The Walrath House, Oneida, NY

The Walrath House, Oneida, NY. 1866 Photo: Doug Kerr

Photo: Carol

The Walrath house, 1866, at 410 Main St. seems to have been a generational home for the Walrath clan, a family that includes civil servants and businessmen. This home is next to the Berry House posted previously. The house is a symmetrical plan villa with a brick facade and displays the fine woodwork that seems to be a vernacular characteristic of mid-19th century Oneida. I might say though, people in this town could try other colors besides white; there are so many more possibilities! The central bay projects (Oneida architects love the centralized emphasis) and features rectangular windows with stately pedimented and flat molding window surrounds. The central bay, however, contains some surprises. First off, on the second story there is a pair of tombstone windows, but surprisingly, they are segmental arched rather than round headed, causing the hood molded to intersect a little oddly. The porch itself is a tour de force of design with three arched bays that follow the triple arched palladian design, yet the central bay is unsupported by anything, with the arches terminating in rich finials. The lack of supports no doubt explains some of the sagging going on. The porch brackets themselves are a unique shape with a large c scroll with a smaller c scroll inside, making them look like claws. The cornice itself is paneled with inset windows that have an overlay with a very cool shouldered square (a shape where the corners of a square are rounded and there are rectangular protuberances at each long angle of the square). The brackets are of the s and c scroll type with strapwork. Perhaps what I like the most is the octagonal cupola, always an exciting change of pace. Here it has paired tombstone windows with a full cornice and brackets to match. Interior views can be seen here.