Pistol Factory Dwelling facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Pistol Factory Dwelling
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1322 Whitney Ave., Hamden, Connecticut |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1845 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Vernacular Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 91001846 |
| Added to NRHP | December 27, 1991 |
The Pistol Factory Dwelling is a special old house located at 1322 Whitney Avenue in Hamden, Connecticut. It was built in 1845 and made bigger before 1860. This house is a rare example of a Greek Revival style building that was used as a boarding house for workers. It was built by Eli Whitney II, who was the son of the famous inventor Eli Whitney. Eli Whitney II owned a pistol factory nearby, and this house gave his workers a place to live. Today, it is recognized as an important historical building. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
Discovering the Pistol Factory Dwelling
The Pistol Factory Dwelling is found in eastern Hamden. It sits on a small hill above Whitney Avenue. This is just north of where Whitney Avenue meets Mather Street.
What the House Looks Like
The house is a two-and-a-half-story building made of wood. It has a roof that slopes down on two sides, called a side-gable roof. There are two brick chimneys that are not placed exactly in the middle. The outside of the house is covered with wooden boards called clapboards.
The front of the house has five sections with windows. The main door is not exactly in the middle. It has decorative flat boards next to it that look like columns. There are also narrow windows on either side of the door. Above the door, there is a half-circle window. The ends of the roof have narrow, flat windows. A small section with a sloped roof sticks out from the back of the house.
Its History and Purpose
This historic house was built in 1845 by Eli Whitney II. He built it to house skilled workers for his pistol factory. This factory was located nearby, but its site is now covered by Lake Whitney.
The house was first built with three sections and a single-story part on the side. Before 1860, this side part was made taller to match the rest of the house. Over time, the house was sold to one of the people who lived there. In 1940, the house was moved to make way for road construction. However, it was moved so it still faced the road in the same way.
This house is the only building left that is connected to the original pistol factory. The factory site itself was flooded in 1861. Eli Whitney II flooded the area to get more water power for another factory he owned further downstream. That factory is now part of the Eli Whitney Museum.
