Governor Henry Lippitt House Facts for Kids

The Governor Henry Lippitt House is a really old and important house in Providence, Rhode Island. Today, it's a museum you can visit! It's so special that it's called a National Historic Landmark. This means it's one of the best examples of a grand Italian-style house from the Victorian era (a time when Queen Victoria ruled England, from 1837 to 1901) in the whole country.

The house belonged to Henry Lippitt, who was a very rich businessman (he owned textile mills, which made fabric) and also the 33rd Governor of Rhode Island. Now, a group called Preserve Rhode Island takes care of the house. You can visit it and take tours at certain times of the year or by setting up an appointment.

Quick facts for kids Significant dates

Governor Henry Lippitt House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
U.S. Historic district Contributing property

The house grounds blanketed in snow.
Location in Rhode Island Show map of Rhode Island Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Providence, Rhode Island
Built	1862
Architect	Childs, Henry
Architectural style	Italianate
Part of	Hope-Power-Cooke Streets Historic District (ID73000070)
NRHP reference No.	72000043
Added to NRHP	November 27, 1972
Designated NHL	May 11, 1976
Designated CP	January 12, 1973

What the House Looks Like
- Inside the Lippitt House
History of the Lippitt House
- Celebrating 150 Years
Gallery
See also

What the House Looks Like

The Lippitt House is a big, three-story building made of brick. It sits on a strong brownstone foundation. The roof is mostly flat on top, but it has a pointy part (a gable) sticking out at the front. A two-story section also extends from the back of the house.

The corners of the building are decorated with brownstone blocks, called quoins. There are also brownstone bands, called belt courses, between the first and second floors. The main entrance has a round porch. This porch is held up by fancy columns with swirly tops, called Corinthian columns. Both the porch roof and the main roof have very detailed decorations. There's also a special covered driveway on the north side, called a porte-cochère, where carriages or cars could pull up.

Inside the Lippitt House

The inside of the house is incredibly well-preserved. It looks much like it did when the Lippitt family lived there. The main rooms, where guests would have been entertained, are especially fancy. They have many different materials, like beautiful wallpaper, detailed wooden carvings, and decorative plaster on the ceilings. Even the original gas lighting fixtures are still there, though they now use electricity. The staircases have colorful stained glass windows, which let in beautiful light.

The Lippitt House is the most impressive of several large homes built on Hope Street. These houses belonged to wealthy business owners and politicians from Providence. Today, they are all part of the Hope-Power-Cooke Streets Historic District.

History of the Lippitt House

Henry Lippitt

Governor Henry Lippitt had this house built in 1865. Its design was loosely based on ideas from an architect named Russell Warren. Members of the Lippitt family continued to live in the house for many years, all the way until the 1970s.

The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. This list includes places important to American history. Then, in 1976, it was named a National Historic Landmark, which is an even higher honor. In 1981, the Lippitt family gave the house to a group called Preserve Rhode Island. This group now takes care of the house and runs it as a historic house museum. It helps people learn what life was like in the Victorian era.

Celebrating 150 Years

In 2015, the Lippitt House Museum celebrated its 150th anniversary! To mark this special occasion, the museum held several exhibits and events. One interesting exhibit was outside on the front lawn. It featured six sculptures made by an artist named Aaron Pexa. These colorful sculptures were silhouettes (like shadows) of people. They represented the domestic workers who lived and worked in the house for Henry Lippitt and his family.