The Nightingale-Brown house was built in 1792 by architect Caleb Ormsbee for merchant Capt. Joseph Nightingale. John Nicholas Brown purchased the home in 1814 and it remained in the Brown family until 1985.
During the 1860s, an ell was added to house by then-occupant John Carter Brown. Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted designed the yard for the home in 1892. The 1920s saw the addition of modern conveniences, including a kitchen and indoor plumbing, as well as a restoration of the home’s original yellow exterior.
In 1985, when the home was sold to become the John Nicholas Brown Center for American Civilization, the dire structural condition of the home was realized. Decades of termite infestation and rot had taken their toll on the wooden frame and collapse was imminent. The restoration project lasted seven years.
The house combines late Georgian stylistic elements with elements of the emerging Federal Style, such as the Palladian window over the entry portico and the balustrade along the roof.
Georgian and Federal ae two of 25 styles and types illustrated in “Restoring Your Historic House, The Comprehensive Guide for Homeowners.”
Signed and personalized copies of the award-winning and bestselling 720-page hardcover book are available from the author in our shop at YourHistoricHouse.com/shop/.
Our shop also carries other authors’ select preservation and restoration titles. Save with our multi-book combo packs!
© Scott T. Hanson 2024.
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