Architectural, Cultural sights in New England
-
A
1712 Ebenezer Clough House
Behind the Paul Revere Mall in the North End. Ebenezer Clough, a Sons of Liberty member who participated in the Boston Tea Party, was a mason who worked on the adjacent Old North Church.
reviewed
-
B
Rough Point
In 1889, Frederick W Vanderbilt built Rough Point in the tradition of English manorial estates on a rocky piece of land jutting out into the ocean. Later purchased by the tobacco baron, James B Duke, the mansion fell into the hands of Duke’s only daughter, Doris (aged 13 years). She left the estate to the Newport Restoration Society upon her death. While the splendor of the grounds alone is worth the price of admission, Rough Point also houses much of Doris Duke’s impressive art holdings, including medieval tapestries, furniture owned by French emperors, Ming Dynasty ceramics, and paintings by Renoir and Van Dyck. These and other extraordinary objects formed the backdrop …
reviewed
-
Jefferds’ Tavern Visitor Center
Historic York was called Agamenticus by its pre-colonial Native American inhabitants. British colonials settled York in 1624, and it was chartered as a city in 1641. The Old York Historical Society is proud of the town’s historic buildings and has preserved several of them as a museum of the town’s history. The historic buildings include the School House, dating from the mid-18th century. The Old Gaol (jail) gives a vivid impression of crime and punishment two centuries ago. The Emerson-Wilcox House is a museum of New England decorative arts and the Elizabeth Perkins House was a wealthy family’s summer home. The John Hancock warehouse preserves the town’s industrial…
reviewed
-
Old York Buildings & Historical Society
Historic York was called Agamenticus by its pre-colonial Native American inhabitants. British colonials settled York in 1624, and it was chartered as a city in 1641. The Old York Historical Society is proud of the town’s historic buildings and has preserved several of them as a museum of the town’s history. The historic buildings include the School House, dating from the mid-18th century. The Old Gaol (jail) gives a vivid impression of crime and punishment two centuries ago. The Emerson-Wilcox House is a museum of New England decorative arts and the Elizabeth Perkins House was a wealthy family’s summer home. The John Hancock warehouse preserves the town’s industrial…
reviewed
-
C
Stephen Hopkins House
Immediately east of downtown Providence, you’ll find College Hill, where you can see the city’s colonial history reflected in the multihued 18th-century houses that line Benefit Street on the East Side. These are, for the most part, private homes, but many are open for tours one weekend in mid-June during the annual Festival of Historic Homes. Benefit St is a fitting symbol of the Providence renaissance, rescued by local preservationists in the 1960s from misguided urban-renewal efforts that would have destroyed it. Its treasures range from the 1708 Stephen Hopkins House, named for the ten-time governor and Declaration of Independence signer, to the clean Greek Reviva…
reviewed
-
D
Old State House
Dating to 1713, the Old State House is Boston’s oldest surviving public building, where the Massachusetts Assembly used to debate the issues of the day before the revolution. It occupies a once prominent spot at the top of State St (then known as King St), which was Boston’s main thoroughfare. The building is best known for its balcony, where the Declaration of Independence was first read to Bostonians in 1776. The rooftop is graced with lions and unicorns, which were symbols of the British crown. These are replicas, as the originals were torn down in a fit of patriotism after the reading of the Declaration. Inside, the Old State House contains a small museum of revolutio…
reviewed
-
Skolfield-Whittier House
On the Bowdoin campus, the Pejepscot Historical Society preserves several house museums, shich provide a fascinating glimpse into the past. You can visit them all for an $8 combination ticket. Skolfield-Whittier House, a 17-room brick mansion, is a virtual time capsule, closed as it was from 1925 to 1982. Victorian furnishings and decor are handsomely preserved – even the spices in the kitchen racks are authentic. It’s only open for tours. The Pejepscot Museum displays changing exhibits relating to Brunswick history, with photographs and artifacts pulled from its 50,000-piece inventory. The Joshua L Chamberlain Museum exhibits artifacts from the late owner’s eventful …
reviewed
-
E
Elms
Nearly identical to the Château d’Asnières built near Paris in 1750, the Elms offers a ‘behind-the-scenes’ tour which will have you snaking through the basement operations, servants’ quarters and up onto the roof. Along the way you’ll learn about the activities of the army of servants and the architectural devices that kept them hidden from the view of those drinking port in the formal rooms. Taking the regular tour in addition to the behind-the-scenes variant will give you the best idea about how a Newport mansion functioned, though a double tour is exhausting. The place was designed by Horace Trumbauer in 1901. Of all the mansions, The Elms easily possess the most l…
reviewed
-
F
Providence Athenaeum
Immediately east of downtown, you’ll find College Hill, where you can see the city’s colonial history reflected in the multihued 18th-century houses that line Benefit Street on the East Side. Benefit St is a fitting symbol of the Providence renaissance, rescued by local preservationists in the 1960s from misguided urban-renewal efforts that would have destroyed it. Its treasures range from the 1708 Stephen Hopkins House, named for the ten-time governor and Declaration of Independence signer, to the clean Greek Revival lines of William Strickland’s 1838 Providence Athenaeum. This is a library of the old school, with plaster busts and oil paintings filling in spaces n…
reviewed
-
Monte Cristo Cottage
Part of a well-laid-out walking tour is Monte Cristo Cottage, the boyhood summer home of Eugene O’Neill, America’s only Nobel Prize–winning playwright. Near Ocean Beach Park in the southern districts of the city (follow the signs), the Victorian-style house is now a research library for dramatists. Many of O’Neill’s belongings are on display, including his desk. You might recognize the living room: it was the inspiration for the setting for two of O’Neill’s most famous plays, Long Day’s Journey into Night and Ah, Wilderness! Theater buffs should be sure to visit the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in nearby Waterford, which hosts an annual summer series of…
reviewed
Advertisement
-
G
Old Corner Bookstore
In the earliest days of Boston history, this was the site of the home of Anne Hutchinson, the religious dissident who was expelled from the Massachusetts Bay colony and co-founded the Rhode Island colony. The current brick building dates to 1718, when it served as a pharmacy and residence. In the 19th century, however, the house was leased to a bookseller, Carter & Hendlee. This was the first of nine bookshops and publishing companies that would occupy this spot, making it a breeding ground for literary and philosophical ideas. The most illustrious was Ticknor & Fields, publisher of books by Thoreau, Emerson, Hawthorne, Longfellow and Harriet Beecher Stowe. Today the stor…
reviewed
-
Newport Mansions
During the 19th century, the wealthiest New York bankers and business families chose Newport as their summer resort. This was pre-income-tax America, their fortunes were fabulous and their 'summer cottages' - actually mansions and palaces - were fabulous as well. Most Newport Mansions are on Bellevue Ave, and they frequently turn up as settings for films like The Great Gatsby and PBS series featuring actors with British accents. One of the best ways to see the mansions is by bicycle. Cruising along Bellevue Ave at a leisurely place allows you to enjoy the view of the grounds, explore side streets and paths, and ride right up to the mansion entrances without having to worr…
reviewed
-
H
John F Kennedy National Historic Site
In 1914 newlyweds Joseph and Rose Kennedy moved into this modest three-story house in the shady streetcar suburb of Brookline. Four of their nine children would be born and raised here, including Jack, who was born in the master bedroom in 1917. Matriarch Rose Kennedy oversaw the restoration and furnishing of the house in the late 1960s; today her narrative sheds light on the Kennedys’ family life. Mandatory guided tours allow visitors to see furnishings, photographs and mementos that have been preserved from the time the family lived here. A self-guided walking tour of the surrounding neighborhood sets the scene for the Kennedy family’s day-to-day life, including church,…
reviewed
-
I
Longfellow National Historic Site
Brattle St’s most famous resident was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, whose stately manor is now a National Historic Site. The poet lived and wrote here for 45 years, from 1837 to 1882, writing many of his most famous poems including Evangeline and Hiawatha. The Georgian mansion contains many of Longfellow’s belongings and lush period gardens. After a long period of restoration, the site now offers poetry readings and historical tours. Incidentally, one reason Longfellow was so taken with this house was its historical significance. During the Revolutionary War, General Washington appropriated this beauty from its absent Loyalist owner and used it as his headquarters.
reviewed
-
J
Gibson House Museum
When Catherine Hammond Gibson moved to this Italian Renaissance row house in 1860, the Back Bay was barely filled in. This was one of the first houses built on Beacon St, and Ms Gibson was considered quite the pioneer (that she was a female homeowner in this ‘New Land’ was even more unusual). The Gibson House attempts to preserve a piece of Victorian-era Boston, showcasing antique furniture and art that was collected by the Gibson family, especially Catherine’s grandson Charles. Four of six levels are open, allowing visitors to see the servants’ quarters, the high-ceilinged library and music room, and Charles’ bedroom and study.
reviewed
-
K
House of the Seven Gables
Salem's most famous house is the House of the Seven Gables, made famous in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1851 novel of the same name. As he wrote: ‘Halfway down a by-street of one of our New England towns stands a rusty wooden house, with seven acutely peaked gables facing towards various points of the compass, and a huge clustered chimney in their midst.’ The novel brings to life the gloomy Puritan atmosphere of early New England and its effects on the people’s psyches; the house does the same. The admission fee allows entrance to the site’s four historic buildings, as well as the luxuriant gardens on the waterfront.
reviewed
-
Beauport Mansion
The lavish ‘summer cottage’ of interior designer Henry Davis Sleeper is known as Beauport Mansion, or the Sleeper-McCann mansion. Sleeper toured New England in search of houses about to be demolished and bought up selected elements from each: wood paneling, architectural elements and furniture. In place of unity, Sleeper created a wildly eclectic but artistically surprising – and satisfying – place to live. Now in the care of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, Beauport is open to visitors. Beauport also holds afternoon teas, evening concerts and other special events.
reviewed
-
Brown University Admissions Office
Dominating the crest of the College Hill neighborhood on the East Side, the campus of Brown University exudes Ivy League charm. University Hall, a 1770 brick edifice used as a barracks during the Revolutionary War, sits at its center. To explore the campus, start at the wrought-iron gates opening from the top of College St and make your way across the green toward Thayer St. Free tours of the campus leave five times daily on weekdays, and on Saturday morning from mid-September to mid-November, beginning from the Brown University Admissions Office.
reviewed
-
L
Otis House Museum
This stern, Federal brick building stands in stark contrast to the modern development all around it. It was the first of three houses designed by Charles Bulfinch for Mr Harrison Gray Otis at the end of the 18th century. A real estate developer, congressman and mayor of Boston, Otis and his wife Sally were renowned entertainers who hosted many lavish parties here. Since then the house has had quite a history, serving as a women’s bath and rooming house. These days it is the headquarters of Historic New England, a preservation society that has recreated the interior of the Otis’ day.
reviewed
-
M
Isaac Bell House
Built in 1883, Isaac Bell House is one of the earliest Bellevue mansions. This subtly grand wooden home not only exemplifies 'shingle style' architecture (the thing is covered in graying cedar scales) but, if you compare it to the stone behemoths that would soon arrive in Newport, helps you to understand the changing forms of the city's grandest buildings.
While places like the Breakers overpower you with palatial spaces and over-the-top materials, this McKim, Mead and White structure feels more livable, graceful and American (most other mansions imitate European palaces).
reviewed
Advertisement
-
Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum
New Bedford’s grandest historic house was designed in Greek revival style by Richard Upjohn (1802–78), first president of the American Institute of Architects. Occupying an entire city block, it was built for whaling merchant William Rotch Jr in 1834 and owned by three prominent families in the following 150 years. The house contains the furniture and trinkets of these families, tracing the progression of the house’s history through the years. The grounds are absolutely lovely landscaped gardens, and include the irresistible Woodland Walk.
reviewed
-
N
Ochre Court
Designed by Richard Morris Hunt and built in 1892, Ochre Court offers a grand view of the sea from its soaring three-story grand hallway. Elsewhere find a rainbow of stained glass, pointed arches, gargoyles and other emblems of an architecture inspired by a medieval (and mythical) French Gothic. Ochre Court is now the administration building of Salve Regina University, and as such provides an interesting example of the repurposing of a Newport mansion. You can visit much of the main floor anytime during opening hours. In summer there are guided tours.
reviewed
-
O
Ethan Allen Homestead
American Revolution hero Ethan Allen, often referred to as ‘Vermont’s godfather, ’ lived in this 18th-century Colonial homestead. Be sure to take the guided tour (included in entrance fee; tour times vary) of the historic house. The center features multimedia exhibits documenting the exploits of Allen’s Green Mountain Boys and also has walking trails behind the house. To reach the homestead, take the North Ave Beaches exit and follow the signs. It’s 1 mile north of Burlington on VT 127.
reviewed
-
P
John Paul Jones House
The John Paul Jones House was a boardinghouse when America’s first great naval commander resided in Portsmouth. Jones, who uttered, ‘I have not yet begun to fight!’ during a particularly bloody engagement with the British, is believed to have lodged here during the outfitting of the Ranger (1777) and the America (1781). The marvelous Georgian mansion with gambrel roof is now the headquarters of the Portsmouth Historical Society.
reviewed
-
Q
Hooper-Lee-Nichols House
This c 1685 Georgian mansion has been changed several times over the course of its 300-plus-year history, first to modernize and hide its original appearance, and then to recover its historically accurate appearance. Now the headquarters of the Cambridge Historical Society, the house is open for occasional architectural tours (check the website for the schedule, which fluctuates). Highlights include the massive stone fireplace in the Chandler room and hand-painted wallpaper in the Bosphorous room.
reviewed
