5 Beautiful Things

 

The Gardner House

The last time I was in Sharon Springs, Brent urged me to visit the home of Michelle Curran. Michelle is the town’s resident real estate agent and was instrumental in helping Brent and Josh secure the Beekman Mansion in 2007. With my good friend Jessica Hodgson, a freelance photographer, I made the pretty trek up the long, winding driveway to Michelle’s historic hilltop home and was eager to see it.

The house was built between 1850 and 1854 by Dr. John Gardner for him and his family. The 8000 square-foot Italianate-inspired mansion is faced entirely with limestone, much of it quarried on site: an undulating 88-acre property that overlooks the Mohawk Valley. Michelle has lived in the house since the early 1990s after moving to Sharon Springs from Florida. Today, her two bouviers, Luc and Kali, and her cat, Annie, happily prowl the sprawling home, which Michelle has painstakingly restored – but only partially.

Part of the charm of the home is the rough-hewn patina that Michelle has maintained throughout its massive rooms: peeling paint and worn wood floors contrast with stately furniture and beautiful architectural trim, adding layers of atmosphere. Fourteen-foot ceilings and enormous Palladian windows keep the house bright and airy.

When Michelle gave Jessie and me the grand tour last spring, we couldn’t believe how beautiful it was – inside and out. Here are five of Jessie’s photos of the house. To see more of Jessie’s work, click here.