Landmarks has issued a Request for Qualifications and Proposals for the Rutger Park Restoration Project. Please email rutgerpark@gmail.com for a copy.
Issue Date: August 8, 2011
Property Walk Through: August 23, 2011
Response Date: August 29, 2011 by 5 pm
I. SUMMARY
The Landmarks Society of Greater Utica (“Landmarks”) is seeking qualifications and proposals for professional services to prepare TWO (2) historic structure reports (HSR Parts 1 and 2) and TWO (2) cultural landscape reports (CLR Parts 1 and 2) for the nationally significant mansions at Numbers 1 and 3 Rutger Park, to include the now vacant lot where 2 Rutger Park once stood and the associated common estate grounds. In addition, the successful candidate might be engaged to provide design and construction documents for as many as three priority projects.
Because research regarding contextual and property-specific history is required for all four documents, proposals providing coordinated services for both the HSRs and CLRs are preferred. However, separate HSR and CLR proposals also are welcome. ALL work product produced through this RFQ/ RFP, including copyrights, will become the property of The Landmarks Society of Greater Utica.
This project, and subsequent physical work at Rutger Park, will be reviewed by the New York State Historic Preservation Office regularly to ensure conformance with the US Department of the Interior, Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and various companion Guidelines documents.
Landmarks currently has 2008 Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) grant funds under administration for the services requested here from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation under the 1993 NYS Environmental Protection Act. Additional funds are being/ will be sought to complete subsequent phases of the project.
Respondents are strongly encouraged, but not required, to visit 1 and 3 Rutger Park in Utica, NY before submitting a response. A formal walk-through of the property will be held on Tuesday August 23, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. Please register in advance by calling (315) 520-9851 anytime before August 23. All questions should be submitted in written form via email to <rutgerpark@gmail.com> and answers will be distributed, in writing, to all interested parties.
Responses to this Request for Qualifications and Proposal must be received no later than 5:00 pm August 29, 2011. Responses should be sent to:
Rutger Park c/o Bonacci Architects :: 6320 Fly Road :: East Syracuse, NY 13057
(315) 437-2636 (For delivery purposes only. No phone calls, please.)
PROJECT SCHEDULE:
RFQ/ RFP Issued -- August 8, 2011
Property Walk Through -- August 23, 2011
Receipt of RFP/ RFQ Responses -- August 29, 2011 by 5 p.m.
Candidates Selected for Interview -- September 2, 2011
Interviews Completed -- September 16, 2011
Consultant Selected -- September 19, 2011
Consultant Engagement -- September 23, 2011
Draft Documents -- HSRs, June 2012; CLRs, September 2012
Final Documents -- HSR, July 2012; CLRs, October 2012
Presentation of Documents -- November 2012
Possible Limited Construction -- Spring/Summer 2012
II. BACKGROUND, SOCIAL HISTORY
RUTGER PARK:
The entire Rutger-Steuben Park National Historic District encompasses the mansions of Rutger Park, the properties that front onto Steuben Park, and all Rutger Street properties from Steuben Park to Taylor Avenue and Second Street in Utica, NY. The district is architecturally significant for the numerous and varied examples of nineteenth century residential architecture types, and for being one of the largest groupings of Italianate style structures in America.
The centerpiece of the neighborhood are the five original mansions of Rutger Park which, until the 1994 demolition of Number 2, offered a nearly complete ensemble of major nineteenth century American domestic architecture styles. The elegant mansions not only reflect the stature of their early owners, but also the general prosperity of Utica between 1830 and 1890. During that period the opening of the Erie and Chenango Canals, the establishment of the textile industry in Utica and along the Oriskany and Sauquoit Creeks, the building of railroads, the continuing agricultural production, including the export of cheddar cheese and hops, brought major economic growth to Central New York, from which Utica especially benefited.
NUMBER 3:
Rutger Park was only a portion of a large farm tract owned by Rutger Bleecker of Albany. Bleecker divided his property in Utica among his children, and hired Morris Smith Miller to manage his affairs. Miller came to Utica in 1806 and soon after his arrival married Bleecker’s daughter, Maria. He began planning for “Miller’s Seat” including the placement of the main structure and construction of its foundations and the masonry wall along the Rutger Park northern boundary, which all were completed in the late 1820s. The Millers eventually had five children, and after Morris Miller’s death in 1824, his wife and eldest son Rutger Bleecker Miller engaged the services of noted Albany architect Philip Hooker to design the house.
Completed c1830, Number 3 stood alone in Rutger Park at a considerable distance from the village center, and was difficult to get to. Yet, Rutger Bleecker Miller was the first in a long and distinguished line to use the stately home at “Miller’s Seat” as his power base, living there until 1841. His mother lived in Number 3 until her death in 1850. At that time, the Rutger Bleecker Farm was divided into the parcels for the five mansions that ultimately occupied Rutger Park.
Thomas R. Walker, publisher of the Columbian Gazette and Mayor of Utica from 1849-50, purchased Number 3 in 1859 and, like the former owners, entertained many notable guests at the property. In 1868 Walker sold Number 3 to his law partner US Senator Roscoe Conkling who was then at the height of his considerable national political power. Number 3 was Conkling’s political headquarters for 20 years until his death. His political tenure coincided with that of another national political leader from Utica, Democrat Francis Kernan, and so Rutger Park became the site of social gatherings attended by America’s leading national political figures that often represented completely opposing positions.
Conkling died in 1888 and the property passed to his daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth G. Oakman, who in March 1894 sold it to Nicholas E. Kernan, who added electricity and constructed the large two-story stone kitchen addition to the southeast. When Kernan died in 1903, the property passed to his wife, Harriet. In 1952 the Dowling family purchased 1, 2 and 3 Rutger Park, living in Number 3 as a single-family residence until c1983. The home sat vacant until June 2008, when Landmarks purchased it for restoration.
The property is recognized as a contributing element to the federal, State and locally designated Rutger-Steuben Park Historic District. Moreover, the property was declared an individual National Historic Landmark in 1975 due to the national prominence of the various owners and their distinguished guests, principal architectural designer, and the many important events that took place here. (See Attachment A for Supplemental Histories & Descriptions).
NUMBER 2:
From 1830 until 1850, the grounds surrounding Number 3 Rutger Park were planted with gardens that covered the entire block. In 1850, the property was subdivided into five lots and ground was broken for Number 2 Rutger Park (c1850) immediately to the west.
Its first owner, J. Wyman Jones sold it in 1856 to the Reverend Philemon H. Fowler of the First Presbyterian Church of Utica, who in turn sold it to the Gilbert Butler family in 1886, who lived there until 1958. The property was then sold to the Dowling family, who left the mansion vacant in 1975 and afforded it minimal attention. The building fell into disrepair, and in 1994 Number 2 Rutger Park was demolished by the Dowling family due to their prolonged lack of maintenance. The Landmarks purchased the Number 2 parcel in June 2008. The grassy lot where the home was stands empty today, flanked by Numbers 1 and 3.
NUMBER 1:
In 1850, the “long lot” was subdivided out of the main Rutger Bleecker Farm parcel and sold by the Millers to Mary Jane Munn. Soon after the purchase, Alexander Jackson Davis designed Number 1 Rutger Park (c1850) in the Italian Villa style. For many years the home was known as “Munn’s Castle” after its original owners. John Munn was a banker who had made a fortune in Mississippi before returning to Utica with his southern wife Mary Jane, who entertained lavishly “in true southern style” - the home even boasted a built in pipe organ, now lost.
In 1864 Mrs. Munn sold the estate to Samuel Remington, then Vice President of Remington Arms. In 1868 Samuel was promoted to President of Remington and reassigned to Europe. The house was then sold to Ellen M. and John C. Devereux, who occupied it until 1879, when they sold it to the Green family.
Walter Jerome Green, Sr. was a member of Charles Green & Son of Utica. Known as a national leader in financial circles, he was also active in the railroads, serving as president of the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Halifax Railroad in Florida. He was married to Sarah Ketelhuyn Swartwout Green. Their son, Walter Jerome Green, Jr. moved to the house when he was five, and lived there until he died at the age of 76. Walter Jr. was married to Mary Jane Hubbard, of Hubbardsville, who was a descendant of Captain Abraham Swartwout, who provided the dark blue cloth for the first American Flag to fly from a colonial military post, which was made and unfurled on August 3, 1777 at Ft. Stanwix. Walter Jr. died in 1951 and willed the house and grounds to Grace Episcopal Church.
In 1952, the Dowling family purchased Number 1 from the church, and divided its grand rooms to accommodate a private nursing care facility, where Mrs. Dowling lived during the last years of her life until her death in 2004. Number 1 remained vacant until Landmarks purchased the property from the Dowling estate in June 2008. (See Attachment A for Supplemental Histories & Descriptions).
III. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
RUTGER PARK:
While the block-long estate grounds are still intact and undeveloped, the common gardens are overgrown and neglected, and there is a near complete loss of Rutger Park’s original plant material, which featured white and purple lilacs, snow balls, syringas, mountain ash, honey locusts, “Bleecker plum” and apple trees. The design of the winding driveway paths and circular slate central walkway are intact, but are under brush and lawn in most places. Happily, Judge Morris Miller’s original stone wall with its wide coping and center entrance is fully intact, and still marks the 666-foot long northern property border along Rutger Street.
The overall physical condition of #1 and #3 is sound, but poor, with some areas of specific and notable deterioration present. Lack of maintenance has caused serious damage to both roof systems, and there is evidence of long-term moisture infiltration. Likewise, there are several inappropriate modifications have been made to both mansions, such as contemporary finishes, incompatible materials and unsympathetic enclosure of porches.
Yet, this deferred maintenance has some benefit. Because they were never “remodeled”, the mansions retain exceptional architectural integrity. The highly illustrative multi-paneled Zuber wallpaper mural still graces the dining room of Number 3, and multiple converted gas light fixtures, original doors, hardware and fireplaces still adorn the grand public rooms. Even the basements have preserved irreplaceable artifacts, including Number 3’s early heating and cooling system, which was an engineering marvel of its day and was an early precursor to the heat pump.
NUMBER 3:
#3 Rutger Park is deeply set back from the street like the other four mansions, and occupies the center of Rutger Park. Historically, the grounds featured a large circular walk and driveway in front of the house and another in the rear, with an orchard south of the main house.
Designed by Philip Hooker, the mansion is an outstanding example of the Greek Revival style, being executed in brick with a stucco surface scored to simulate limestone blocks. The two story main mass is roughly 50 x 70 ft., and was originally flanked by two, one-story wings with pedimented porticos. In the 1850s one pavilion was removed to allow construction of Number 2 Rutger Park. The other wing was detached and moved to the rear of Number 2, but has since been lost. The current porch, two-story kitchen wing and the dormers were 1894 additions. An upper piazza originally extended across the carriage drives, and ran across to the roofs of the wings, connecting the barns, the grapery and the greenhouse. The balustrade at the main and porch roofs has been removed, leaving the low slung hipped roof with overhanging eaves supported by a wide, simple frieze board.
The first floor central hall is flanked on the west by front and back parlors with matching black marble fireplaces, carved wood door and window detailing, tiered crystal chandeliers, ornate plaster crown moldings, paneled shutters and ceiling medallions. To the east is the veneer-paneled library with center fireplace, four-foot high built-in bookshelves, a wide window seat with paneled shutters, simple plaster crown moldings and millwork carved in high relief. Beyond the library is the dining room with damaged but otherwise intact Zuber wallpaper. The room also features four foot high paneled wainscoting, paneled shutters and a central wood and marble fireplace surround. The 1894 Kernan addition adjoins the dining room, and features the butler’s pantry with floor-to-ceiling built-in cabinets, the kitchen complex and a powder room.
Behind a mirrored hall divider at the central hall rear is another powder room, the servant’s basement entrance and the elliptical main staircase leading up to the second floor hallway gallery, sleeping/ dressing rooms and two full bathrooms. Originally the back rooms of both second and first floors opened onto a wide piazza that extended the entire width of the house.
The basement housed the original kitchen with huge fireplaces, fruits and vegetables cellars, pantries and a servant’s room. The early heating and cooling system with its wooden chutes and dividers remains, along with a later wine cellar. Additional servant’s quarters were in the attic.
Number 3 had had three major, known renovations. The first was between 1868 and 1888, when Italianate features were applied to the mansion; the gardens were trimmed and new walkways, evergreens and imported shrubs installed; and latticed porches added to the old barn.
The second major renovation was completed c1894, and included the addition of the large two-story wing housing the kitchen complex, an extensive butler’s pantry and a small powder room. Mechanical upgrades included installing hot and cold running water throughout the house, a new gas furnace in the basement and heaters in every room.
The third renovation was completed c1929, and included the joining of the parlors, wiring for electricity and the reconfiguration of the second floor to accommodate updated bathrooms and sleeping rooms.
Despite these alterations, Number 3 retains outstanding historic integrity to Hooker’s original design with the vast majority of the original exterior materials intact; although in generally poor condition with spalling stucco, painted over stonework and incompatible parging. Some of the sand paint is missing, mortar joints are deteriorated/damaged, the front porch supports are failing and most importantly the roof, dormers, chimneys, fascia and porches are all in critical condition. (See Attachment A for Supplemental Histories & Descriptions).
NUMBER 2:
#2 Rutger Park c1852 (demolished 1994) was the second house constructed in the Park. The towered Italian Villa style home was based on a plan that Alexander Jackson Davis provided for his friend Andrew Jackson Downing, who published it as Design VI in his famous pattern book ‘Cottage Residences of 1842’. In the same book, Downing included the plans for laying out the gardens, orchards, grounds and even included various plants to be used. Characterized by its large porches and bay windows, it was constructed of cedar board and batten siding. Large, ornate roof corbels supported the blue-grey slate roof.
The structure was demolished in 1994, though key interior features remain in #1 Rutger Park’s Carriage House. Today, the lot stands vacant flanked by #1 and #3.
NUMBER 1:
Constructed on “the long lot” at the western edge of Rutger Park and designed by Alexander Jackson Davis c1850, Number 1 contains one of the finest examples of an Italianate Gothic Villa anywhere. It exhibits the key features of the style, including a roofline punctuated by a tall tower and smaller companion tower, wide overhanging eaves, prominent roof brackets, tall narrow arched windows arranged in groups, large double doors, balustraded porches and bay windows.
Originally the building had a wide, open veranda porch to the east and a wrap-around colonnaded porch to the west. Like Number 3, its exterior surfaces were originally sand painted and scored to simulate limestone. Currently the mansion’s exterior is in poor condition overall, with the roof system, chimneys, porches and balustrades exhibiting critical deterioration and requiring priority treatment.
The central mass is dominated by two adjacent towers, with the taller one capped by a projecting, bracketed roof and containing an oversized arched entry portico, doors and windows. The shorter tower has a large bay window with balustrade on the first floor. Adjacent the towers are two roughly symmetrical masses, the colonnade to the west with its large square support columns; and the veranda to the east, which has been inappropriately modified by an enclosure with steel door and vinyl windows.
The oversized, arched double front doors of the taller tower lead to a large reception hall with echoing archways, pocket doors and oversized windows with shutters. The main circular staircase rises from here to the upper floors, and is topped by an original multi-colored stained glass skylight. The primary first floor rooms have high ceilings and large windows with shutters. Original chandeliers remain in the dining room and the library.
Through the reception hall at the rear of the first floor are a pair of two story ells, which were later additions that accommodated service functions, including the kitchen and a powder room. The second floor was altered substantially and now contains a maze of smaller bedrooms and dressing rooms, including a 1920s bathroom.
The attic contained servants’ quarters and provides access to the tower and roof. The basement contains three previous HVAC systems.
The mansion had two known major renovations. The first was during the Victorian period, when ornate plaster medallions, ceilings and crown moldings, tiled fireplaces, copper foil library ceiling, tapestry wall coverings and handsome arched corner built-ins were added to the downstairs rooms. The second took place in the 1950s to convert the building into a private nursing home. Modifications included painting over the first floor’s tapestry wall coverings, installation of a commercial sprinkler system, illuminated exit signs, steel fire doors, escape lights, surface-mounted wiring and construction of fire separation walls.
During the last private ownership only routine and piecemeal maintenance occurred. Critical cyclical repairs were not made, resulting in the current state of damage and deterioration. Despite these conditions, Number 1 retains outstanding historic integrity to Davis’ original design with the vast majority of the original exterior features and materials still intact. (See Attachment A for Supplemental Histories & Descriptions).
IV. FUTURE USE
Landmarks currently is considering a wide range of options for future uses at the Rutger Park properties, including but not limited to turning Rutger Park, in its entirety, into a National Trust Site devoted to 19th Century Politics and Architecture.
Number 3 Rutger Park -- The building might be used to house exhibits on Utica’s place in 19th Century politics, highlighting Roscoe Conkling and including a multimedia production recounting various aspects of his public and private life. Accompanying exhibits would be devoted to the other families and organizations associated with Rutger Park. The landscape might be restored to recreate the original front gardens and other outdoor spaces.
Number1 Rutger Park -- The building might be used to house exhibits related to Utica’s architectural history, landscape architecture and lost landmarks. The landscape might be restored to recreate the original front gardens and other outdoor spaces.
In addition, selected spaces in both buildings as well as on the grounds would be made available to rent for special events on a fee-for-hire basis.
Neighborhood Improvements -- Properties on the south side of Rutger Park (South Street) might be acquired and redeveloped. A stone wall resembling the one on Rutger Street might be constructed to enclose a parking area south of the historic buildings. Utilities could be buried from Park Ave and South Street to Steuben Park, across Rutger Street to Taylor Ave. A new sidewalk streetscape and lighting might be installed, with similar improvements to John Street from Bleecker Street to Rutger Street.
2 Rutger Park -- Long-range plans call for the eventual reconstruction of the lost main structure for use as the administration building for the overall site as well as the Landmarks Society.
V. PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The project involves the development of an HSR Parts 1 & 2 and CLR Part 1 & 2 for both Number 3 and Number 1 Rutger Park; potentially including development construction documents for several priority projects, if project resources allow.
The organization and content for each HSR and CLR will meet current professional standards for such documents (see attached HSR/CLR outline in Attachment C).
Each Report is intended to:
- Summarize the property history as a context for each building/landscape
- Research and document the historic development of each building/landscape using known sources as well as physical evidence
- Document and evaluate existing physical conditions
- Assess historic significance and integrity of features of each building/landscape, identifying contributing and non-contributing components
- Provide overall and specific recommendations for treatments
Available information about 1, 2 and 3 Rutger Park includes:
- A property survey (on file with County Clerk)
- Separate Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) TA/Conditions Reports by Crawford & Stearns on 1 and 3 (on file with Landmarks)
- Separate, professional appraisals for 1 and 3 (on file with Landmarks)
- Architectural plans for Number 1 (The Metropolitan Museum, NYC)
- National Register submission listing (on file with Landmarks)
- Archived press clippings (on Landmarks website)
- City of Utica Master Plan (http://www.uticamasterplan.org)
- Historical Sanborn maps (on file with Landmarks)
The following materials also are available to aid with the project:
- Memorial History of Utica, by M.M. Bagg (1892)
- Pioneers of Utica, by M.M. Bagg (1877)
- Sketch of Old Utica, by Blandina Dudley Miller (1913)
- History of the Mohawk Valley: Gateway to the West 1614-1925, Volume II edited by Nelson Greene (1925)
- The Gentleman from New York: A Life of Roscoe Conkling, by Donald Barr Chidsey (1935)
- Utica for a Century and a Half, by T. Wood Clarke (1952)
- Vignettes of Old Utica, by John J. Walsh (1982)
- Cottage Residences of 1842, Design VI, by Andrew Jackson Downing - reprinted as Andrew Jackson Downing, Victorian Cottage Residences, Dover Publications (1981)
- Philip Hooker and His Contemporaries, 1796-1836 (1993)
- Archives, Photographs & Collections, Oneida County Historical Society
VI. FORM OF RESPONSE
Respondents are strongly encouraged to visit the property before submitting a response. A formal Property Walk Through will be held on August 23, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. Please register in advance by contacting (315) 520-9851 anytime before August 23.
All questions should be submitted in written form via email to <rutgerpark@gmail.com> and answers will be distributed, in writing, to all interested parties.
Interested respondents must submit six (6) full printed copies of their proposals. Facsimile and email materials are not acceptable. Responses to this Request for Qualifications and Proposal must be received no later than 5:00 pm August 29, 2011.
Responses should be sent to:
Rutger Park
c/o Bonacci Architects
6320 Fly Road
East Syracuse, NY 13057
(315) 437-2636 (For delivery purposes only. No phone calls, please.)
ALL work product produced through this RFQ/ RFP, including copyrights, will become the property of The Landmarks Society of Greater Utica.
Responses Must Include:
1. A brief description of individual and/or firm history, areas of expertise, and staffing. Provide a list and description of recent relevant projects, prioritizing those involving:
§ mid-19th Century residential buildings and landscapes
§ properties in Central New York State
§ preservation grant programs
§ approval by the NY State Historic Preservation Office [SHPO], other State SHPOs and/or the National Park Service
§ properties listed on the National and/or a State Register of Historic Places
2. Three (3) project references, including summary of scope and budget. Provide name, address, email and phone number of client representative. Copies of, or links to, completed work product for these projects is also appreciated.
3. Proposed project team, including Project Manager, and resume of each participant. Identify each individual’s responsibilities in past projects with firm or under separate employment specifically related to components of this project. In addition, the person with primary work responsibility must meet minimum professional qualifications [see Attachment C].
4. Identify proposed sub-consultants, if any. Provide resumes, references and relevant project lists for each.
5. Outline project schedule, with phases noted below. Provide potential schedule for design/construction projects likely to run concurrently with or immediately following later stages of principal services.
6. Typical fee structure to be used as a basis for further negotiation. Do not submit a fee proposal at this time. Compensation will be discussed at the interviews after respondents are more familiar with the particulars of the project program.
Consultant Review/Selection Process:
A committee of Board members of The Landmarks Society of Greater Utica will review all responses, and narrow them into a selected short list of respondents for interviews the week of September 2 – 16, 2011, followed by recommendation by the committee to the full Board.
Fee proposals and compensation will be discussed at the interviews.
Final consultant selection will be made by the Landmarks Society’s Selection Committee, and approved by the full Board of Directors based on:
- Previous relevant work experience, education and professional accreditation of the firm
- Project Manager’s qualifications, demonstrated ability to complete similar projects and prior SHPO and grant-funded project experience
- Composition and qualifications of project team
- References
- Ability to meet schedule
- Fee response / cost proposal
- Overall responsiveness, completeness and timeliness of response
Landmarks will announce the selected consultant on September 19, 2011, with professional engagement beginning approximately September 23, 2011. All those responding will be notified of decisions, in writing, as soon as possible.
The Landmarks Society of Greater Utica is an equal opportunity employer and will follow State mandated minority- and women-owned business enterprises and affirmative action requirements [see Attachment D]. ##end ##
