John Ballantine House facts for kids
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John Ballantine House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Location in Essex County, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| Location | 49 Washington Street, Newark, New Jersey, USA |
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| Built | 1885 |
| Architect | George Harney |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| Part of | James Street Commons Historic District (ID78001758) |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001093 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 2, 1973 |
| Designated NHL | February 4, 1985 |
| Designated CP | January 9, 1978 |
The John Ballantine House is a special historic home located at 49 Washington Street in Newark, New Jersey. It's in the beautiful Washington Park area. This amazing house was built in 1884. It was designed by a famous architect named George Edward Harney. The house was once the home of John Holme Ballantine and his wife, Jeannette Boyd. John's father, Peter Ballantine, started the well-known Ballantine beer brewery. The John Ballantine House is considered a National Historic Landmark. This is because of its unique design and the detailed records kept about its building and changes. Today, The Newark Museum of Art owns and takes care of the house. You can visit it and take tours to see what life was like long ago!
Contents
What Does the House Look Like?
The Ballantine House is a three-story building. It is made from special salmon-colored bricks. These bricks came from Philadelphia. The house also has cool sandstone decorations. Its roof is flat on top, which is called a "truncated hip roof."
The front of the house is not perfectly even. It has five sections, and the middle part sticks out a bit. This middle section has a pointed roof called a gable. The windows on the left side are under long stone pieces. The windows on the upper right side are separate. On the ground floor, the right side has a window that sticks out in a cool, many-sided shape.
The main entrance is in the center. It has a stone porch with rounded arches. These arches are held up by strong granite columns. These columns have fancy tops called Corinthian capitals. Inside, a New York company called D. S. Hess Company decorated the rooms. They also made artistic furniture. The dining room walls had special panels. These panels looked like fancy leather hangings from old times in Europe.
A Look at the House's History
John Holme Ballantine became the head of the Ballantine Brewery in 1883. This happened after his father passed away. John Ballantine himself died in 1895.
The architect who designed this house was George Edward Harney. He was from New York City. When the Ballantine House was built, it was one of the most beautiful homes facing Washington Park. Many grand houses used to be there. Now, the Ballantine House is the only one left from that time.
The Ballantine family owned the house until 1920. Then, in 1937, The Newark Museum of Art bought it. The museum also got all the bills and records for the house. These papers show how the house was built, decorated, and changed over the years. This makes the house very special for historians.
Visiting the Ballantine House Museum
The John Ballantine House is now a museum. It lets visitors step back in time. You can see how a wealthy family lived in the late 1800s.
Around Christmas, the house gets a special makeover. It is decorated with holly and other green plants. This is done in the old-fashioned Victorian style. It's a fun way to see how holidays were celebrated long ago.
The house has been part of the Newark Museum since 1937. In 1994, the museum published a short book about the house. It was written by the curator, Ulysses Grant Dietz. This book came out when the house reopened after a big renovation. The renovation cost four million dollars and took two years. The Ballantine House was officially named a National Historic Landmark in 1985.
See also
In Spanish: Casa John Ballantine para niños
