The Strand House was a once collapsing historic building with holes in the roof, water damage, and rotting structure. Corryn Carey Darling, Kingston native, developer and general contractor did not want to lose a historic Kingston building, so she bought the building in 2017 with an idea to create a hybrid between a boutique hotel and short term rentals.
Darling started emergency structural repairs to stabilize the building and re-create the structure.
Before
Darling has worked in the construction industry for over 10 years and owns a construction management company, Sustainable Structures, LLC. This project was close to her heart, a learning process, and her “own” project.
During construction
“The restoration of this project and how to solve a lot of the structural issues was hard enough but also having to work on the bank financing, budgets, historical tax credits, was a bit new to me,” says Darling. “Oh, and did I mention I have a day job working as a Project Manager in NYC construction and I had given birth to my daughter, Dillon, in the middle of this project? It was a lot, but I can now finally take a moment and look at everything I accomplished and feel proud of myself.”
Her goal with the project was to save a historic building in her hometown and “provide a unique place to stay for visitors that has a local significance with a boutique hotel feel, but at affordable rates.”
Unit 1, Captain Anderson Suite
There are two studio units and two 2-bedroom-units at The Strand House, each uniquely decorated and named after important people, some of whom are historic to the building.
Unit 1, the Captain Anderson Suite, is named after a steamboat captain who previously owned the Strand House in the 1800s. George C. Woolsey represented the Village of Roundout and played an integral role of uniting Kingston and Roundout. Unit 2, the Woolsey Suite, is decorated in an art-deco feel.
Unit 2, The Woolsey Suite
Unit 3, the Forst Suite, is named after Jacob Forst, who was the founder of the Forst Meat Packing Company. The company employed many Kingston people and was near the Strand House.
Unit 3, The Forst Suite
“During construction, some of the paint on the plaster at the second floor started to fall off revealing a painting underneath,” says Darling. “The mural depicts a war scene which looks to be from the Mexican-American War which lasted from April 1846 – February 1848. One theory is that it is actually a painting of President Zachary Taylor who was a war hero from the Mexican American War which led him to his brief tenure at the White House. We framed around the mural and installed a plexiglass cover to preserve it. It is now an amazing art piece in the Master Bedroom of Unit 3.”
The mural
Darling named Unit 4 The Joyce Suite, after her mother. Darling’s mother passed away in 2016 and Darling wanted to make her “a part of the building.” Before she passed, Joyce had a hand in encouraging Darling to buy the building. The pretty, floral decorations are just what her mother liked.
Unit 4, The Joyce Suite
The rates for the studios go for $150 per night on weekdays and $175 per night on the weekends. The two-bedroom units are $200 per weeknight and $250 per weekend night.
“If someone is looking for a longer stay then I will provide a discount depending on if it is a week, month or year,” says Darling.
To reserve units, visit AirBnB or email info@strandhousekingston.com.
