Tip-Top House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Tip-Top House
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 Location in New Hampshire
Location in the United States
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| Location | Mt. Washington State Park, Sargent's Purchase, New Hampshire |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1853 |
| Architect | Samuel F. Spaulding; Joseph S. Hall |
| NRHP reference No. | 82001673 |
| Added to NRHP | January 11, 1982 |
The Tip-Top House is a really old building on Mount Washington in New Hampshire. It used to be a hotel. Built in 1853, it's the oldest building still standing at the top of Mount Washington. People think it might even be the oldest hotel on a mountain top anywhere in the world!
Today, the Tip-Top House has cool exhibits about the mountain's past. It's located near the main visitor center and other buildings at the summit. You can visit it from early May to early October, but there's a small fee. This special building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
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Exploring the Tip-Top House
The Tip-Top House is right next to the very top of Mount Washington. This mountain is the tallest in the northeastern United States, standing at 6,288 feet (1,917 meters) high. The building is on the southwest side of the summit. It's close to the station for the Mount Washington Cog Railway and the parking area for the Mount Washington Auto Road.
The Tip-Top House is a rectangular building, about one and a half stories tall. Its walls are made from rough-cut granite stones. These stones were taken right from the mountain! The main door is on the southern side. The sides of the building have rectangular windows. The inside of the building was mostly rebuilt after a big fire in 1915.
History of the Tip-Top House
The Tip-Top House was built on Mount Washington in 1853. It was made to compete with another hotel nearby called the Summit House, which opened in 1852. Samuel F. Spaulding built the Tip-Top House. It cost $7,000 to build, and its walls were made from rocks blasted out of the mountain itself.
Early Years and Changes
When the weather was clear, a telescope was placed on the flat roof of the Tip-Top House. This made it a great spot for an observatory. However, in the early 1860s, the flat roof was changed to a pitched (sloped) roof.
From 1877, the building was used for seven years as a printing office. This is where Among the Clouds, the mountain's newspaper, was printed!
Abandonment and Fires
When the newspaper moved to a different spot, the Tip-Top House was left empty. It started to fall apart. Later, a much bigger hotel with 91 rooms was built on Mount Washington. A weather observatory was also built.
In 1908, a huge fire, known as the Great Fire of 1908, destroyed most of the buildings on the summit. But the Tip-Top House survived! It was then fixed up and used as a hotel again.
Rebuilding and Restoration
When the Summit House was replaced, the Tip-Top House unfortunately burned again. It was rebuilt to be an extra part of the new Summit House. However, it was left empty once more in 1968.
Today, the Tip-Top House is a special historic site for the state. It was carefully restored in 1987, and its original flat roof was even brought back!
Images for kids
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A Stereoscopic image of the Summit House by the Bierstadt Brothers.
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A Stereoscopic image of Tip Top House by the Bierstadt Brothers.
