325 sites throughout all 20 townships and the city of Kingston in New York State's Ulster County illustrate the variety and changing architectural styles that have appeared over nearly 300 years in the Hudson River Valley and Catskill Mountains, from 17th-century Dutch limestone houses of the colonial era, through the Federal and Victorian periods, up to the Modernist architecture of the mid-1950s, tracing the history of one of the first regions in today's New York State to be settled by Europeans. The author's survey of Ulster County architecture takes the reader through the cataclysm of the Revolution and the burning of the city of Kingston, New York State's first capital, in 1777, through post-Revolutionary expansion and the burgeoning commerce on the Hudson River, to the industrial revolution, the building of canals, and the railroad age. Information on most sites includes the histories of the owners, the architects, and the builders, as well as the social and historical context within which the structures were built. 340 illustrations Truly a tour de force for the touring (or armchair) fan of architecture and regional history, this book presents, town by town, the extraordinary quality and diversity of a county s built environment. Professor Rhoads provides a notable public service in bringing into focus a glorious gallimaufry of landmarks, from settler s stone cottage to tycoon s mansion and wilderness camp, from river lighthouse to one-room school, from castle-like prison and vast waterworks to sumptuous church and art colony, from cast-iron storefront to modernist glass house. Prodigiously researched and richly illustrated, the brief entries are nevertheless written with a light touch; through the often colorful snapshots of builders and architects and what they wrought, we view the evolution of building types and styles and indeed the whole economic and social development of a region. --John Winthrop Aldrich, former NYS Deputy Commissioner for Historic Preservation Equally suited to armchair or passenger seat, William Rhoads guide serves to enchant and inform readers and adventurers alike. This comprehensive review of Ulster Countys architecture from the colonial era through the 1950s runs the gamut from diners and drive-ins to country estates and riverfront monasteries. With extensive details about owners and builders as well as architectural styles and significance, it also gives the reader a glimpse into the county s social history. This is a guide that surpasses the traditional necessities where and what and arrives at the why of these treasures. --Christopher Pryslopski, Associate Editor, The Hudson River Valley Review The book in your hand will serve as a most excellent guide, and for the armchair browsing the author recommends, a rich history. It is a meticulous, thoughtful and charming account of the structures of Ulster County of the Empire States sixty-two counties one of the most historic and bountiful. --Joan K. Davidson, President, Furthermore: a program of the J.M. Kaplan Fund, and former Commissioner of NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Praise for "Ulster County, New York: The Architectural History & Guide" "In a world roiled by constant motion, and dislocation, and hardship, our fond places can provide a longed-for sense of steadiness, and contentment. Professor Rhoads's careful work affords us this perception. The book in your hand will serve as a most excellent guide, and for the armchair browsing the author recommends, a rich history. It is a meticulous, thoughtful and charming account of the structures of Ulster County of the Empire State's sixty-two counties one of the most historic and bountiful." Joan K. Davidson, President, Furthermore: a program of the J.M. Kaplan Fund, and former Commissioner of NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation "Truly a tour de force for the touring (or armchair) fan of architecture and regional history, this book presents, town by town, the extraordinary quality and diversity of a county's built environment. Professor Rhoads provides a notable public service in bringing into focus a glorious gallimaufry of landmarks, from settler's stone cottage to tycoon's mansion and wilderness camp, from river lighthouse to one-room school, from castle-like prison and vast waterworks to sumptuous church and art colony, from cast-iron storefront to modernist glass house. Prodigiously researched and richly illustrated, the brief entries are nevertheless written with a light touch; through the often colorful snapshots of builders and architects and what they wrought, we view the evolution of building types and styles and indeed the whole economic and social development of a region." John Winthrop Aldrich, former NYS Deputy Commissioner for Historic Preservation Equally suited to armchair or passenger seat, William Rhoads's guide serves to enchant and inform readers and adventurers alike. This comprehensive review of Ulste