The George E. Trimble House (158 Spring Street Road) was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. Portions of the content on this web page were adapted from a copy of the original nomination document.
Description
The George E. Trimble property contains less than one acre and is the original residential plot allotted to it. Situated on a steep hillside, the house is located near a residential neighborhood, adjoining the Al Tech Specialty Steel Plant.
This one and one-half story stucco house was designed in the Arts and Crafts style. The house has a gable roof. A large shed dormer is built across the entire rear of the house. A smaller shed dormer with ribbon windows is situated on the front, and is flanked by two small gable dormers.
A recessed porch with a prominent cross-gable wraps around the south and east sides. The roof line of the porch continues beyond the building, forming a port-cochere. A gabled one-story bay is built at the southwest corner of the house. The roof overhangs are wide and have exposed rafters. Gable ends are decorated with half-timbering.
A one-story stucco garage with a flat roof is attached to the north end of the house, in a line with the port-cochere.
Significance
The George E. Trimble House is significant as a distinguished example of Arts and Crafts style residential architecture. Essentially a bungalow in form, scale and massing, the stucco and half-timbering, broad roof overhangs and conspicuous attention to materials and fine craftsmanship give the building its distinctive Arts and Crafts style. Representative of one of the stylish, better quality middle class houses which were built during the prosperous first decade of the twentieth century, the Trimble house is the most distinctive and intact of its style in the Multiple Resource Area.
Popular in the early twentieth century, the Arts and Crafts style was originated by Gustav Stickley and others who reacted against the perceived decorative excesses of the late nineteenth century English Victorian styles. The Arts and Crafts style of architecture emphasized practicality, simplicity and honest expression of materials. Other features integral to the design were porches for outdoor living, simple and unadorned facades, local construction materials and fireplaces for hospitality. In his magazine The Craftsman, Stickley advocated that the plainly furnished, simple house would foster moral, unpretentious living. With its nostalgic and domestic character, the Arts and Crafts style was well suited for the smaller, modest homes in the suburban communities which developed at the turn of the century.
Built in 1909, the Trimble House retains integrity of design and materials and exhibits many of the major stylistic characteristics which distinguish Arts and Crafts inspired structures such as a pseudo half-timbered exterior with natural colored stucco infill, projecting eaves with exposed rafters, a large shed dormer with ribbon windows, a wrap-around porch, multiple rooflines with wide overhangs, and a port-cochere. The structure also features craftsman inspired interior details including natural woodwork and informal room patterns. The structure has retained the name of its original owner.
Sources
Albany County Clerk's Office
Town of Colonie Assessor's Office
Nearby Neighborhoods
Street Names
Spring Street Road