Hesse Home in Otego: a Virtual 18th-
century House and Home Museum

By TERESA WINCHESTER
OTEGO

For 33 years, Buzz Hesse, a trained archeologist and former owner of the auction house Hesse Galleries, has lived with his wife, Jackie, in a house built in the late 18th century. He loves to tell the story of how he first spotted the structure in Laurens, later purchased it, then disassembled it, and ultimately found an ideal site for the house in Otego.
The moment he saw the “unpretentious-looking” two-story house, he wanted it, despite the horse standing in the doorway and the chickens running in and out.

Hesse is convinced that greater forces were at work in the whole restoration process, which he described at the April meeting of the Otego Historical Association.

“There were too many things that came into play that surpassed normality,” he said.

One of the harmonic convergences was how he had bought the vintage, “blacksmith -made” rose head nails used in reassembly long before he ever saw the house.

“I was at the second General Clinton Regatta, where I saw a vendor with nails in plastic baggies. They were early hand-made nails he had found in the cellar of an old hardware store and bought at auction. There were eight kegs. I bought them all,” Hesse recalled.

He was able to purchase the house in 1989 after learning that the owners planned to raze it. Property was not included in the deal, so Hesse meticulously deconstructed the edifice.

“I applied architectural archeology. I numbered every pin, board, and beam, and stored it in one of my properties for a year,” Hesse said.

In 1990, he purchased seven and a third acres at 370 Main Street.

“I went on the land and sat down in various places. The spot was perfect,” he said.

Taking the house apart revealed many surprises for Hesse, largely because the interior had been lathed and plastered over in the 1800s.

“I had no idea it was so unique. I discovered truly amazing things,” Hesse said.

One of the surprises was the 8-foot ceilings—much higher than normal for a center chimney cape, a common 18th century house style. Underneath the plastering were the original, finished and beaded beams— “meant to be seen,” Hesse said.

In the parlor and in the “keeping room,” where food preparation took place, Hesse found walls of wide-paneled wood. He restored them and painted them in a color “as close to the original as possible.” The house also contained a closet, an unusual feature for the time, Hesse said.

Elongated front windows were another modification to the original structure.

“I saw moulding lines and thought the original windows must be like those on the second floor,” said Hesse.
He then installed windows custom-made by Croghan Island Mill, a water-powered mill near Utica, to match the originals.

Two back-to-back fireplaces on the first floor had also been covered over. Interestingly for Hesse, they were not standardly joined in the center of the house but rather in the attic by a central flue.

“That’s very unusual and they work beautifully,” Hesse said.

A hidden room was positioned between the two fireplaces. Its purpose remains a mystery to Hesse.

Yet another unique feature of the house is that no partitions on the first floor are weight-bearing. On the second floor were long, uncut joists, and above that, a repeated beam. Every beam in the house is boxed, Hesse said.

While disassembling, Hesse had found remains of original hardware in between partitions, such as door latches and hinges. He used many of these pieces in the reconstruction, as well as hardware he had been collecting for a number of years.

“Everything is exactly the way it should be. I didn’t take liberties,” he said.

A feature of the house that had preserved it and made it possible to renovate was its roof. At one point, Hesse was forced to replace side shingles erroneously affixed by a roofer with modern architectural shingles.

“The house has a terrific roof,” Hesse said.

Stepping into the house is like stepping back into the 18th century. Furniture, paintings, clocks, practical or decorative items are mostly late 18th-century American, according to Hesse.

An old house may exude charm, but unless modified in some ways for modern living, it would not be enjoyable to inhabit. That, combined with current code regulations, forced Hesse to find creative ways to make the house comfortable while respecting its 18th-century character.

Electrical outlets are hidden behind the furniture.

For heating, rectangular tin ducts were hidden in the walls. Oil-fired hot air rises through them from the cellar and is released through original mopboards.

“The house is warm and toasty,” Hesse said.

Other modern conveniences, a kitchen and a bathroom, were unobtrusively added by Hesse. Relocating the stairwell to its original position off the parlor made space for a small kitchen with modern appliances. An unusually wide hallway provided enough space for a bathroom without changing the basic structure of the house.

One room not original to the house is the “tavern room,” which usurped Hesse’s original plan for a two-car garage.

“I created the room in such a way that both the interior and exterior are compatible with the original house,” Hesse said.

The addition serves mainly as a showroom for his extensive antique collection and includes a late 18th or early 19th century Queen Anne-style tavern table laden with pewter bowls, plates, and utensils.

Hesse seems more appreciative than proud of both his home and his property.

“This piece of land was sort of miraculous. We’ve seen all kinds of animals—a full-grown mountain lion, wolves … Every day something wonderful happens here. We love living in this house and are grateful and honored to be able to possess it,” he said.