Pruyn House curator Diane Morgan, shown here in the front parlor, says the chandelier in that room was one of the few items still left in the home when the Town of Colonie purchased the building in 1983.
The Pruyn House on Old Niskayuna Road in Colonie never faced a bulldozer, but it was unquestionably heading for a confrontation of that sort.
“Fred Field called this house a leap of faith when he convinced the board to buy it for $120,000 in 1983,” said Pruyn House curator Diane Morgan, referring to Colonie’s longtime town supervisor, the driving force behind the purchase. “Now, 26 years later, we have this wonderful house on this wonderful piece of property. I think it turned out to be a great idea.”
The house, once home to Casparus F. Pruyn and his large family, was built around 1830. The white, two-story home is characterized by a late Federal/early Greek Revival style, and is five bays wide and rectangular in plan. It has a flat roof, and the only real significant structural change to the home is a two-story, one-bay-wide addition over the back entrance.