11/23/2024 PRESENTATION IN PLAINFIELD, NJ

 

At the end of the nineteenth century, Plainfield, New Jersey attracted wealthy New Yorkers seeking a respite from the city. Architects A. L. C. Marsh of Plainfield and E. G. W. Dietrich of New York both designed homes in Plainfield for the new seasonal residents. The Van Wyck Brooks Historic District and the Plainfield Public Library will host me for a presentation about Dietrich, Marsh, and two of the grandest homes on Plainfield’s Central Avenue, the Coriell Mansion and Questover. 

In 1896, architect E. G. W. Dietrich designed a home for Sylvanus and Mary Schoonmaker at the corner of Central and Stelle Avenues. The home would come to be known locally as the Coriell Mansion after the second owners William and Emily Coriell. A few blocks down Central Avenue, Questover was the home of Sylvanus's brother Joseph Stockton Schoonmaker and his wife Anna. This home had been a puzzle for me as it exhibits several architectural design details that are characteristic for E. G. W. Dietrich, yet it was credited to A. L. C. Marsh. Would the Schoonmaker brothers have selected different architects to design their homes? Join me as I reveal my research on these two architects, two brothers, and two houses.     

Designed by architect E. G. W. Dietrich, the Coriell Mansion on Plainfield's Central Avenue was originally the home of Sylvanus and Mary Schoonmaker

Questover on Central Avenue in Plainfield was the home of Joseph Stockton and Anna Bella Schoonmaker