The Ropes Mansion also called Ropes Memorial, is a Georgian Colonial

Colonial America

The colonial history of the United States covers the history from the start of European settlement and especially the history of the thirteen colonies of Britain until they declared independence in 1776. In the late 16th century, England, France, Spain and the Netherlands launched major...

 mansion located at 318 Essex Street, Salem, Massachusetts

Salem, Massachusetts

Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...

. It is now operated by the Peabody Essex Museum

Peabody Essex Museum

The Peabody Essex Museum , originally the Peabody Museum of Salem and the Essex Institute, in Salem, Massachusetts is the oldest continuously operating museum in the United States, and holds one of the major collections of Asian art in the US; its total holdings include about 1.3 million pieces, as...

 and open to the public.

The house was built for Samuel Barnard, a merchant. In 1768, Judge Nathaniel Ropes, Jr., purchased the house from Barnard's nephew. The Ropes family then inhabited the house until 1907, when the house was given to the Trustees of the Ropes Memorial for public benefit.

Although altered through the years and then restored, the house looks much like its original form, with a symmetrical facade of two stories, three small pedimented gables through the roof, roof balustrade, and modillioned cornice. (Compare it to the Crowninshield-Bentley House

Crowninshield-Bentley House

The Crowninshield-Bentley House is a Colonial house in the Georgian style, located at 126 Essex Street, Salem, Massachusetts. It is now owned by the Peabody Essex Museum and open for public tours from June to October....

.) In 1807, however, its interior was extensively renovated. In the mid 1830s five rooms and the central hall were remodelled, and today's doorway installed (with details inspired by Asher Benjamin

Asher Benjamin

Asher Benjamin was an American architect and author whose work transitioned between Federal style architecture and the later Greek Revival. His seven handbooks on design deeply influenced the look of cities and towns throughout New England until the Civil War...

's pattern book. In 1894 the house was moved away from the street and further modified internally. A large, fine garden was added behind the house in 1912.