13 River Street, Cooperstown: Part 1 – The History of the Property

After nine and a half years of ownership and planning, we started the rehabilitation of a property that we understand to date from the 1810s. The building at 13 River Street in the historic Village of Cooperstown, was originally constructed as an addition to the c.1790s Federal-style home at 15 River Street. This wood-framed one story plus basement and attic addition, despite at least three later expansions and major alterations retained much of its original timber-framing, stone foundations and a handful of its original windows.

When built it was oriented with its roof ridge parallel to River Street, and neatly tucked under and attached to the north gable end of 15 River Street. Over the decades and even centuries however, this original 15½’ x 17’ one-and-a-half story block was extended to the north doubling its length, then had its roof raised to accommodate a full height second floor. Both these alterations occurred in the mid/late 19th century. This resulted in the insertion of second floor windows where there had been none, that unfortunately were cut through the heavy timber roof plate. The original gabled roof was changed to a single slope shed roof pitched to the rear which as a result bisected the gable end roof eave in two different locations making for a complicated and not so successful flashing detail. Regardless, this condition appears to have endured until the next renovation in 1940, when the front northwest corner was expanded outward to accommodate a new kitchen renovation in a one-story bump out that included a covered entry porch.

While the 19th century additions matched the original construction in materials and construction technique (mortise & tenon heavy timbers and limestone foundation walls), the 20th century additions deviated dramatically, and even involved the removal of original fabric. This 1940s addition was built with concrete/cinder block foundations, dimensional lumber in conventional platform framing, and modern for the time counterweighted double hung windows. This addition, while small in footprint (only 6’x16’), involved the removal of a portion of the front timber sill beam, the diagonal wind braces as the corner posts and a large section of the 24” deep stone foundation wall. The final stage of expansion to this small non-descript but 150 year old building was in the late 20th century, approximately 1970s, with a two story addition off the rear northeast corner of the house. By this point the building, while still attached to 15 River Street had been subdivided with its own deed. This rear addition included a finished basement with two rooms, a large first floor room with windows on three sides and a deck and screened porch off the east walls. Given the earlier change in the roof form, these additions followed suit with single slope shed roofs pitching all rain water toward the rear of the property that sloped down to the edge of the Susquehanna River. Similar to the 1940s addition, this addition used the materials and construction techniques of its time – poured concrete slab on grade, pine dimensional lumber framing, OSB plywood, fiberglass batt insulation, drywall, pressure-treated lumber for the decking and screened porch and rubber membrane roofing.

When all was said and done, the small nearly square early 19th century block was almost completely hidden from view, enveloped by modern construction and left lacking much of its original character. It is no wonder that the National Register nomination for the Cooperstown Historic District gives barely a note of its history and none of its significance. Besides, these character-compromising alterations, this section of River Street was considered the Village’s early industrial section with the properties along this River row and in particular structures down below along the River formerly serving boat repairs, ice house, a brewery and bottling plant.