Lanier Mansion
Encyclopedia
The Lanier Mansion is the 1844 Greek Revival home of James F. D. Lanier
, located at 601 West First Street in the Madison Historic District of Madison, Indiana
. The home was designed by architect Francis Costigan
of Madison.
The mansion was built in strict accordance with the Greek Revival style of architecture. Testimony to this is that the right door on a pair of doors opens only into a wall; the right door was necessary so that the left door would have a match.
Lanier only lived at the property for seven years, afterward he moved to New York. In 1861 his son Alexander moved into the home, and lived there until 1895. It would remain with the family until 1917 when James' youngest son Charles gave it as the Lanier Memorial Museum to Jefferson County Historical Society. In 1925 the society, with the family's blessing, gave control of it to the state, which promptly opened it publicly as a historic house museum.
James Lanier
James Franklin Doughty Lanier was a entrepreneur who lived in Madison, Indiana prior to the outbreak of the American Civil War . Lanier became a wealthy banker with interests in pork packing, the railroads, and real-estate.-Biography:James Lanier was born in 1800 in Beaufort County, North Carolina...
, located at 601 West First Street in the Madison Historic District of Madison, Indiana
Madison, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,004 people, 5,092 households, and 3,085 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,402.9 people per square mile . There were 5,597 housing units at an average density of 654.1 per square mile...
. The home was designed by architect Francis Costigan
Francis Costigan
Francis Costigan was an early Indiana architect known primarily for his work in Madison, Indiana and Indianapolis....
of Madison.
The mansion was built in strict accordance with the Greek Revival style of architecture. Testimony to this is that the right door on a pair of doors opens only into a wall; the right door was necessary so that the left door would have a match.
Lanier only lived at the property for seven years, afterward he moved to New York. In 1861 his son Alexander moved into the home, and lived there until 1895. It would remain with the family until 1917 when James' youngest son Charles gave it as the Lanier Memorial Museum to Jefferson County Historical Society. In 1925 the society, with the family's blessing, gave control of it to the state, which promptly opened it publicly as a historic house museum.
External links
- Lanier Mansion VisitMadison.org website
- Official website's history page