Dr. Sylvester Willard Mansion
Dr. Sylvester Willard Mansion | |
![]() Dr. Sylvester Willard Mansion | |
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Location | 203 W. Genesee St., Auburn, New York |
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Coordinates | 42°55′39″N 76°34′30″W / 42.92750°N 76.57500°WCoordinates: 42°55′39″N 76°34′30″W / 42.92750°N 76.57500°W |
Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
Built | 1836 |
Architectural style | Greek Revival, Neoclassical |
NRHP reference No. | 89001948[1] |
Added to NRHP | November 13, 1989 |
Dr. Sylvester Willard Mansion, also known as the Cayuga Museum of History and Art, is a historic mansion and related outbuildings located in Auburn, Cayuga County, New York state.
Architecture[]
The Willard Mansion is a monumental Greek Revival style brick mansion, originally built in 1836-1843 by Dr. Sylvester Willard. It had Classical Revival wings added in the late 19th century. It is a two-story, five bay, center hall building, resting on a stone foundation.
The front facade features a monumental Greek Revival pedimented portico with massive fluted Ionic columns. A large dining wing and small palazzo-like wing was added to the main block in the 1870s-1880s. The interior features a rare example of a Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company domestic window added about 1894-1896.
The property also includes an ornate, late 19th century cast iron fence with stone pillars, and an elaborate wrought iron garden gate with cast iron embellishments.
Cinema research[]
In 1916, the Willard Mansion was acquired by Theodore Case (1888–1944). He converted several outbuildings to pursue his cinema technology research projects: a former 19th century carriage house, converted into an experimental movie studio, and a former 19th century greenhouse, converted in 1916 to the Case Research Laboratory, to support his research into sound-on-film technology.
Ted Case was an American physicist and inventor known for the invention of the Movietone optical sound-on-film method for sound films ("talkies").
Museum[]
The property now houses the Cayuga Museum of History and Art and Case Research Lab.[2] It is a history museum with collections of fine art and local history, and a cinema museum presenting the work of the Case Research Laboratory.
The Dr. Sylvester Willard Mansion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.[1]
Gallery[]
Tiffany window detail.
Tiffany window close-up detail.
Elaborate cast and wrought iron garden gate.
See also[]
- Willard Memorial Chapel-Welch Memorial Hall
- Theodore Case
- Theodore Case Sound Test: Gus Visser and His Singing Duck
- Movietone sound system
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Cayuga County, New York
References[]
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ Nancy L. Todd (August 1989). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Dr. Sylvester Willard Mansion". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2009-11-10.See also: "Accompanying 23 photos".
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dr. Sylvester Willard Mansion. |
- Houses in Cayuga County, New York
- Museums in Cayuga County, New York
- Art museums and galleries in New York (state)
- Cinema museums in the United States
- History museums in New York (state)
- Historic house museums in New York (state)
- Houses completed in 1843
- 1843 in New York (state)
- Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)
- Neoclassical architecture in New York (state)
- Greek Revival houses in New York (state)
- 1843 establishments in New York (state)
- National Register of Historic Places in Cayuga County, New York