Architecture In Woodstock, VT

Posted on | February 3, 2010 | 11 Comments

Woodstock is a small rural village located in central Vermont. As you drive into town the Ottauquechee river meanders alongside as large rolling fields dotted with spectacular farm houses reach out into the distance. My first thought as I awe struck by the landscape, “Beautiful.” My second, “Who the heck lives here?” The views are so stunning, the houses so well kept and elaborate, it almost feels like a storybook version of New England.

First settled in 1768 the historic downtown boasts stately homes around a village green. Ornate detailing above the windows and doors caught my eye. The homes looked Georgian (1690-1830) and Federal (1780-1840) but different then anything I have ever seen in New England. The ornamentation above the windows and columns were intricate and elaborate. I snapped a few photos of my favorites below. Sorry if the photos are little shaky it was 6 degrees out at 9 in the morning. My right hand felt like it was going to fall off as I ran up and down the street snapping photos.

p.s. could someone buy me this house in Woodstock?

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Category: architecture, vermont

Huguenot Street: New Paltz, NY

Posted on | October 7, 2009 | 8 Comments

Historic Huguenot Street features seven unique stone houses dating to the early 1700s built by French Huguenot settlers. Huguenots from Northern France and modern day Belgium purchased 40,000 acres of land in the Mid-Hudson Valley from the Esopus Indians in the late 17th century. Small communities developed and thrived in the valley including New Paltz.

I went to college in New Paltz and would walk by these houses just about everyday. I was fascinated by the history and architecture of the buildings. The windows and shutters feel Dutch and different from anything I had ever seen in New England. Check out the green painted window frames in the room above. I wonder the real history of painting wood green? I’ll have to investigate…

Historic Huguenot Street
18 Broadhead Avenue
New Paltz, NY
huguenotstreet.org

Category: New York, architecture, on the streets

Andrew Wyeth & Olsen House in Cushing, Maine

Posted on | August 16, 2009 | 13 Comments

Greg and I spent a long weekend up in Maine. My favorite stop, The Olsen House in Cushing, Maine. The Olsen House was made famous by painter Andrew Wyeth’s Christina’s World, a beautiful painting depicting a young Christina Olson crawling in the front field of the home. Wyeth created many works at the Olson house. The house is magical. A big center hall colonial sits high up on a rolling grassy hill that meanders it’s way down to the cold Maine ocean.

Wyeth painted in almost every room of the house. Simple images of the paintings are framed in the rooms to give visitors an idea of what Wyeth saw. The gorgeous light in the house is transcendental. Soft rays of summer sunshine flow through the wavy old panes of the windows. Each corner of the house is a perfect still life waiting to be painted. Below are a several photos I took of the house showcasing the beautiful light.

At the very bottom are photos of the field that meanders it’s way down to the ocean. Andrew Wyeth is buried at the base of the hill in a cemetery overlooking the ocean. A truly special place to visit.

The Olson House
Hathorne Point Road
Cushing, Maine
farnsworthmuseum.org

Category: architecture, maine, on the streets

Crazy House On Dwight Street in Boston

Posted on | March 31, 2009 | 5 Comments

I’ve taken a lot of photos of beautiful front doors in Boston. This front door is just down right bizarre. The house located on Dwight Street in the South End stops you in your tracks as you walk by. Feels a bit Spanish like something you would see in Barcelona, but not. Does anyone know anything about the history of this crazy place?

p.s. thanks elisabeth for showing me around the south end!

Category: architecture, boston and metro, on the streets

Old Churches in Marblehead

Posted on | September 10, 2008 | 4 Comments

Unitarian Universalist Church of Marblehead

I love old churches in New England. I don’t really like going to church but I can still enjoy the architecture and history of these sacred spaces. Here are a just few that are within a few blocks of my new house. My favorite is the Unitarian Universalist Church above. All summer long the church hosts a summer jazz series on Saturday nights. The music pours out of the chapel and echoes up the street into our house. Our first few weekends in the house were spent listening to the concerts from the comfort our living room. The images below are from the Old North Church and Grace Community Church.

One of my favorite books I acquired while working at House & Garden was “House of Worship: Sacred Spaces in America“. The book chronicles all types of churches, temples, and mosques around the country. My favorite is the All Saints’ summer church on Orr Island in Maine. A great book if you want to investigate more on religious based architecture.

Category: architecture, marblehead

Old Postcard

Posted on | July 14, 2008 | 2 Comments

We found this postcard of the house in an old baseball card shop over the weekend. We assume the postcard is from around the early 1900’s. I love the fence around the side of the house and the shutters on all the windows. The original door is shown in this photo. We learned that a drunk driver hit the house in the 80’s and completely took out the corner of the house. Total bummer because the windows above the door look like old bull’s eye windows.