Architecture
Gothic Revival, 1846-1847
The Hermitage is preserved as a remarkable example of Gothic Revival architecture. In 1846, Elijah Rosencrantz II commissioned architect William H. Ranlett to extensively remodel the house.
Gothic Revival was popular in the United States from the 1830s-1860s, inspired by romanticized medieval aesthetics and virtues. The architecture symbolized Christian values and morality, with pointed roofs and spires, asymmetry, ornate windows, and decorative elements evocative of the grandeur and mystery of old-world cathedrals. New-world function was made possible with innovative technologies and materials.
Gothic Revival was popular in the United States from the 1830s-1860s, inspired by romanticized medieval aesthetics and virtues. The architecture symbolized Christian values and morality, with pointed roofs and spires, asymmetry, ornate windows, and decorative elements evocative of the grandeur and mystery of old-world cathedrals. New-world function was made possible with innovative technologies and materials.
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The Hermitage was redesigned for comfort and purpose. It was equipped with a furnace for central heating and indoor plumbing. A hydraulic ram was used to carry water from the brook through a tunnel to enter the house (this tunnel was mistaken for many years to have been a hiding place for the Underground Railroad). Rooms were constructed for specific purposes and many had built-in storage closets, which was a new concept at that time.
Fun Fact: In 1833, President Andrew Jackson had iron pipes installed in the ground floor corridor and a bathing room in the East Wing of the White House. Records indicate that the second floor had central plumbing by 1853, five years after the Hermitage. |
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Original 18th Century House
The current structure incorporates portions of the original stone house, likely constructed by the Lane family around 1760. Originally, it was symmetrical with rooms coming off a central hall, each with a fireplace. The kitchen wing extended from the north side of the house. The second floor may have either been a full or half-story. Surviving elements from this early period include the east, west, and north stone walls of the main block. The south wall was removed during the construction of a new stone wing in 1847–48.
No visual representation of The Hermitage from the 18th century is known to exist, and the extensive remodeling has made its original appearance largely a matter of speculation. However, a description of the house survives in a 1763 advertisement placed by Elizabeth Lane for its sale following her husband's death. It appeared in the February 28, 1763 issue of The New York Gazette:
No visual representation of The Hermitage from the 18th century is known to exist, and the extensive remodeling has made its original appearance largely a matter of speculation. However, a description of the house survives in a 1763 advertisement placed by Elizabeth Lane for its sale following her husband's death. It appeared in the February 28, 1763 issue of The New York Gazette:
A choice Plantation at Ancocus Brook, (or a Place called Peramos) in the county of Bergen, and Eastern Division of the Province of New Jersey; containing about 105 acres of good arable land, part of which is cleared, the remainder well wooded; there is on the same a good new Stone Dwelling House 40 foot front, and 23 foot back, the front is all of hewn stone, a Cellar under the Whole, and a Well of good Water before the Door; the Walls are near two Foot thick, and good Sash Windows to the House; there is also a good Kitchen 23 Foot one Way, and 20 Foot the other Way, and a good Fire-place therein; The House contains four Fire-places and is two Story high, is pleasantly situated between two Main Roads, and has an entry through the House into the Kitchen, all very beautifully contrived: There is also on the said Tract a small Barn, a good Gristmill, and a good Sawmill, all in good Order, and has not wanted for Water in the driest times; there is likewise a thriving young Orchard on the same, 'tis as publick and pleasant a Place as is in the Country fit for Merchant’s business, a Tavern, or any other business. Also a Dwelling House and Lot of Ground in the City of New York…Any Person inclined to Purchase the Whole or either of the said Premises or to hire the same, may apply to Elizabeth Lane, at the House of Mr. William Rousby, near the Oswego Market, and agree upon reasonable Terms. An indisputable title will be given.
The Mystery of the Masonic Symbols
One of the enduring mysteries of The Hermitage is the presence of two prominent diamond-shaped stones set into the front wall of the house—flanking what is now a dining room window but originally served as the front entrance. One stone bears the symbols of a T-square and dividers; the other, a hammer and trowel. These motifs are traditionally associated with Freemasonry, a secretive fraternal order.
A consultant has dated the stones to before 1807, which predates the arrival of the Rosencrantz family at The Hermitage. Interestingly, no known ties exist between the earlier Lane family and the Masonic order. Records do show that Augustine Prevost—brother of James Marcus Prevost—was an active Mason, although no evidence confirms that James Marcus himself was affiliated.
Freemasonry had a local presence: Union Lodge No. 6 was established in Hackensack in 1787. William Bell, who acquired The Hermitage in 1794 and may have lived there earlier, served as the lodge's first Senior Warden and later became its treasurer in 1790. Although the lodge dissolved after 1794, it’s possible that Bell—or perhaps even Lane—was responsible for embedding the Masonic symbols into the house’s façade.
A consultant has dated the stones to before 1807, which predates the arrival of the Rosencrantz family at The Hermitage. Interestingly, no known ties exist between the earlier Lane family and the Masonic order. Records do show that Augustine Prevost—brother of James Marcus Prevost—was an active Mason, although no evidence confirms that James Marcus himself was affiliated.
Freemasonry had a local presence: Union Lodge No. 6 was established in Hackensack in 1787. William Bell, who acquired The Hermitage in 1794 and may have lived there earlier, served as the lodge's first Senior Warden and later became its treasurer in 1790. Although the lodge dissolved after 1794, it’s possible that Bell—or perhaps even Lane—was responsible for embedding the Masonic symbols into the house’s façade.
Masonic symbols on the front of the Hermitage
Adding another layer to the mystery is the name “Rosencrantz.” Christian Rosenkrantz (or Rosenkreuz) is a legendary figure in Masonic and Rosicrucian lore. In the early 17th century, the Rosicrucians—a mystical philosophical sect—claimed to base their teachings on his writings, said to have been discovered in his tomb. Although it is not believed that the Rosencrantz family of The Hermitage descends from this figure, the similarity in names adds an intriguing coincidence to the enigma of the Masonic symbols.