Federal Style

Billings Coggeshall Double House // c.1784

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This unique double-house on Mill Street is stopped me in my tracks when strolling around Newport. The two-family house was built around 1784 by Billings Coggeshall (1733-1810) and is unique architecturally as it is comprised of two houses, each with its own separate pedimented entry, into a single lengthy block. Both houses have interior chimneys and are just one-room deep! When urban renewal hit Newport in the second half of the 20th century, traffic patterns and revitalization of the waterfront were top of mind (not necessarily slum clearance and wholesale redevelopment of neighborhoods like in Boston). To bring traffic into the downtown shopping area, Memorial Boulevard was laid out by 1969, and the Newport Restoration Foundation was integral to saving this building from the wrecking ball, as it was in the path of the new road. As luck would have it, an area around Trinity Church was cleared to establish Queen Anne Square, a town common-like park in the center of town. To provide the quintessential “New England charm”, many historic buildings were relocated to line the square, including this house. When the Billings Coggeshall House was moved here, it replaced a gas station, and it was given an even longer side addition with breezeway, providing screened parking and a rear addition for offices. Here’s to preservation!

Hadley Homestead // c.1776

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George Hadley (1740-1823) moved to Weare, NH in 1775, buying lot sixty-one in town from the proprietors. Captain Hadley served in the French and Indian War and later in the Revolutionary War, though he was not so eager to serve again. He built his home soon after, living here with his family. The original Hadley Homestead would have been a more traditional Georgian farmhouse with large central chimney and minimal glass/windows. Sometime in the early 19th century – after his wife’s death in 1806 or after his own death in 1823 – the house was modernized in the Federal style. The stunning home has a fan light transom over the door, narrow corner pilasters and twin chimneys projecting through the roof. It sits next door to the South Weare Union Church.

Yale University – Connecticut Hall // 1752

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Welcome to Yale! When Yale College, one of the nine Colonial Colleges moved to New Haven in 1718, a wooden building was soon constructed and known as the College House. By 1747, the College House held less than half of the college’s enrolled students, and college president Thomas Clap announced that funds would be raised from the Colony of Connecticut for a “new College House” of three stories. The design followed the traditional Georgian appearance of Harvard College’s Massachusetts Hall, but by the 1790s, it was already outdated. The building was threatened with demolition, but Connecticut Hall was instead given an additional story and a new gambrel roof by 1820, being incorporated into the Brick Row, fronting the Green along College Street. But by the middle of the century the Brick Row was out of style and Connecticut Hall was being described as “dilapidated, scabby and malodorous.” After the Civil War Yale decided to raze all its old Georgian architecture and redevelop the West side of the Green with larger and more modern buildings. Luckily for us, by the 1890’s the Colonial Revival style was booming in popularity and before Connecticut Hall could be demolished, a group of alumni organized to save and restore it. Connecticut Hall stands today as the third-oldest of only seven surviving American colonial-era college buildings, and the second-oldest structure built for Yale College in New Haven (the oldest exant). It was built, in part, by at least five enslaved Africans, including one of whom was owned by Yale president Thomas Clap.

Tontine Hotel // 1824-1913

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Historically, inns and taverns offered short-term stays for visitors to New Haven, Connecticut. As the town developed and Yale College grew, land-owners began to realize the potential for larger, centrally located hotels. Established in 1824 and fronting the Town Green, the Tontine Hotel stood for less than 100 years, but was a prominent establishment in the city. The hotel was designed by architect David Hoadley and it hosted many well-known individuals including Native American chief and orator Red Jacket, who gave a speech here in 1829, and Daniel Webster, who came here in 1832. When more modern hotels were built in the early 20th century, the Tontine saw declining and less fancy clientele. The site was slated for redevelopment and the block was demolished in 1913 for the new Federal Courthouse and Post Office (last post).

Preston Double-House // c.1830

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Until recently, the Clam Point neighborhood of Dorchester was called Harrison Square. The name commemorated President William Henry Harrison’s visit to Dorchester during the presidential campaign of 1840 and honored his memory, as he died of pneumonia shortly after taking office. Development in the neighborhood was initiated following the arrival of the Old Colony Railroad depot (1844). When rail service to Harrison Square was discontinued in 1957, the Harrison name began to fade from the memories of area inhabitants. The name “Clam Point” is said to have been coined during the 1970s by realtors intent on touting the area as a desirable coastal community of antique homes, it stuck. Likely the oldest extant house in the neighborhood (built before the railroad depot) is this house on Mill Street, constructed as a double-house around 1830 for brothers Elisha and John Preston. The vernacular, late-Federal style house has later shed dormers and lancet windows in the side gables. The Preston’s land holdings and sale before the Civil War led to much of the later development in the neighborhood.

Hezekiah Chase House // c.1820

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In 1782, Stephen Chase (1740-1821) settled in present-day Unity, Maine, and built the first frame house there to establish a community. After Stephen’s death, his son, Hezekiah Chase (1774-1848) built this brick, Federal period home for his family, moving his father’s wood-frame house and adding it onto the rear, which remains there to this day. Hezekiah was a judge and was involved in town affairs ever since it was established. The bricks were made locally and were of fine quality. Hezekiah’s son George C. Chase (1844-1919) was raised here. He attended Bates College in its second class, and eventually became a professor of English there. In 1894 he became the second president of Bates College and oversaw a period of significant growth at the college. Chase became known as “The Great Builder” at the college. The old Chase House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places both for its architectural merit and its history and significance to the town and region.

Lemuel Bartlett House // c.1813

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When originally settled by Quakers, the town of Unity, Maine, was known as “Twenty-Five Mile Pond Plantation”. The name came from its being located on a pond, twenty-five miles from Fort Halifax in Winslow (creative, right?) The name was changed to Unity upon incorporation as a town in 1804. The town grew steadily through the first few decades of the 19th century and some wealthier residents began building homes. Lemuel Bartlett (1762-1834) built this house around 1813, which is a great, vernacular example of a Federal style residence in rural, central Maine. Lemuel was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts and fought against the British during the Revolution. After the war, he settled in present-day Unity around 1780 and became one of the original proprietors and land-owners here. He worked as a mason and farmer, and likely built this house himself. The property is now occupied by the Unity Historical Society.

South Britain Congregational Church // 1825

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The South Britain Congregational Church in Southbury, Connecticut was built in 1825 and was originally known as the Meeting House of the South Britain Ecclesiastical Society. The congregation dates back to 1766 and its first pastor, Jehu Minor, a Yale educated minister from Woodbury, was chosen in 1768. Members met at the Moses Downs House before its first meetinghouse was built in 1770. When the pre-Revolution church building was deemed inadequate, funds were raised to erect a new house of worship. In 1825, boards and other usable parts from the old building were used to construct the present Federal style church that stands in the middle of the village today. History states that pulleys were attached to an ox cart to hoist the bell up the steeple which is by far the tallest structure in the neighborhood. It is an exceptional example of the Federal style, with beautifully balanced proportions, a front pavilion, fine detailing and an elegant three-story steeple. The church made more history when in on September 25, 1937, 178 acres of land in Southbury, Connecticut was purchased for the German-American Bund, intent on building a Nazi camp. Similar camps were popping up around the nation, in an effort to promote an anti-semitic and pro-Nazi agenda. Led by Reverend Lindsay, the pastor of the church, the townspeople quickly established a zoning commission whose first ordinance forbade land usage in the town for “military training or drilling with or without arms except by the legally constituted armed forces of the United States of America.” Stunting the proliferation of nazism in Connecticut before WWII. This is why Southbury is sometimes known as “The town that said no to the Nazis”.

Smith-Pierce House // c.1829

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This transitional Federal-Greek Revival style house sits on the main street in South Britain, Southbury, Connecticut. The based on the style, the house was likely built around 1829 for Samuel Smith (1804-1856) who married Caroline Curtiss that year. Federal elements include the entry at the gable end, a pedimented facade embellished with modillions, and a doorway with sidelights and a leaded transom. Some moldings, the six-over-six windows and the simplicity of design are Greek Revival. It is one of the best preserved old houses in this part of Southbury.

Mitchell Double-House // c.1752

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This historic double-house in South Britain village of Southbury, Connecticut was reportedly built around 1752 by Zephania Clark with early residents being an M. M. Canfield and C. Muirhill (both possible renters). The house stands out as a rare example of a double-house from this period in a remote/rural section of town. A later owner, Deacon Mitchell deeded the property to two of his sons, who lived side-by-side in mirror residences. The property was likely “modernized” in the Federal period by Mitchell with the paired chimneys, Federal style entry with sidelights, portico, and tripartite window above the central entrance. It is presently covered in aluminum siding – which is likely preserving the clapboard siding and trim underneath – and a metal shingle roof.