House of the Week: Historic Sedgwick mansion in Syracuse with Adirondack flair

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Few architects have meant more to the history of downtown Syracuse than Joseph Silsbee.

The Chicago-born Silsbee designed the White Memorial Building, Amos Building and Syracuse Savings Bank, as well as many residences across Upstate New York.

Silsbee designed 7 Brattle Road for his daughter Margaret and her husband, Frank Edward Wade. Margaret sold the home in 1936, six years after her husband's death.

The home passed through several owners until Colleen and Joseph Finelli Jr. purchased the home in 1992. The house needed work, but the couple, captivated by the beautiful views from every window, decided "it was a house worth saving," Joseph Finelli Jr. said.

"We always felt we were stewards of this house," he said. "We feel like the house picked us."

Over the next two decades, they rebuilt the six fireplaces, added a new roof and chimney and restored the mansion to its original magnificence.

The home was among the six stops on the 2016 Save the Mansion tour, a benefit for the George & Rebecca Barnes Foundation.

The "Adirondack Room" in the finished basement, completed in 2010, is a departure from the home's classic feel. But the Finellis made sure to do the job right. They brought in artisans from the Adirondacks to recreate the feel of an Adirondack Great Camp, complete with custom furniture, full kitchen, wet bar and cabinets finished with birch bark.

"We wanted to bring some of the Adirondacks home," Joseph Finelli Jr. said.

Though not quite the wilderness of the Adirondacks, the 0.70-acre property—one of the largest lots in Sedgwick—backs up to the unfenced backyards of neighbors on Brattle and Burlingame roads, creating its own little park.

"It's a beautiful area," Joseph Finelli Jr. said.

The spacious 5,542-square-foot home—not including the third-floor apartment/guest suite that pushes the total living area past 7,000 square feet— was home to Sunday family dinners and countless parties and celebrations.

Their seven grandchildren would play in the sun room, Colleen Finelli's favorite room in the house.

"All the fun stuff happens in the kitchen or sun room," she said.

With all the children moved out and Joseph Finelli Jr., an oral surgeon in Camillus, close to retirement, the couple is looking to downsize. They're having a new, smaller house built in Jamesville.

THE DETAILS

Address: 7 Brattle Road, Syracuse, N.Y., 13203
Price: $699,000
Size: 5,542 square feet
Acreage: 0.69 acres
Monthly Mortgage: $2,489 (based on this week's national average rate of 3.43 percent, according to Freddie Mac, for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage with a 20 percent down payment. Fees and points not included.)
Taxes: $11,200 (Based on assessed value of $366,460)
Built: 1913
School District: Syracuse

Living room: The daughter of the second owners, John and Dorothy Albright, was married by the large bay window in the living room on Christmas Day in 1943.

Kitchen: The massive kitchen was once five separate rooms. It now includes two center islands, two sinks, an eight-burner stainless steel commercial range, double wall ovens, granite countertops and a Sub-Zero side-by-side refrigerator with a wood cabinet finish to help it blend in to the custom cabinetry.

Dining room: The dining room and one of the second-floor bedrooms have canvas balloon ceilings, supported with piano wire.

Sun room: The four-season sun room doubles as a second living room. The three walls of windows let in ample amounts of natural light. A set of glass doors leads to the stone patio.

Master suite: The master suite was once four separate rooms—summer bedroom, vestibule, bathroom and the winter bedroom, which was closest to the fireplace. It's the largest of the home's seven bedrooms.

Master bathroom: The house has four full bathrooms and two half bathrooms. The master bath, which was once a guest bedroom, has all marble tile and countertops, a marble shower with six shower heads, jetted tub and its own gas fireplace.

Study: A door off the sitting area in the master bedroom leads to the office. Like the sun room directly below it, the study has wrap-around windows.

Third floor: What was once the home for the maid, chauffeur and other help is now a space for guests, or can be rented as a separate apartment.

Other: The house is wired with an intercom system in 10 rooms. The yards have built-in irrigation systems and several rooms in the home, as well as the patio, are wired for sound. A four-car garage is attached to the basement.

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