation/restoration of the Playhouse at Val-Kill, Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site (ELRO NHS), Hyde Park, New York. The Playhouse is a long, one-story, frame structure located behind (northeast of) the factory building that later became Mrs. Roosevelt's home. The Playhouse as it exists today was built in four phases. The southeast end is the oldest section, having been built sometime around 1928 to serve as a three-car garage and tool shed. The middle portion was added in the 1930's, while the building was being remodeled to serve as a forge and metal-working shop for Val-Kill Industries. Numerous interior changes were made in 1941, when the forge building was converted into a recreation room and small apartment. It was because of this that the building acquired the name "Playhouse." Finally, John Roosevelt had the northwest wing built on top of the 1941 stone patio, in the process of converting the entire building into one large apartment sometime after 1962. The report gives an architectural history of the site, as well as communicates the existing conditions of and recommendations for the exterior, interior, and mechanical systems of the site. 1961 was decided as the time in the site's history to emulate. To accomplish that restoration, the report recommends selective demolition, detail restoration, repairs, painting, and various interior adjustments.

Historic Structure Report, Architectural Data Section: The Playhouse

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