federal Architecture

First Parish Church, Wayland // 1814

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The First Parish Church of Wayland, Massachusetts, is an iconic church that displays the typical early 19th-century meetinghouse form with Federal-style elaboration. Built in 1814, the church is two-stories with a five-bay gabled-front structure with a projecting enclosed portico of three entrance bays, and a four-stage bell tower that rises above the façade. Today known as Wayland, the town was originally called East Sudbury, after it split away from the western parish in 1780. In 1835, members of town meeting voted to rename East Sudbury “Wayland” in honor of Dr. Francis Wayland, a temperance advocate, abolitionist, and then president of Brown University. The First Parish Church of Wayland was built by Andrews Palmer of Newburyport, who used an Asher Benjamin design. The bell was cast by Paul Revere and Sons and first lifted into the bell tower in 1814. The property also includes the historic, twelve-bay horse/carriage sheds where parishioners would “park” their horses and carriages while attending services.

Abraham Wilder House // 1827

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This exceptional vernacular example of a brick, Federal period house in Bolton, Massachusetts, sits on the town’s Main Street in the East Bolton village. Built in 1827, this house with attached wooden ell was the home to Abraham Wilder, a local blacksmith who followed his father’s footsteps in his professional pursuits. The house is two-stories with historic six-over-nine sash windows. The main center entry, rather than displaying a common elliptical fanlight for the period, is surrounded by trim boards, four-pane sidelights and a vertical-board door. Abraham’s blacksmith shop was once located next-door but was moved and reassembled in Old Sturbridge Village in 1957.

Willard-Stedman Mansion // c.1760

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This stately Federal period mansion in Lancaster, Massachusetts, was originally constructed as a Georgian, two-story, five-bay house for Levi Willard (1727-1775), the son of a major landholder and descendant of one of the earliest settlers in the town. The residence is said to have been built by Levi’s cousin, Aaron Willard around 1760. Sometime after Levi’s death in 1775, the property was acquired by William Stedman (1765-1831), a notable attorney who served as town clerk of Lancaster 1795-1800, later becoming a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1802-1810. It was during Representative Stedman’s ownership that the house was remodelled into the fashionable Federal style appearance we see today, with the third floor added with shallow hip roof and classical entrance with pilasters and fanlight. In the mid-19th century, the house was operated as different boarding schools, though more information is needed. Today, the residence has been preserved and maintained as a single-family home, contributing to the charming Lancaster Center Village.

First Church of Lancaster // 1816

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Built in 1816, the First Church of Lancaster is one of just two extant church buildings designed by famed American architect, Charles Bulfinch, and is said to be one of the finest churches in the Federal style in the United States. The fifth meetinghouse of the Unitarian First Church of Christ in Lancaster, this building was constructed of local brick, slate, and lumber from master-builder, Thomas Hearsey. Hearsey is said to have modified Bulfinch’s design, which had proposed one tall center arch flanked by two lower arches to reflect the unequal heights of the three vestibule doors behind them; instead going with three, identical arches. Other than this change, the church remains substantially as originally built, even without artificial lighting or central heat inside. Besides the iconic arched portico, the two- stage brick tower topped by a beautifully proportioned wood cupola surrounded by Roman Ionic columns, and fronted by a giant arcuated portico, is especially noteworthy. The congregation, which dates back to 1653 as a Puritan congregation was the first parish established in Central Massachusetts and remains active to this day.

Mason C. Richardson House // c.1839

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The Stone Village of Chester, Vermont, is said to be the largest collection of stone buildings in the state. Built around 1839, the Mason C. Richardson House is one of a few dozen “snecked ashlar” buildings in the region, where rubblestone is laid up with mortar using small long stones called “snecks” to tie an outer and an inner wall together. The construction method is said to have been brought to the area by masons from Scotland and Ireland which is known there as ‘Celtic Bond’. Oral tradition state that Scottish masons from Canada introduced the technique to local masons while erecting a mill in nearby Cavendish in 1832. Local Chester resident, Dr. Ptolemy Edson became such a fan of the building that in 1834, he had his home, the first stone building in Chester, built in this method. He then would influence the rest of the North Village of Chester, where many of his neighbors, as well as the church and schoolhouse, built their structures in snecked ashlar. Designed in the Federal style, the Richardson House is a vernacular, five-bay, two-story residence with central entrance and arched fanlight transom over the front door. Mason Richardson (1811-1881) was a merchant who lived here with his family while operating a store nearby.

Amos Heald House // 1803

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This large brick Federal period house in Chester, Vermont, was built in 1803 and is said to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad. The large residence was built for Amos Heald (1767-1849), who was born in Concord, Massachusetts, and when just a boy of nine years, Amos witnessed the Battle of Concord kicking off the American Revolution. In about 1777, his father, Daniel Heald, moved the family to Chester, Vermont, which was then named New Flemstead, to escape the conflict. Daniel Heald acquired land near the Williams River and built a large Federal style home. He later deeded his son, Amos, land on which he too would build a residence. Amos Heald lived in this brick home and served in many positions in town until his death. The estate was bequeathed to his son, Amos Heald Jr. (1804-1873), who also served in the town offices. Locals state that Amos would shelter escaped enslaved people from the south on their way north to Canada. After his death, his son Prescott took over the property and built a wood-frame addition off the rear stables and barns, which became the town clerk’s office during his tenure, as well as the office for his insurance business. Sometime in the 19th century, the house was renovated with the addition of porches, and later, the building became the Weathervane Inn.

Chester Congregational Church // 1828

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A significant landmark in Chester, Vermont, the Congregational Church of Chester is a sophisticated interpretation of ecclesiastical Federal architecture. Built in 1828, the soaring, five-stage clock-and-bell tower with bellcast cap and weathervane rises above a pedimented three-bay entrance pavilion with semi-elliptical fanlight, a common motif in the style. It is believed that local carpenters, Comfort Carpenter Dresser and his son, Charles Dresser, built the church, likely from planbooks for specific details. The church originally served as the Union Meeting House for Congregational, Methodist, and Universalist parishioners until around 1848, when other churches set off to build their own structures, after this, the Congregationalists remained here. Today, due to years of dwindling membership and a small population in the surrounding area, the church is “replanting” to reactivate membership and realign with community needs. Hopefully this significant church will be preserved in the future, possibly through preservation grants!

Jaquith Homestead // c.1820

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Erected in the 1820s by Joshua Jaquith, a prosperous mill owner who operated a sawmill and grist mill on the river directly behind his house, this residence in Andover, Vermont, exemplifies vernacular Federal period residential architecture in rural New England. The residence is said to have been carved up inside into apartments in the mid-1800s but was restored by Alden Jaquith, the third generation of the family later in the 19th century back into a single-family residence. The handsome brick home is symmetrical with a five-bay facade, 12-over-12 sash windows, and large end chimneys. Of particular note are the relief arches above first floor windows and above the door and the attached sidelight windows.

John Larchar House // c.1820

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The John Larchar House at 282 Benefit Street in Providence is one of the many stately Federal period homes in the city designed by great architect, John Holden Greene. John Larchar (also spelled Larcher), was born in Providence in 1787 and worked in local businesses, eventually becoming a bank director that was involved in many mercantile pursuits. The residence remained in John’s family long after his death in 1863, and has been maintained so well by subsequent owners. The 2½-story, brick Federal house features stone trim, four chimneys, a central elliptical fanlight doorway, modillion cornice and amazing 12-over-12 windows. The cupola at the roof appears to be a is a mid-19th-century addition, possibly after John’s death. The garage and two-story side addition dates to the 1960s but does not detract from the architectural integrity of the home. 

Benoni Cooke House // 1828

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The Benoni Cooke House at 110 South Main Street in Providence, Rhode Island, is one of the finest examples of an architect-designed Federal style residence in the state. A fine and somewhat-typical example of architect, John Holden Greene’s 1820s work in the Federal style, the residence is actually the remaining half of what was originally a pair of mirror-image houses, built for two brothers-in-law and business partners, which once faced one another across a driveway leading to a large, well-preserved service court defined by connected stables (most of which remain). The mirror house, built for Rufus Greene, was demolished in 1895 for the expansion of the Old Stone Bank next door. The Benoni Cooke House was built in 1828 and sits atop an arcaded basement on the street elevation, which historically was used for commercial use. The Cooke House retains its iconic hipped roof with monitor (common for John Holden Greene’s works), an Ionic portico sheltering the entry with sidelights and fanlight transom, and elaborate stairhall window above. The building was later occupied as offices for the Old Stone Bank, and along with the Old Stone Bank, was acquired by Brown University, who sold the property in 2009 to an LLC, but its current use is unclear.