The 1850 Marshall-Churchville House in Townsend, MA, was likely inspired by “Squire” Orson S. Fowler’s 1848 book, “The Octagon Mode,” which promoted the building of octagonal houses. Fowler believed them to be “optimal for modern family living.” This house is an extremely rare hexadecagonal (16-sided) variation of the type. It originally had a cupola at the center of the roof.
Octagons were America’s first house fad. Like most fads, it was short-lived. Most were built (with detailing in a variety of popular styles of the period) within a decade of the book’s publication. An inventory of more than 1,000 Octagon, Hexagon, and Round Houses can be found at: http://bobanna.com/octagon/.
Rare house types and styles have added historic significance, and their preservation should always be a priority.
“Restoring Your Historic House, The Comprehensive Guide for Homeowners” was written to help people understand what is significant about their house and how to preserve the character-defining features while making it livable in the 21st century.
Signed and personalized copies of the award-winning and bestselling 720-page hardcover book are available from the author in our shop, YourHistoricHouse.com/shop/. It is the perfect holiday gift for the old house lover on your list!
Our shop also carries select preservation and restoration titles by other authors. Save on cost and shipping with our multi-book combo packs!
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