A. Everett Austin House
Encyclopedia
A. Everett Austin House was the home of Wadsworth Atheneum
director Arthur Everett Austin, Jr.
, in Hartford, Connecticut
. Chick Austin built the house in 1930 after seeing the Palladian Villas of the Veneto
on his honeymoon. It was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1994.
The house, only one room deep, is long and narrow, 86 feet in length by 18 feet in depth. In
the front elevation, the central three-bay pedimented pavilion is flanked by four-bay wings.
The bays are defined by shallow, two-story Ionic pilasters. The walls of the pavilion and
wings are in the same plane, since the pavilion does not project. The planar effect is
emphasized by the wall sheathing, which is flush boarding, tongue-in-groove. The twelve
flat pilasters rise with entasis from bases of double torus moldings to stylized Ionic capitals.
Two string courses, one at first-floor ceiling height, the other below second-floor window
sills, establish a horizontal orientation to balance the strong upward thrust of the pilasters.
Four stone steps lead up to the double front door in the central bay of the pavilion. Above
the door, a balustrade is suggested by half-round, vase-shaped balusters applied to the
spandrel under the tall, double round-arched window. First- and second-floor windows in
the flanking bays of the pavilion are blind. Windows in the wings are double casements,
four panes high at the first floor, three at the second; two are blind at each floor. The
pavilion pilasters support a plain architrave and pulvinated frieze. The pediment above is
without embellishment in its tympanum, and is wider than the cross gable behind it. The
entablature continues under the eaves of the cross-gable roof.
After Austin's departure from Hartford in 1946, Helen Goodwin Austin remained in residence. In 1985, she and her two children, David and Sarah Austin, donated the house to the Wadsworth Atheneum
.
It is among the homes featured in Bob Vila
's Guide to Historic Homes: In Search of Palladio, a six-hour A&E Network
study of the work and influence of the Renaissance architect
Andrea Palladio
.
Wadsworth Atheneum
The Wadsworth Atheneum is the oldest public art museum in the United States, with significant holdings of French and American Impressionist paintings, Hudson River School landscapes, modernist masterpieces and contemporary works, as well as extensive holdings in early American furniture and...
director Arthur Everett Austin, Jr.
Arthur Everett Austin, Jr.
Arthur Everett "Chick" Austin, Jr. was the innovative and pacesetting director of the Wadsworth Atheneum from 1927 through 1944. Austin's visionary gift included persistence in the introduction of then-modern theater and modern design and especially contemporaneous art...
, in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
. Chick Austin built the house in 1930 after seeing the Palladian Villas of the Veneto
Palladian Villas of the Veneto
The City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto is a World Heritage Site protecting a cluster of works by the architect Andrea Palladio. UNESCO inscribed the site on the World Heritage List in 1994. At first the site was called "Vicenza, City of Palladio" and only buildings in the...
on his honeymoon. It was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1994.
The house, only one room deep, is long and narrow, 86 feet in length by 18 feet in depth. In
the front elevation, the central three-bay pedimented pavilion is flanked by four-bay wings.
The bays are defined by shallow, two-story Ionic pilasters. The walls of the pavilion and
wings are in the same plane, since the pavilion does not project. The planar effect is
emphasized by the wall sheathing, which is flush boarding, tongue-in-groove. The twelve
flat pilasters rise with entasis from bases of double torus moldings to stylized Ionic capitals.
Two string courses, one at first-floor ceiling height, the other below second-floor window
sills, establish a horizontal orientation to balance the strong upward thrust of the pilasters.
Four stone steps lead up to the double front door in the central bay of the pavilion. Above
the door, a balustrade is suggested by half-round, vase-shaped balusters applied to the
spandrel under the tall, double round-arched window. First- and second-floor windows in
the flanking bays of the pavilion are blind. Windows in the wings are double casements,
four panes high at the first floor, three at the second; two are blind at each floor. The
pavilion pilasters support a plain architrave and pulvinated frieze. The pediment above is
without embellishment in its tympanum, and is wider than the cross gable behind it. The
entablature continues under the eaves of the cross-gable roof.
After Austin's departure from Hartford in 1946, Helen Goodwin Austin remained in residence. In 1985, she and her two children, David and Sarah Austin, donated the house to the Wadsworth Atheneum
Wadsworth Atheneum
The Wadsworth Atheneum is the oldest public art museum in the United States, with significant holdings of French and American Impressionist paintings, Hudson River School landscapes, modernist masterpieces and contemporary works, as well as extensive holdings in early American furniture and...
.
It is among the homes featured in Bob Vila
Bob Vila
Robert Joseph "Bob" Vila is an American home improvement television show host known for This Old House , Bob Vila's Home Again , and Bob Vila .-Early life:...
's Guide to Historic Homes: In Search of Palladio, a six-hour A&E Network
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
study of the work and influence of the Renaissance architect
Renaissance architecture
Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...
Andrea Palladio
Andrea Palladio
Andrea Palladio was an architect active in the Republic of Venice. Palladio, influenced by Roman and Greek architecture, primarily by Vitruvius, is widely considered the most influential individual in the history of Western architecture...
.