Sarah Orne Jewett House
Marriage of Present and Past
Upon inheriting their grandfather’s house, Sarah and Mary Jewett updated the décor with modern design elements influenced by the Aesthetic Movement. Preservationists at heart, the Jewett sisters retained original architectural features and old wallpapers, bringing together ancient and new: Arts and Crafts wallpaper and William Morris carpeting joined with Georgian architecture in the first and second floor halls; fashionable Pompeiian Red wall paint surrounding eighteenth century Delft tiles in the library. Up-to-date sage-colored wall covering matched with antiques in the Breakfast Room.
Architecture and Design
Georgian Architecture
Built in 1774, Jewett House is a classic example of Georgian architecture. The key features of the style include a symmetrical five bay facade with windows aligned horizontally and vertically. (The dormer windows on the roof were added in the late nineteenth century by Sarah and Mary.) Jewett House also has a portico at the entrance with a classical entablature supported on free standing columns.
As is typical of Georgian architecture, Jewett House’s entrance hall features ornate classical detail.
The arch is supported on engaged columns, or pilasters, that have ornamental grooves known as fluting that capture light and shadow.
An ornamental arch with a central carved keystone separates the entrance from the stair.
Paneled wainscoting serves to divide the walls into thirds with a base, upper field, and cornice.
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