Fleischmann House

The Fleischmann House is an architecturally and historically significant private residence located in the city of Peekskill in northern Westchester County, NY. Designed by prominent architect Chester A. Patterson, the Colonial Revival house was constructed in 1925 for Gustav Fleischmann Jr. (1885–1976) and his wife, Marion. In addition to leading his family’s business, Fleischmann was well known for his support of the local Peekskill community, including at St. Peter’s School for Boys, where he was a founding trustee and first president. Gustav Fleischmann served as Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Fleischmann Company from 1920 to 1953. Started by his uncles, Charles and Max Fleischmann, and business partner James Gaff, in the 1870s, this successful nationwide business produced not only yeast but also margarine, baking powder, vinegar, malt, gin, vodka, and whiskey. It employed thousands of area residents in a wide range of professions. The Gustav and Marion Fleischmann House, which remains in use as a private residence, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in July 2021.

Gustav Fleischmann was a nephew of the original Fleischmann brothers who had founded the famous yeast company in the 1870s. Charles and Max Fleischmann, along with a partner by the name of James Gaff, had begun producing yeasts originally in Ohio and later in Long Island before moving to Peekskill in 1900. The business was officially incorporated as the Fleischmann Company in 1905. Gustav Fleischmann joined fifteen years later as an Executive Vice President, later becoming General Manager. He remained with the Peekskill Fleischmann Company, known at the time as the world's largest yeast factory, until 1953.

Prior to joining the Fleischmann Company in Peekskill, from 1903 to 1907, Gustav Fleischmann worked with his father, also named Gustav, at the family's successful Buffalo Distilling Company in Buffalo, NY. Afterwards, from 1907-1912, he worked with the Fleischmann-Clarke Company in San Francisco, helping to rebuild the yeast plant that had burned down during the Great Fire of 1906. In 1912, he moved to Baltimore to become sales manager for the Fleischmann Company, and then a few years later to a similar post in Philadelphia, followed by a transfer to Chicago, before ultimately settling in Peekskill in 1920.

In addition to his role in his family’s company, Gustav Fleischmann served as a prominent civic leader, philanthropist, and champion of education. Of particular note, he was a founding trustee and first president of St. Peter’s School for Boys in Peekskill. 

The Fleischmann Company and its factory buildings employed thousands of area residents. When the plant closed in 1977, nearly all of the buildings were razed. The Fleischmann House, however, remains as a visible reminder of the significant role that Gustav Fleischmann and the Fleischmann family played in Peekskill’s history. 

The residence is considered to be a fine example of Colonial Revival architecture in which the architect, Chester A. Patterson, combined elements from multiple revival influences including Colonial, Dutch Colonial, French Colonial, and early Classical Revival. Patterson, of the New York architectural firm Patterson & Wilcox, was very active in the tri-state region of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut from the 1910s to the 1940s. He gained national prominence for his many buildings that include Soundview Manor in White Plains, NY, the Venezuelan Ambassador’s Residence in Washington, D.C., and many others. His work and designs were included in publications such as Architectural Record, Architectural Forum, The Architect, House & Garden, Country Life, and many national newspapers.

The Gustav and Marion Fleischmann House remains in use as a private residence. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in July 2021.

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