The Luykas Van Alen House is a rare intact example of 18th century Dutch domestic architecture in the Hudson River valley. The southern half was constructed in 1737 as a two-room house and enlarged around 1750 with the addition of a stair hall and an additional room. The house has a brick facing over a post-and-beam structural frame, a steep pitched wood shingle roof, and full cellar and attic. Recorded by the Historic American Building Survey in 1934, the house is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark. Occupied by members of the Van Alen family until the 1930s, the property was acquired by the Columbia County Historical Society in the early 1960s.

The project consisted of several parts. First, a historic structure report was prepared that included archival research which documented the history of the house, architectural descriptions, identification of problems of repair, and a list of recommendations for restoration and stabilization. Second, a year-long monitoring study recorded temperature and humidity levels in all three levels of the house and compared those interior readings with data gathered at the exterior of the house and the regional weather bureau station. Third, a thorough visual assessment of the house was made to observe and document problem conditions with existing building materials and systems. Significant problem areas were observed in the roof framing that were determined to be partly the result of past water infiltration and inadequate repair techniques.

Subsequent restoration work focused on securing the exterior from water and weather infiltration, and included: major structural repairs to roof rafters, wood posts, and top plate members; replacement of roofing shingles and underlayment; new wood gutters; repair and reconstruction of brick chimneys and parapet walls; brick and stone repointing; repairs to windows and doors; reconstruction of wood stoops; and, site drainage and grading. The restoration work was funded, in part, by a Save America’s Treasures grant.

Project services were performed and directed by Robert A. Petito Jr., AIA, Associate with Jacobs/Wyper, while formerly serving as Principal and Project Manager with John G. Waite Associates, Architects, PLLC.