Baldwin-Buss-Merino House

The Baldwin-Buss-Merino house, built in 1825 by Augustus Baldwin, prosperous early merchant and eldest of the seven sons of one of Hudson’s original proprietors, Judge Stephen Baldwin, is a high-style Federal house associated with well-known local businessmen throughout its history. John Buss, its second owner had a popular general store nearby and acted as justice of the peace and, and times, town banker. The Buss family was followed by the Merino family, which has carried on a business nearby since 1927.

The Federal façade of flush, matched boards has four reeded Ionic pilasters and a draped fanlight. The sophistication of the design shows the master hand of its builder, Colonel Lemuel Porter, who had just completed the Congregational Church in Tallmadge. The interior contains all but one of its original Adamesque mantels. The scrollwork on the stair soffit shows the influence of Owen Biddle’s 1805 pattern book, and the detailing, both interior and exterior, reflects patterns in at least two Asher Benjamin books and one by William Pain. The south wing is original to the structure. The enclosed hipped roofed front porch is an addition, obscuring the lower front façade.

The Baldwin-Buss-Merino House is one of five notable structures in Hudson chosen by the Federal Government to be included in the Historic American Buildings Survey; detailed architectural drawings are kept at the U.S. Library of Congress.