Amos N. Beckwith House, Providence, RI

The Amos N. Beckwith House, Providence, RI. 1861

Here is a good example of a non-sober Italianate in Providence that dared to break with the symmetrical cube shape and materials that characterized other Providence homes. This house is also expansive, receding back further and further. Much of it might be later additions. The house was built in 1861 for Amos Beckwith by Alpheus Morse, Providence's premier Italianate architect. There were enlargements in 1867, and in 1880 some Colonial Revival details were added. When built, it was in the countryside, but now it is in a tightly packed neighborhood of lovely late 19th century homes. The house follows the irregular plan with some variations. The projecting pavilion in this house does not project as far as the tower does, so the house has a rather aggressive forward thrust. I also believe that a porch has been filled in adjoining the tower. It is constructed of wood as well, rather than the usual brick and brownstone.

This house is mostly about the tower. The wall treatment is actually very simple with windows that have simple moldings and surrounds. The cornice is also rather plain with small brackets. The tower however is highly ornamented, with each stage separated by some kind of molding. The first two stories where the tower intersects the house are covered with recessed panels, an unusual feature. The porch is paneled as well with Corinthian columns and a filleted corner arch. At the cornice line of the house, the panels are augmented by large balconies that projet on brackets ornamented with wreaths and ribbons. The third stage has segmental arched windows set into a rectangular frame, and the fourth stage has the triple arched windows so characteristic of the Italianate tower.

The sides of the house are bizarrely long. It's as if the Beckwiths couldn't get enough space in the house and kept crazily adding on. The house features all types of bay windows, box windows, even Colonial Revival Palladians on the sides. One very interesting feature of the house are the dormers on the sides. What's unique is that the dormer windows intersect the cornice and they are supported on large brackets, a design scheme I haven't really seen much. As a final note, I really like the coloring of this house, although people find it drab. This is Downing scheme at work here: the earthy tones, the dark trim, the picked out detail. The house seems much more period appropriate for its proper painting scheme. The Beckwith house is one of Providence's zaniest Italianates, to be sure.

The Thomas F. Hoppin House, Providence, RI

The Thomas Hoppin House, Providence, RI. 1852-5 Photo: Tom Bastin

The east facade. Photo: Wikimedia

The west facade. Photo: HABS

Just when you thought Providence would only offer another cube, here is a truly interesting composition! The Hoppin house is built across the street from the Bowen house, but couldn't be more different in design, at least from the sides. Hoppin was a dramatic artist, according to Guide to Providence Architecture, who had just returned from a European tour. He hired Alpheus Morse as an architect because of his speed of design. It is likely that Hoppin and Morse's experiences in Europe influenced the sophistication of the design. The house is currently the home of Annenberg Institute for School Reform, a rather gloomy sounding fate for an artist's house. It is an Anglo-Italianate design that is meant to be enjoyed from all of its sides, each of which differs. The front (south) facade is a normal symmetrical plan, however the sides are both examples of a very European scaled pavilion plan with extended side wings and a recessed center. On the west facade, facing Benefit Street, there is an enclosed porch between two slightly projecting pavilions. The east facade has more dramatically projecting pavilions and an open porch. This side is next to the carriage house pictured below by HABS, which served as the entrance for those arriving by horse.

The window treatments are similar on all three facades with backeted cornices on the first floor, simple cornices on the second, and eared moldings on the third. All the windows are rectangular. As in other Providence homes, like the Lippitt house, there is a belt course between first and second floors, and quoins on the first floor. The bricklaying like the Lippitt house suggests corner pilasters. The cornice is simple and expected with brackets and dentils (no large frieze of course). The central bay of the south facade above the front door has a series of triple windows, the second floor's surmounted by a round pediment that gives it a Palladian air. The front porch is very classical in design with Corinthian pilasters and a full entablature. Although it is enclosed now, it probably was open in the past, as the older HABS image shows. The porches on the side facades are simpler with a belt course and three arches with moldings. A fancy flourish occurs on the east facade. On the second floor in the recessed section there are no windows. Instead in the center is a large brownstone niche with a classical statue, no doubt a touch of grandiosity suggested by European precedents with exterior statuary. It's a piece of high style design that must have seemed impressive in sober Providence. The house is brick, but it is painted to simulate stucco in a very Downing style palette, making the house look like a stuccoed brownstone, which seems very period appropriate and accentuates the elements of the design. The surrounding balustrade survives on the property with dramatic pillars at the carriage entrance.

The William Binney House, Providence, RI

The William Binney House, Providence, RI. 1859

Photo: HABS

The William Binney house is another work by Alpheus Morse on College Hill in Providence. Built in 1859, it is another fine example of the Anglo-Italianate features of Providence's symmetrical plan homes for the wealthy. It is brick with brownstone detailing, divided into two sections by a belt course above the first floor, and has a small bracketed cornice without a frieze. Hood moldings are cornices with brackets on the first and second floor with simple moldings on the third floor's small windows. The central window on the second floor is enlivened by a pediment. What I find lovely about this house is the delicate Federal style doorway. It projects from the house with Tuscan pilasters surrounding an arched doorway. Morse seemed to like these projecting classical styled entrances. The balustrade over the entrance is a real treat, made of carved interlocking rings, an expensive element. The house has a massive classically styled monitor, a low cupola on the peak of the roof. That is a feature that definitely does not occur often in Providence Italianates. That Again, Providence's architects chose fineness of detail and harmonious proportions over elaborate ornament in their design.