Octagon House (Danbury, Connecticut) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Octagon House
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Southern (front) facets, 2008
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 21 Spring Street, Danbury, CT |
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| Built | 1852 |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001945 |
| Added to NRHP | May 7, 1973 |
The Octagon House is a special old house located at 21 Spring Street in Danbury, Connecticut, USA. It's called an "octagon house" because it has eight sides, like an octagon shape! Many people think it's the best octagon house still standing in Connecticut. In 1973, this unique house was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This was done to save it from being torn down during a city improvement project.
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Discover the Octagon House's Unique Shape
This amazing house is located west of downtown Danbury. It sits in a neighborhood with other homes, a bit further back from the street than its neighbors. The Octagon House has three stories. Its walls are made of concrete, about one foot (30.5 cm) thick, and covered with a smooth finish called stucco.
Right in the middle of the house's almost flat roof, there's a small, eight-sided tower called a cupola. Two brick chimneys rise from the outer walls on the southwest and southeast sides of the house.
Architectural Details of the Octagon House
The house features verandas (porches) that wrap around the upper floors. These porches have beautiful cast iron railings and supports. The wide roof edges, both on the main house and the cupola, have fancy scroll-shaped brackets. The detailed ironwork on the verandas looks great next to the simpler wooden frames around the doors and windows.
The Octagon House's History and Builder
The Octagon House was built in 1852 by a man named Daniel Starr. He followed the ideas for octagon houses very closely. These ideas came from a book called A Home for All, written by Orson Squire Fowler. Mr. Starr even used concrete as the main building material, just as the book suggested.
When the house was first built, Spring Street didn't even exist! The house originally faced Elm Street to the north. Over the years, the Octagon House has been well-cared for and kept in good condition. This is true even after it was divided into separate apartments.
Images for kids
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Octagon House, Danbury, CT - August 2021
