Kragsyde is the name of a mansion built on Smith's Point at Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts

Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts

Manchester-by-the-Sea is a town on Cape Ann, in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 5,228.-History:...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, in 1883 and demolished in 1929. The house was commissioned by Bostonian George Nixon Black, Jr. to the famous architectural firm of Peabody & Stearns

Peabody and Stearns

Peabody & Stearns was a premier architectural firm in the Eastern United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the firm consisted of Robert Swain Peabody and John Goddard Stearns, Jr...

 .

Kragsyde is generally regarded as the zenith of "Shingle Style," a subtype of American Queen Anne architecture. Architectural historian Vincent Scully

Vincent Scully

Vincent Joseph Scully, Jr. is Sterling Professor Emeritus of the History of Art in Architecture at Yale University, and the author of several books on the subject...

 has called the house a masterpiece and stated that the two architects "never again...created house of such quality." Rambling, haunting and evocative, the beautiful house set high on a dramatic headland was famous in its day and was published several times both in Europe and America. Nixon and his family occupied the house every summer from May until October to the end of their lives.

Interior

Kragsyde's footprint followed that of broad "V". The image accompanying this article shows the seaside facade and service court of the house. From structures approach, the massiveness of Kragsyde was hidden as its broadest facades faced the ocean. Peabody and Sterns did this to not only allow for the view, but also to capture the cool sea breezes within the house.

Plans published by Peabody and Stearns show that service rooms and the kitchen were located on the ground floor of Kragsyde. Elevated above the ground floor was the house's main floor which contained parlors for entertaining and the dining room. Adjacent to the dining room was a service pantry and stairs to the kitchen; food was raised to the pantry via a dumbwaiter

Dumbwaiter (elevator)

Dumbwaiters are small freight elevators intended to carry objects rather than people. Dumbwaiters found within modern structures, including both commercial and private buildings, are often connected between two floors...

 system. Leading from the parlor and dining room were broad porches and decks. Separating the service court from the front of the structure was a wing dominated by a massive arch. Within the arch was an entrance into the house on one side, and access to a billiard room on the other. A single room, with windows on three sides was situated above the arch along with a private loggia. Stairs from the loggia led down to the property below helped to add length to the structure.

Replicated

Kragsyde was replicated in mirrored form in 1982 on Swan's Island, off the coast of Maine

Maine

Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

near Bar Harbor.

The location of the replica is 44°8′38.88"N 68°23′40.13"W