Walker House (Garrison, New York)

The Walker House is a Queen Anne Revival private residence located in Garrison, New York that is listed on the National Register of Historical Places.

It was built in 1885 by Samuel Sloan, a prominent 19th century railroad magnate, on the grounds of his own Garrison estate, Oulagisket.

The Walker House, Oulagisket, and Wyndune all remain today as privately owned homes, monuments to a long-ago era in the history of the Hudson Valley.

The biography states that, because of the deaths of two of their children in 1861, the Sloans began looking for a location where they could build a summer estate outside of New York City.

It was originally occupied by their son, William, but was given to their daughter, Elizabeth La Grange Sloan (1862 - 1960), and her husband, Joseph Walker, Jr.(1858-1927).

In 1982 both the Walker House and Oulagisket were added to the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Hudson Highlands Multiple Resource Area.

The Walker House contains many elements of the Queen Anne Revival style of architecture, including an asymmetrical facade; dominant front-facing and side-facing gables; a wrap-around covered porch; spindle work; a polygonal bay; and a slate roof.

When built, the Walker House was located on the large Sloan family summer estate, together with Oulagisket, Wyndune, and numerous supporting buildings.

According to the Duryee biography, Sloan had built the first summer house on his estate for his daughter, Maria, in 1872, following her marriage to Edgar Stirling Auchincloss.

In 1978, the railing from the widow's walk on top of the roof was removed because of its general deterioration, but kept in storage for possible future restoration.

Because only two families (the Walkers and then the Cains) successively owned the house for over 100 years, many original period details remained intact and were preserved in later restorations.