Edgecliff (Southwest Harbor, Maine) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Edgecliff
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | 34 Norwood Lane, Southwest Harbor, Maine |
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| Area | 0.95 acres (0.38 ha) |
| Built | 1887 |
| Architectural style | Shingle; Queen Anne |
| NRHP reference No. | 13000835 |
| Added to NRHP | October 16, 2013 |
Edgecliff is a beautiful old summer house located in Southwest Harbor, Maine. It was built a long time ago, between 1886 and 1887, and then made bigger in 1910-1911. This house is special because it mixes two cool architectural styles: Shingle and Queen Anne. It was first designed by William Augustus Bates, an architect from New York City. He built it for Samuel and Annie Downs, who were teachers at the Abbot Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. Because of its history and unique design, Edgecliff was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
About Edgecliff
What Does Edgecliff Look Like?
Edgecliff sits on Clark Point, which is a piece of land sticking out into Somes Sound. This sound is a body of water that divides Mount Desert Island in Maine. The house is about 75 feet (23 meters) from the water, facing the shore.
It's a two-story house made of wood. It's mostly shaped like a rectangle, but it has a part that sticks out towards the east. There's also a porch that wraps around the front of the house. The outside of Edgecliff is covered with wooden clapboards and shingles. These are types of wooden siding. You can see a line of flared siding that separates the first and second floors.
The roof of the house is quite fancy, with many different shapes like dormers (windows sticking out of the roof), gables (pointed roof sections), and other parts that stick out. Some parts of the house's foundation are covered with shingles, while others have a wooden lattice with plants growing on them. Inside, the house has simple decorations, like crown molding around the tops of the walls. The doors and windows in the main rooms have a bit more detail.
The Story of Edgecliff
The story of Edgecliff began with Samuel and Annie Downs. They were teachers at Abbot Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. In 1882-1883, they built a small cottage nearby on Clark Point. They were some of the first summer visitors to build a permanent summer home in this area.
They decided they wanted a bigger house. So, they hired William Augustus Bates, a famous architect from New York City. He was well-known for designing summer homes. Bates designed the first version of Edgecliff, which was built in 1886-1887 on the same spot as their first small cottage.
After Samuel Downs passed away in 1909, a man named Schuyler Clark bought the house. He had it moved to where it stands today. Mr. Clark also made the house much bigger. He added a two-story section to the north side and made the porch larger. This work, done by an architect whose name we don't know yet, made the inside of the house better. It also added more of the "Queen Anne" style touches to the house. Before this, it was mostly in the "Shingle" style. The Clark family owned Edgecliff until 1970.
