Things to do / Travel Guide
For those who would like to see the early history of American architecture at a glance, coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island are a pretty good place to start. It's hard to find a town in the region that doesn't have some site of architectural interest. Even the bed and breakfasts that dot the country roads are set in beautiful buildings. But here are the biggest draws for your enjoyment:
Lighthouses around Boston, Massachusetts
First, a word (or few) on this region's lighthouses. Not to talk about the lighthouses on the Massachusetts coast or Rhode Island would be like forgetting to wave that flag on the Fourth of July. They run up and down every coastline in the region, they all have their own unique histories and stories to tell, and there's something really endearing about them that causes people to seek more and more of them out. Some even offer quaint accommodations. For starters, check out Boston Light in the Boston Harbor, open by arrangement; or Monomoy Point Light, near Chatham on Cape Cod. The latter offers accommodations.
Architecture around Boston, Massachusetts
Boston, for example, has excellent examples of four important periods: Colonial, Federal, Victorian, and Contemporary. From Colonial times, there is the Old State House, where the Declaration of Independence was read to the jubilant citizens of Boston for the first time. Although little remains of the original Paul Revere House, the restored structure gives an idea of what the house would have looked like on the night that famous patriot embarked on his famous midnight ride.
During the Federal period, architect Charles Bulfinch had a profound impact on the development of Boston. Good examples of his work can be seen at the Massachusetts State House, the expansion of Faneuil Hall (Faneuil here rhymes with Daniel), and Mayor Harrison Gray Otis' residence on Cambridge Street. The State House is a site to behold, as it is overlaid with a gold-leaf dome.
Trinity Church and the Boston Public Library, both located around historical Copley Square, are two notable examples from Victorian-era Boston. Built from 1872-1877 in Back Bay, Trinity Church was designed by Henry Hobson Richardson. It established his reputation and gave birth to what became known as the “Richardson Romanesque” style. The style he created is characterized by a clay roof, the use of many colors, rough stones, heavy arches, and a massive tower, and it was used in a number of public buildings across the United States.
The Boston Public Library, designed by Charles Follen McKim of the architectural firm McKim, Mead, and White, opened in 1895. It's modeled in the Italian Renaissance style. Inside the library visitors will see the magnificent work of Catalan master builder Rafael Guastavino, whose thin-tile vaulting system can be seen in the breathtaking high-arched ceiling of the Bates Hall reading room.
In contrast to all these old sites, Boston's modern downtown has one of the greatest skylines of the U.S. For instance, the ultra-sleek, 60-story John Hancock Tower, the work of Henry Cobb of the architectural firm of modernist master I.M. Pei, dominates the view. Located at Copley Square, it was completed in 1976, and is considered a landmark of modernist architecture. The observation deck on the 50th floor of the nearby Prudential Tower is a great place to survey many of the other skyscrapers that form the impressive Boston skyline.
Architecture in Salem, Massachusetts
Salem is another place in which architectural history is combined with American history. The city exhibits excellent examples of the Federal, Greek Revival, Queen Anne, Gothic Revival, Victorian Gothic, and Colonial Revival styles.
The Captain John Turner House (also known as the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion), built in 1668, was the inspiration for Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, “The House of the Seven Gables.” Located at 54 Turner Street, the house is open for tours daily, except from January 1-12 and on Thanksgiving and Christmas day.
Another home from the Colonial period, the Jonathan Corwin House at 310 Essex Street, is the only remaining structure that has ties to the 1692 Salem Witch Trials. It's open for tours during the summer season.
Architecture on Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Architecture on the Cape is exemplified by the well known - and well-named - Cape Cod House. A house in this style is usually one floor, has a steep roof with gables, and a large chimney peaking out the top and connected to every room by means of a fireplace. These houses were instrumental in satisfying the housing boom in the post-World War II years, as they're affordable and compact. You've seen something like them probably in your own state, now you can see the prototype.
Architecture in Rhode Island and Southeast Connecticut
The spacious mansions built at Newport, Rhode Island, during the Gilded Age in the late 19th century, take their inspiration from Europe. Many of these mansions are located on famous Bellevue Avenue towards the south of the island.
- The Breakers, the “summer cottage” built in the Italian-Renaissance style at Ochre Point Avenue for Cornelius Vanderbilt II, features both a 45-foot-high central Great Hall and spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean. The mansion is open for tours.
- Rosecliff was designed by Stanford White in 1900, and has served as the setting for such major Hollywood films as “The Great Gatsby” and “True Lies.” The palace is open for tours.
- The Elms was built at the turn of the 20th century in the neo-baroque style. Edward Julius Berwind, who made his millions as a coal baron, commissioned it to be an exact replica of a certain commune on the outskirts of Paris, France.
- Go to the former summer cottage of Ogden Goelet, a banker, built in the late 19th century. Now the building serves as the premises for the offices of Salve Regina University. Located in Newport, it was originally called Ochre Court.
Beautiful Wickford Village is located on the western side of the Narragansett Bay. It was founded, they say, in 1637, by the same Roger Williams who founded the state of Rhode Island. You can see in this mite of a place a good amount of authentic houses dating back to the Colonial period.
Finally, southeast Connecticut is not only for gambling. In addition to Mystic, there are great historical towns on the Long Island Sound. Time stopped in the city of Stonington around the turn of the 20th century, so there's a great selection of Colonial, Federal, and Greek Revival architecture in this otherwise sleepy formerly-bustling town.
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