Charles Ives House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Charles Ives House
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East profile and south (rear) elevation, 2008
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 7 Mountainville Road, Danbury, CT |
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| Area | 7 acres (2.8 ha) |
| Built | 1780 |
| NRHP reference No. | 76001968 |
| Added to NRHP | April 26, 1976 |
The Charles Ives House is a historic home in Danbury, Connecticut. It is also known as the Charles Ives Birthplace. This house was built in 1780 and is made of wood. It was home to the Ives family for many years.
In 1874, a famous composer named Charles Ives was born here. He became well-known for his music in the early 1900s. The house was moved three times to different spots in Danbury. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Today, the Danbury Museum and Historical Society takes care of it.
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About the Charles Ives House
The Charles Ives House sits on a seven-acre piece of land. It is on the east side of Mountainville Road. The house is near Rogers Park and Rogers Park Junior High School. A small pond is between these two places.
House Design and Features
The house is a one-and-a-half-story building. It has a strong brick base. The outside walls are covered with wooden boards called clapboard. These boards overlap to protect the house from weather. Two brick chimneys stick out from the roof on the west side.
The main part of the house has a special roof shape called a gambrel roof. This roof has two different slopes on each side. The front entrance has a small porch with a pointed roof. This porch is held up by two square columns. Three windows stick out from the roof on the front. These are called dormer windows. They have a half-circle shape at the top.
A part of the house, called a wing, sticks out from the main building on the west side. There is also a small porch on the north side. On the south side, there is a small addition with a ramp for wheelchairs. The inside of the house has been changed over time. It has simple Victorian style wood details. The floors are made of wooden boards that fit together tightly.
History of the Ives Family Home
The main part of the house was built in 1780 by Thomas Tucker. This was when the American Revolutionary War was ending. At that time, Danbury was a small town. Tucker also ran a private school in the house.
The Ives Family and Danbury
In 1828, Isaac Ives bought the house. His son, George White Ives, made the house important to the family's history. George White Ives helped start the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad. This train line is still used today. He also helped create the Savings Bank of Danbury, one of the first banks in the area.
Other Ives family members helped with the Danbury Fair and Danbury Hospital. George Edward Ives fought in the American Civil War. The Ives family also helped develop new streets in Danbury as the town grew. They added the wing to the house and updated the inside.
Charles Ives's Connection to the House
Charles Ives was born in this house in 1874. At that time, it was located on Main Street. Even after his family moved, Charles often came back to the house for family visits. They would often play classical music on the piano. He continued to visit the house even after he went to Yale University.
In 1924, the house was moved for the first time. It was moved to Chapel Place so a bank could expand. Charles Ives felt the house had lost its special feeling because the area became very busy. He still visited the house often, even after he stopped composing music. He lived nearby in West Redding, Connecticut, until he passed away in 1954. This house is the only one of his former homes that is still standing and connected to his music.
Moving and Restoring the House
After Charles Ives's sister-in-law passed away in 1964, another bank wanted to expand. In 1967, the bank gave the house to the Danbury Historical Society. The society bought land near Rogers Park and moved the house there.
The house was moved one last time in 1971. This move happened so Rogers Park Junior High School could be built. The Danbury Museum & Historical Society Authority has been raising money to fix up the house. The outside of the house was finished in 2016. The inside was completed in 2021. You can now visit the house by making an appointment for a tour.
See also
