This attractive Greek Revival style residence with later porch was likely built in the 1840s and is one of the finest homes in the village of West Cornwall, Connecticut. The house was likely built for Stephen Foster (c.1816-1863), a merchant and railroad contractor who had constructed a portion of the Housatonic Line railroad near West Cornwall, further opening the village up to trade. Stephen and his wife, Helen, lived here for some time until around 1860 when they relocated to a larger, Italianate style mansion nearby. In 1867, this property was purchased by George Beck, a German immigrant and partner of the Vollmiller Shear Shop, who manufactured metal shears and scissors in West Cornwall. It is likely that Beck was owner of the house at the time the wrap-around porch with scroll-sawn columns.
Arguably the most restrained and modestly detailed residence on Stimson Avenue in Providence is this residence, the George H. Dart House, a late-Queen Anne dwelling built in 1893. The original owner, George H. Dart (1845-1897) worked as the President of the Rhode Island Tool Company before his unexpected death in 1897. Four years prior to his death, Mr. Dart hired the local architectural firm of Stone, Carpenter & Willson, to design this single-family residence, which employs Shingle and Queen Anne detailing under a two-story gambrel roof with overhanging eaves sheltering recessed porches and bay windows.
The period of the late 19th through early 20th centuries provided architects the opportunity of blending the two prominent styles, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival into a single composition, and as a result, this period has provided some of the most whimsical yet stately homes in New England. This modestly sized residence sits on Stimson Avenue, one of the finest streets in Providence, and despite its unassuming size, packs an architectural punch with its materials and detailing. The Henry Waldron House was built in 1893 for Henry A. Waldron, a clerk in Providence. From deed research, it appears a member of his family, Nathan Waldron, a wealthy grocer, purchased the site in 1891 and likely funded some or all of the construction of the residence there. The architectural firm of Hoppin, Read & Hoppin is credited with the design of the residence, which employs a Colonial Revival form with the gambrel roof and Columned and ornate entrance porch with fan motif, while the use of varied siding materials and octagonal tower with pyramidal roof veers into the Queen Anne style.
With red brick and slate siding and all the finest trimmings, this house looks like a present wrapped under the Christmas tree! The Joseph Fletcher House is located at 19 Stimson Avenue in Providence, Rhode Island, and is an excellent example of a Queen Anne residence with the innovative use of siding types often found in the style. The residence was built in 1889 for textile manufacturer, Joseph Edward Fletcher (1866-1924), the son of wealthy, English-born manufacturer, Charles Fletcher. The Fletcher house and adjacent stable were designed by Stone, Carpenter & Willson, one of the most prestigious architectural firms in New England at this period. It is believed that the site was developed by Charles Fletcher, as a wedding gift to his 23-year-old son and daughter-in-law following their marriage. The home was recently sold, and the interiors are as stunning as the exterior!
When Ebenezer Dexter built this country retreat in 1800, it stood at the eastern edge of settlement in Providence, Rhode Island. Several of the city’s wealthy residents maintained country seats on the then rural outskirts of the city, but Rose Farm is the only remaining gentleman’s farmhouse from the period in this part of the city, surviving over two centuries of development pressure and economic recessions. The house stands out amongst a neighborhood of mid-to-late 19th century residences, for its refined form and simple symmetry. Rose Farm is a wood-frame dwelling with brick end walls and exceptionally tall chimneys at the hipped roof, which once had two levels of a decorative balustrade. Ebenezer Knight Dexter (1773-1824), was a businessman and philanthropist, who left the bulk of this farmland to establish a home for the poor, Dexter Asylum, on land to the north. John Stimson bought the farmhouse and surrounding land in 1837 and the property directly surrounding the farmhouse was later subdivided with large residential lots, with the neighbrohood filling-in by the late 19th century.
The Francis and Sarah Cranston House is located on Bowen Street in the College Hill section of Providence, Rhode Island. Built circa 1895 for Francis Augusta Cranston (1837-1909) and his wife, Sarah (Hill) Cranston, the house is one of the best residential examples of Colonial Revival architecture in the city. Francis was the son of Barzillai Cranston, a descendant of Gov. Samuel Cranston, who held office from 1698 to 1727, being elected to office 30 times; serving as governor longer than any other individual in the history of Rhode Island. Francis worked as cashier of the Old National Bank of Providence for over fifty years and built this residence to settle into retirement. The residence is unique for its high-sloping hipped roof with two layers of dormers, corner quoins, Palladian window, and Ionic portico. I could not locate the architect, but if anyone knows, I’d love to give them their deserved credit!
The Farnsworth Homestead is located on Elm Street in Downtown Rockland, Maine, and is an excellent example of a mid-19th century residence in the Greek Revival style. The home was built in 1850 for Rockland businessman William Alden Farnsworth, who gained his income from lime-rock quarries and the Rockland Water Company. Mr. Farnsworth was a leading businessman who helped establish Rockland as the number four port in the United States, largely exporting lime for masonry construction all down the east coast. After William died in 1873, the property was inherited by his heirs, the last of which, Lucy Farnsworth, lived here until her own death in 1935. The 96-year-old Lucy Farnsworth died in the home and in her will, bequeathed the family property and ample funds to establish the Farnsworth Art Museum, and included preservation of the family homestead as a mid-19th century house museum, which it remains to this day. The Greek Revival style house with its flushboard siding and bold pilasters, was recently restored by the museum, along with the carriage house which stands to its east.
This handsome Tudor residence was built around 1905 for William Oliver Fuller (1856-1941) and his wife, Kathleen Stephens Fuller (1869-1948), and can be found at the corner of Beech and Lincoln streets in the finest neighborhood in Rockland, Maine. Although an architect could not be established at this time, the high-style residence features half-timbered gables, an inset front porch framed by stone pillars, and an absolutely perfect color palette. William Fuller was a newspaper publisher, who created his first newspaper, the Rockland Enterprise when he was 18 years old and in high school. He would go on to become the editor and publisher of the Courier-Gazette, the region’s main newspaper. Kathleen Fuller frequented the newspaper herself through her published poetry and columns and would later become an associate editor and co-owner of the paper.
The Charles Berry House is located at 81 Talbot Avenue in Rockland, Maine, and it is one of the town’s finest examples of a residence built in the Colonial Revival style. The house was built for Charles Howard Berry (1849-1909), a businessman who operated a stage route, livery stables, and later entered the hotel business. He would hire Portland-based architect, Austin Pease, to furnish the plans for the house and adjacent carriage house. The residence features a symmetrical façade with front porch and porte-cochere, Palladian window over the entrance, bowed front, and ornate dormers at the roof. The entire property is lovingly maintained and preserved and is now home to the Berry Manor Inn, an up-scale bed & breakfast that maintains the old charm of Rockland, while providing high-class finishes.
The General Israel Putnam Housein Danvers, Massachusetts, was built circa 1648 by Lieutenant Thomas Putnam on farmland that then consisted of 100 acres. In 1692, his youngest son, Joseph Putnam, lived here, inheriting the property over his half-brother, Thomas Putnam, Jr. (1652-1699), causing friction within the family. During the infamous witch trials and hysteria in Salem Village, Joseph Putnam was one of two people who took notes during the examinations of the first three to be accused of witchcraft in 1692 – Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba. From that point forward, he was one of the most outspoken opponents of the proceedings, which put him in direct conflict with most of the Putnam family, especially that of his half-brother Thomas. Fearing accusations against him by his half-brother, Joseph was said to have kept horses saddled at all times, ready to escape at a moment’s notice. He was never accused, though Thomas Putnam was responsible for the accusations of 43 people, and his daughter was responsible for 62. In 1718, Israel Putnam, the son of Joseph Putnam, and later Commander of the colonial troops at the Battle of Bunker Hill, was born in this house. It is the only extant structure with direct ties to Commander Putnam. During the Battle of Bunker Hill, Putnam is thought to have ordered William Prescott to tell his troops, “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.” This command has since become one of the American Revolution’s notable quotations. It was given to make the best use of the low ammunition stocks that the troops had. The Putnam House remained in the family into the 20th century, and due to highway and commercial expansion, the property now sits in the middle of a cloverleaf intersection of two highways. The house was given by the Putnam family to the Danvers Historical Society in 1991, but as of 2020, the Putnam family once again owns the property. The house is not holding up well and I could not locate plans for restoration or preservation of it online. This house deserves to be preserved.
Buildings of New England 