The best way to learn about historic houses is to look at them closely, and the most fun way to look at them closely is to do a puzzle showing a wonderful historic house! So, we made a unique and interesting collection of Historic House Puzzles for you to enjoy!
The Charles S. Whelen cottage at Grindstone Neck, Winter Harbor, Maine, was designed in the Shingle Style by Philadelphia architect Wilson Eyre, c. 1891. Four miles across Frenchman’s Bay from Bar Harbor, the summer cottage community at Grindstone Neck was laid out in 1890 and within two years featured a hotel, casino, yacht club, golf course, steamboat wharf, and around forty privately owned cottages. Like the majority of the cottage owners, Charles Whelen was a Philadelphian, as was true across the bay at Bar Harbor and Northeast Harbor.
As in many Victorian era summer cottage colonies, the residents had the option of taking meals at the hotel and some cottages, including this one, were consequently built without kitchens and related spaces. The second owner of the cottage, Mrs. W.H. Duff of New York, had it expanded by New York architects Jardine, Kent & Jardine in 1898-99. The additions included a kitchen wing, library, stone tower and porte cochere. The cottage colony at Grindstone Neck remains exceptionally well preserved.
Thanks to my friend and fellow architectural historian Brad Emerson, aka The Downeast Dilettante on Instagram, for sharing his research and knowledge of Grindstone Neck with me for this post. Understanding the character-defining features of a style should be the first step in planning a restoration or rehabilitation project. Chapter 2 of “Restoring Your Historic House, The Comprehensive Guide for Homeowners” will give you the information you need to do this.
Click on the dashed box at the top-right in the puzzle box below to open the puzzle to full screen. In the top left, you can change the number of pieces (100 pieces is the default), toggle piece rotation, and change the background color. Then hit “OK” and have fun!