Spencer House (Hartford, Connecticut) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Spencer House
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1039 Asylum Ave., Hartford, Connecticut |
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| Area | 0.3 acres (0.12 ha) |
| Built | 1929 |
| Architect | Ebbets & Frid |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| MPS | Asylum Hill MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 83001265 |
| Added to NRHP | February 24, 1983 |
The Spencer House is a special old house located at 1039 Asylum Avenue in Hartford, Connecticut. It was built in 1929 for a very important person who led a bank. This house is one of the last big, fancy homes built in the Asylum Hill area of the city. It's a great example of a building style called Georgian Revival architecture. Because of its history and design, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. This means it's a protected landmark!
Contents
What Does the Spencer House Look Like?
The Spencer House is in the Asylum Hill neighborhood, just west of downtown Hartford. You can find it on the south side of Asylum Avenue, right where it meets Gillett Street.
How Was the House Built?
It's a two-and-a-half story building made of red bricks. It has nice wooden decorations. The roof slopes down on the sides and has three small windows, called dormers, that stick out. These dormers are covered with wooden shingles.
The front of the house has five sections, with the main door set back in the middle. A small porch with a pointed roof, supported by round columns, covers the entrance. A part of the house, called an ell, extends out from the back.
Inside the Spencer House
Inside, the house has a central hallway. On the left side, there was a large living room, which was called the main parlor back then. On the right side, you would find the library and the dining room. The kitchen and other service areas were located in the back part of the house.
Who Lived in the Spencer House?
The Spencer House was built in 1929 for a man named Arthur Spencer Jr. He was the chairman of the board for the Hartford National Bank and Trust Company. This means he was in charge of a very important bank!
Design and History of the House
The house was designed by a team of architects named Ebbets & Frid. The building of the Spencer House marked the end of an era for Asylum Hill. For many years, this neighborhood was the most fashionable place to live in Hartford.
However, things changed when the Great Depression started. Many people faced tough times, and the neighborhood began to decline. Over the years, many of the grand old houses in Asylum Hill were torn down to make way for new businesses.
The Spencer House, however, found new uses! In 1959, it was changed into a medical office. Later, in the 1970s, it became a studio for a radio station. It's cool how this historic house has had so many different lives!
