Nelson W. Aldrich House facts for kids
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Nelson W. Aldrich House
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Front elevation
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 Location in Rhode Island
Location in the United States
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| Location | 110 Benevolent St., Providence, Rhode Island |
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| Architect | John Holden Greene; Stone, Carpenter & Willson |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 76000040 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | December 8, 1976 |
| Designated NHL | December 8, 1976 |
The Nelson W. Aldrich House is a historic home in Providence, Rhode Island. It's also known as the Dr. S. B. Tobey House. This house is built in the Federal style, a popular design from the early 1800s.
From 1881 to 1911, it was the home of Nelson W. Aldrich. He was a powerful U.S. Senator who played a big role in making laws. This house is one of only two places linked to Aldrich that are still standing. In 1976, it was named a National Historic Landmark. Today, the Rhode Island Historical Society runs it as a house museum.
History of the Aldrich House
The house was first built in 1821 for Robert S. Burroughs. He hired an architect named John Holden Greene to design it. The house had a few different owners before Nelson W. Aldrich bought it. Burroughs made the house bigger sometime before 1838.
It's not fully clear when Aldrich moved in. Some records say he bought it in 1902. But one of his biographers, Arthur Johnson, says his family moved there in the 1890s.
In 1905, Aldrich hired his favorite architects, Stone, Carpenter & Willson, to update the house. They added a third floor and several porches. The porch on the right side was later enclosed. Aldrich lived in this house until he passed away in 1915.
Aldrich's daughter, Abby, married John D. Rockefeller Jr.. Their grandson, Nelson Rockefeller, who became Vice-President, was named after his grandfather Aldrich. In 1974, Abby's son Winthrop gave the house to the Rhode Island Historical Society. The Aldrich House is now the Society's main office. It also features changing exhibits about Rhode Island's history.
In 1976, the house was officially recognized as a National Historic Landmark. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Who Was Nelson W. Aldrich?
Nelson W. Aldrich was born in 1841 in Foster, Rhode Island. He became very wealthy working for a large grocery business. He started his career in politics in 1869. In 1881, he was elected to the United States Senate.
During his 30 years in the Senate, Aldrich was a strong supporter of businesses. He was a Republican who favored tariffs, which are taxes on imported goods. He often worked to keep these tariffs high, even when many people wanted them lowered.
After a financial crisis in 1907, Aldrich helped create a plan for a new central bank. This plan, with some changes he didn't like, became the Federal Reserve System in 1913. Aldrich also helped make the Senate's political leaders more powerful. This meant he himself gained a lot of influence. He passed away in New York City in 1915.
Design of the House
The main part of the Nelson W. Aldrich House is a three-story building. It is made of wood and sits on a brick foundation covered in stucco. The roof is gently sloped and has a small cupola on top. There are also two chimneys.
The house has porches on its sides. The one on the right has been enclosed, meaning it's now an indoor room. The front of the house has five sections, and the sides have four sections. The outside walls are made of wood clapboards, and the corners have decorative blocks called quoins.
The roof line is decorated with small brackets called modillions and a patterned strip called a denticulated frieze. A low wooden railing goes around the roof. The main entrance has a porch supported by pairs of Doric columns. Above the entrance, on the second floor, is a large, three-part window called a Palladian window. A smaller three-part window is on the third floor.
Three sections extend from the back of the house. Research shows that the largest, three-story section at the very back was built in the 1850s. The decorations on this part are a bit simpler than the main house, but the roof railings match. A two-story addition goes even further back from this section. A third addition encloses the space behind the enclosed right-side porch.
See also
In Spanish: Casa Nelson W. Aldrich para niños
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Providence, Rhode Island
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Rhode Island
- Indian Oaks, Aldrich's Warwick estate
