*seen from outside the manor*
The architecture of Ringwood Manor is truly unique. It is an organic house that grew and expanded naturally throughout several important periods in American history, reflecting the characteristics of its inhabitants.
Initially the grounds would have housed Indian Villages and celebrations. Later Cornelius Ogden, Joseph Board, and Peter Hasenclever began the house that Robert, Elizabeth and Ebenezer Erskine lived in during the Revolutionary War. That house was most likely burnt down.
The existing mansion was started in 1807 by the Ryersons and added to by the Hewitts for a period of over 100 years. Thus, the present Ringwood Manor displays architecture from the Federal through the Victorian and Edwardian periods. Each addition is interesting and significant.
The other important factor about Ringwood Manor is that it was left by the Hewitt family as it was: it has their furniture, their books, their clothing. It shows how this family lived during the 19th and 20th centuries.
This piazza was built by Miss Sally and Miss Nellie Hewitt in 1910. They recycled windows from the Cooper Union Institute in Manhattan, which was undergoing renovation at the time.
