Henry Boody House facts for kids
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Henry Boody House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | 256 Maine Street, Brunswick, Maine |
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| Built | 1849 |
| Architect | Gervase Wheeler |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Part of | Federal Street Historic District (ID76000092) |
| NRHP reference No. | 75000094 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | 1975 |
| Designated CP | October 29, 1976 |
The Henry Boody House, also called the Boody-Johnson House, is a historic home located at 256 Maine Street in Brunswick, Maine, United States. It was built in 1849. This house is a great example of Gothic Revival Architecture, a popular building style from that time. Its unique design was even shared in a famous book by Andrew Jackson Downing in 1850. Because of its importance, the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
What Does the House Look Like?
The Boody House is found south of downtown Brunswick. It sits across from the main Bowdoin College campus, at the corner of Maine and Boody Streets.
The main part of the house looks a bit like the letter "H" from above. It has two sections that stick out, with pointed roofs (called gables). A middle section connects these two parts, and its roof runs in a different direction.
- The house is two and a half stories tall.
- It has special siding called "board-and-batten," which means long, flat boards are covered by thin strips (battens).
- The foundation is made of strong granite.
- The gables facing the street have fancy Gothic decorations.
- There are window areas that stick out on the first floor.
- A porch with cool "Stick style" decorations comes out from the middle of the house.
- Other porches with flat roofs stretch along the sides.
- A back wing (called an "ell") connects the house to an old carriage barn.
Who Lived Here?
The house was built in 1849 for Henry Hill Boody. He was a professor at Bowdoin College in Brunswick from 1845 to 1854. Professor Boody taught about speaking and public speaking (rhetoric and oratory). It cost $6,000 to build the house and buy the land, which was a lot of money back then!
Boody sold the house in 1870. After that, a few different people owned it. In 1877, another Bowdoin Professor, Henry Johnson, bought the property. When Professor Johnson passed away, his oldest daughter, Helen Johnson Chase, inherited the house. She was married to another Bowdoin Professor, Stanley P. Chase. Today, Bowdoin College owns the property.
The House's Special Design
The Henry Boody House was designed in 1848 by Gervase Wheeler. He was an English architect. Wheeler's designs often showed off how a building was made, like using the vertical board-and-batten siding on this house.
Wheeler's design for this house became very famous. It was published in Andrew Jackson Downing's book, The Architecture of Country Houses, in 1850. This book was very important because it helped make the "Carpenter Gothic" style popular across the country. The Henry Boody House is also seen as an early example of the "Stick style," which came after the Gothic Revival.
