A Shingle-style Manse in Callicoon, yours for $579,000

The wood-filled interior features built-in wardrobes, beamed ceilings, mantelpieces and wooden floors.

Photo via Landhuis Vastgoed

Located on a small bluff above the center of the hamlet of Callicoon, this Shingle Style home for sale features a wood-filled interior with attractive details and some modern updates. The spacious single-family home was designed by a Sullivan County architect in the early 20th century.

Much of downtown is within the Callicoon Downtown Historic District, which was listed on the National Register in 2016. The buildings in the district largely date from after 1888, the year in which a fire chased through Main Street. Commercial buildings were quickly rebuilt, still largely of wood rather than brick. In the early 20th century, the cliff overlooking the city center was developed with large residences, including the house at Hoogzichtlaan 12.

According to the nomination report, the house was built around 1902 and designed by William Kohler for Charles A. and Henrietta Thorwelle. Architect and builder Kohler grew up in nearby Jeffersonville and regularly advertised his services in the local newspaper, the Sullivan County Register, during the first decade of the 20th century. Encouraging homeowners to ‘plan before you build’ are advertisements promoted his skills in remodeling and new construction, providing clients with floor plans and elevations.

His business savvy included an elaborate float in a parade in Jeffersonville in 1906 to advertise his skills in home construction. The award-winning exhibition included a two-storey children’s house with a piazza. His efforts earned him one nod from the press as a ‘hurried young builder’. In 1908 he founded a sawmill and construction company that was run by his sons after his death in 1943.

The home that Kohler designed for businessman Thorwelle contains touches of Colonial Revival style elements typical of Shingle Style homes. Here, quarter-round windows, swag ornaments and a columned veranda are combined with a gambrel roof.

Future lumberjack Kohler certainly took advantage of the interior materials, with wood floors, beamed ceilings, built-in cabinets and mantels filling two floors of the house. The attic is unfinished and the basement is not shown in the listing photos.

central hall with staircase with built-in sofa and mirror

According to the listing, the renovation included refinishing the wood floors, painting the interior, updating the kitchen and bathrooms, and new lighting fixtures. The approximately 2,600-square-foot home has five bedrooms and one full and two half bathrooms.

On the ground floor there is a central hall with a corner fireplace with original tile work and insert and a particularly beautiful staircase with built-in bench and mirror. There is an octagonal living room with windows overlooking the veranda and a beamed ceiling and window treatments that contrast with the dark blue walls.

The same paint color can be found in the much larger dining room. Details here include a beamed ceiling, a built-in china cupboard and a fireplace fitted with a pellet stove. A door opens to the wraparound veranda, which has adjustable glass blinds on one side.

dining room with dark blue walls, beamed ceiling, built-in china cupboard, fireplace

kitchen with vintage white metal cabinets, white painted bricks, black appliances

The windowed kitchen features vintage cabinets, a new coat of paint per the frame, white painted brick walls and a retro-inspired black refrigerator. While the large cupboard wall houses the sink, there is also a quirky vintage corner sink.

Upstairs, the bedrooms all have soft white walls and wooden floors. One of the bedrooms has a sink and access to a small sheltered balcony. The renovated full bathroom has a black and white hex tile floor, a vintage-style sink and a walk-in shower, but apparently no tub.

aerial view of the house and the center beyond

An aerial photo shows a tree-filled lot, which the listing says is a double lot. In the backyard there is a terrace and a detached garage.

It’s a short walk to the city center, where the mainly two-storey buildings are packed shops and restaurants. The downtown area also offers year-round entertainment farmers market at Callicoon Creek Park.

The Western hotelbuilt in the 1850s and enlarged in the 1880s, it still functions as an inn. It was once owned by Charles A. Thorwelle, the original owner of 12 Highview Avenue.

The 1890s depot in the center of the city no longer serves rail passengers, but restoration plans are underway. Open houses and other events allows visitors to take a look inside.

a pink painted modern cinema with a marquee — The Callicoon Theater in Art Moderne style in 2020. Photo by Susan De Vries

While the historic district is filled with structures from the 19th and early 20th centuries, the still working cinema is from a different vintage. Opened in 1948, it is a Quonset hut with a striking Art Moderne facade.

For those looking for a holiday atmosphere, the city will be decked out for the Dickens on the Delaware event on December 13, featuring “townspeople” and shop owners in Victorian-era costumes, horse-drawn carriage rides, carols and a craft market.

Heather C. Knowledge of Country House Realty has the entry for 12 Highview Avenue, and the property cost $579,000.