Benjamin Church House (Bristol, Rhode Island)
Benjamin Church House | |
 Benjamin Church Senior Center | |
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| Location | Bristol, Rhode Island |
|---|---|
| Built | 1908 |
| Architect | Howe & Church |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000011 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | September 22, 1971 |
Benjamin Church House (also known as Benjamin Church Home for the Aged) is a historical house at 1014 Hope Street in Bristol, Rhode Island. It is a two-story clapboarded Colonial Revival, topped with a hipped roof that has four pedimented dormers. Constructed in 1909 from designs by Howe and Church architectural firm, the house has a main structure that is 18 by 30 feet (5.5 by 9.1 m) and has an ell on the rear side that measures 18 by 24 feet (5.5 by 7.3 m). The front facade is five bays long with a one-story porch that is supported by six Doric columns. The windows are modern 20th-century six-over-one sash and those on the first floor feature raised center keystones. The house is built on sloping land, allowing for a full-story foundation with a rear access. The interior of the house is a central hallway plan with two large reception rooms, and a kitchen in the rear ell. The second floor and third floor have bedrooms for the residents.
In 1900, Benjamin Church sought to construct a home for aged men and the "Benjamin Church Home for Aged Men" opened in 1909. In 1934, during the Great Depression, the board of trustees decided to admit women to the house. It was closed from 1968 until 1973 and vandalized during the period, but was also submitted and approved to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. In June 1972, "[t]he Benjamin Church Senior Center was incorporated as a non-profit organization that was housed in [t]he Benjamin Church Home" and opened for occupancy on September 1, 1972. The house is currently used as a senior center.
Benjamin Church
Benjamin Church was born on February 20, 1842, to Samuel Church and Elizabeth Luther.[2] Samuel Church was a wealthy grain and flour merchant who purchased Mount Hope Farm in 1837.[3][4] Church moved "with his 13 children to the old family farm on Poppasquash in 1854."[4] Benjamin Church's two brothers built houses in the Poppasquash Farms Historic District.[5] Though accounts of ownership differ, the farm was sold to R.F. Haffenreffer in 1917 by the Church heirs.[3][4] In 1900, Benjamin Church "composed a will to fulfill his dream" and decided to build a home for elderly men and named it the "Benjamin Church Home for Aged Men", but it wasn't until 1909 that it was ready to open.[3][failed verification]
Design
The Benjamin Church House is a two story clapboarded Colonial Revival topped with a hipped roof that has four pedimented dormers.[2] Constructed between 1908 and 1909 from designs by Howe and Church architectural firm, the building cost $21,000.[3][2] The front of the house faces west towards Hope Street and is 18 by 30 feet (5.5 by 9.1 m) and has an ell on the rear side that measures 18 by 24 feet (5.5 by 7.3 m). The front facade has a symmetrical five bay facade with the main entrance in the center, the door has sidelights and a semi-elliptical fanlight. The front windows are typical 20th-century windows with six-over-one sash and have splayed wooden lintels and those on the first floor have raised center keystones. Projecting out from the hipped roof are two dormers with shingled sides. The front facade has a one-story porch that runs the length of the face with a half-hipped roof. The porch is supported by six Doric columns that frame the bays and has a wooden frieze with a triglyph above each column. The porch has a simple wooden rail that runs the length of the porch and down the front and side steps, the newel posts are capped by small wooden urns. The corners of the main part of the house have wooden quoins. In the southeast corner of the building is an internal porch covered by a quarter-hipped roof. The rear roof is are two pedimented dormers, one on each side of the ell's roof and the third chimney which rises through the roof of the main building. The house has a stone foundation, which extends to a full story due the sloping land and has a doorway in the rear. The porch is supported by brick piers.[2]
The interior of the house is designed around a central hall with a narrow stairway with turned balusters and newel that goes to the third floor. On both sides of the hall are two large front reception rooms, each 14 by 19 feet (4.3 by 5.8 m) and having 9 feet (2.7 m) tall ceilings. The rear of the south front room is the former dining room that is "connected by a pantry to the kitchen in the ell. Also on the first floor are the back stairs, a rear entry, a second pantry, a lavatory, as well as two small rooms to the rear of the north front room." The second floor maintains the central hall and extends into the ell, but is bisected by a lateral hallway. Each "quadrant" housed two rooms for the residents with additional rooms in the ell and the third floor has four additional bedrooms with the dormer windows. The third floor of the ell was used as attic storage space.[2]
At the time of nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, the alterations that had been made to the house were described as "minor and inconspicuous, consisting mainly of alterations to windows and dormers to provide egress to necessary fire-escapes." The porch is believed to be a part of the original design, but it was noted that if it was a later addition it would likely have been done before 1920. In 1969, the clapboarded outbuilding to the southeast was torn down to construct newer housing for the elderly.[2]
Service
The Benjamin Church House was ready to open on March 15, 1909 and served as elderly housing for only aged men. In 1934, during the Great Depression, the board of trustees decided to admit women to the house.[6] The house was closed from 1968 until 1973 and vandalized during the period, but was also submitted and approved to the National Register of Historic Places. In 1972, the National Park Service approved a grant of $5,000 to refurbish the house. In June 1972, "[t]he Benjamin Church Senior Center was incorporated as a non-profit organization that was housed in [t]he Benjamin Church Home" and opened for occupancy on September 1, 1972.[6] According to the Benjamin Church Senior Center, the house is used as a senior center and is run by volunteers and board members.[6]
Importance
The Benjamin Church House is historically significant as a "very pure example" of the Colonial Revival style by the Howe and Church firm.[2] The house also serves as an important asset to the Bristol environment as an elderly home, noted during its vacancy at the time of its nomination. "It is because of the environmental and architectural importance of this house and its significance in the greater context of the Bristol-Warren historic districts that it is thought to be worthy of National Register status and protection."[2] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 22, 1971.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Bristol County, Rhode Island
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Rhode Island
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Pozzi, Lombard John (1972). "National Register of Historic Places nomination - Benjamin Church House" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
- ^ a b c d "National Register of Historic Places nomination - Mount Hope Farm" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
- ^ a b c "About the farm". Mount Hope Farm. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
- ^ Warren, Elizabeth (1980). "National Register of Historic Places nomination - Poppasquash Farms Historic District" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
- ^ a b c "Benjamin Church Senior Center - Our History". Benjamin Church Senior Center. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
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