Robert Newton Brezee (1851–1929), usually referred to as R. Newton Brezee or Newton Brezee, was an American architect chiefly active in Saratoga Springs, New York, and surrounding areas.
Professional
Brezee came to Saratoga Springs in 1867. He worked as a carpenter, and left Saratoga for a while to work on the planned community of Garden City, Long Island built by Alexander Turney Stewart. A self-taught architect, he returned to Saratoga Springs and opened an office in 1884. He is credited with the design of more than fifty buildings.
Personal
Brezee was born on September 26, 1851, in Middleburgh, New York. He married Jennie M. Carr (1855–1950) on July 25, 1881, in Saratoga Springs. The couple had four daughters: Edna Winford Brezee (1882–1971), Claire M. Brezee (born 1885) (Mrs. Samuel J. Mott), Elizabeth L. Brezee (1887–1989), and Dorothy Newton Brezee (1897–1949).
Brezee died in 1929; he and Jennie are buried in Greenridge Cemetery in Saratoga Springs.
Buildings designed
Brezee designed primarily in the Queen Anne and Colonial Revival styles. Many Brezee-designed buildings have been preserved in the Union Avenue Historic District and the East Side Historic District in Saratoga Springs. The following is a partial list of these and of his other works:
| City | Address | Building type | Date | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saratoga Springs | 105 Lake Ave. | Single-family home | 1884 | 
|
| Ballston Spa | George West Office Building, within Union Mill Complex, Milton Ave. (NY 50) | Queen Anne-style 2-story brick office building | 1884 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | 159 Division Street | Single-family home | 1884–85 | 
|
| Raquette Lake | Antlers | Hotel | 1885 | |
| Saratoga Springs | 75 Caroline Street | Single-family home | 1885-86 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | 10 Fifth Avenue | Single-family home | 1886 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | 156 Caroline Street | Summer home | 1886-87 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | 109 Caroline Street | Single-family home | 1887 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | 511 Broadway | Office and residence of Dr. Douglas C Moriarta | 1887 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | 487 Broadway | Residence of Davis Coleman | 1887 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | 167 Grand Avenue | Single-family home | 1887 | |
| Saratoga Springs | 628 North Broadway | Single-family home | 1887 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | 170-172 Spring Street | Duplex | 1887 | |
| Saratoga Springs | 203 Union Avenue | Single-family home | 1888 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | 114 Caroline Street | Single-family home | 1888 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | 34 Clark Street | Single-family home | 1888–89 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | 59 State Street | Single-family home | 1888–89 | |
| Saratoga Springs | 5 Fifth Avenue | Single-family home | 1889 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | 119 Caroline Street | Single-family home | 1891 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | 153 Phila Street | Single-family home | 1892–93 | |
| Saratoga Springs | 179 Caroline Street | Single-family home | 1896 | |
| Saratoga Springs | 86 Court Street | Residence | 1896 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | 190-194 Grand Avenue | Row houses | 1896 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | 91 Circular Street | Residence | 1896 | |
| Saratoga Springs | 135 Lake Avenue | Single-family home | 1896 | |
| Saratoga Springs | 16 Marion Place | Single-family home | 1896 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | 22 Marion Place | Single-family home | 1896 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | 21 Van Dam Street | Church | 1897 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | 136 Circular Street | Single-family home (expansion) | 1898 | 
|
| Corinth | First Baptist Church | Church | 1898 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | 5 Madison Avenue | Single-family home | 1898 | |
| Saratoga Springs | 19 Marion Place | Single-family home | 1899 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | 96 Lake Avenue | Single-family home | 1899–1900 | |
| Saratoga Springs | 112 Spring Street | School | 1900 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | 55 Union Avenue | Single-family home | 1901 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | Church Street at West Avenue | Saratoga Golf Club—club house | 1902 | Demolished |
| Saratoga Springs | 205 Broadway | Single-family home | 1902 | Demolished |
| Saratoga Springs | 90 Lake Avenue | Single-family home | c.1902 | |
| Saratoga Springs | 9 Marion Place | Single-family home | 1902 | |
| Saratoga Springs | 122 Regent Street | Carriage house | 1902 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | 120 Circular Street | Residence | 1903 | |
| Saratoga Springs | 28 Union Avenue | Single-family home | 1903 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | 56 Union Ave. | Single-family home | 1903 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | 142 Lake Avenue | Single-family home | 1904 | |
| Saratoga Springs | 687 North Broadway | Single-family home | 1904 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | 64-66 Ludlow Street the former "Hawley Children's Home" | Children's home | 1904 | 
|
| Saratoga Springs | 25 Fifth Avenue | Single-family home | 1906 | 
|
| Lake George | Triuna Island | Summer retreat of Spencer and Katrina Trask | 1906-7 | |
| Saratoga Springs | Union Avenue | Yaddo— "West House" | 1906–12 | |
| Corinth | 611 Palmer Avenue | Palmer Avenue School | 1908 | 
|
| Round Lake | US Route 9 | Summer home | 1908 | 
|
| Barkersville | Administration building and Pavilion number 1 Saratoga County Sanitorium | Sanitorium | 1913 | |
| Saratoga Springs | 75 Ludlow Street | Single-family home | ca.1928 |
==References==
- ^ Holmes, Timothy (2008). Saratoga Springs, New York: A Brief History. Charleston, SC: The History Press. p. 46. ISBN 978-1-59629-452-3.
- Holmes, Timothy A.; Stonequist, Martha (2000). Saratoga Springs: A Historical Portrait. Arcadia Publishing. p. 69. ISBN 0-7385-0438-6.
- Durkee, Cornelius E. "Reminiscences of Saratoga". Saratogian. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
- "Miss Dorothy Brezee Dead; Known as Nurse" (PDF). Saratogian. January 14, 1949. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
- "Spa Preservation Foundation Slates Series on Architecture". Schenectady Gazette. April 23, 1983. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
- Youngken, Richard (January 1982). "National Register of Historic Places nomination, Union Mill Complex". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- "Spa Preservation Foundation Plans House Tour". Schenectady Gazette. April 23, 1983. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
- Clothier, Rachel (2009). Corinth. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-6574-3.
- Preservation League of New York State. "2007 Excellence in Historic Preservation Award Recipients". Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
- "Welcome to Alumni House" (PDF). Empire State College. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
- "Fire Strikes Union Avenue House, in Saratoga Springs". Schenectady Gazette. August 3, 1984. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
- ^ "ANNUAL MEETING HOME FOR CHILDREN" (PDF). THE DAILY SARATOGIAN. 28 September 1905. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors, Saratoga County, New York. Coronet Press. 1913.
Further reading
- Burns, Kathryn Ann. "An inventory and analysis of the work of architect R. Newton Brezee, Saratoga Springs, New York (1884-1929)".