Villa Friuli facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Villa Friuli
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 58 High St., Torrington, Connecticut |
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| Area | 1.3 acres (0.53 ha) |
| Built | 1915 |
| Architect | Guarda, Ferruccio; DeMichiel Brothers |
| Architectural style | Renaissance, Italian Renaissance |
| NRHP reference No. | 91000349 |
| Added to NRHP | April 11, 1991 |
Villa Friuli, also known as the DeMichiel House, is a special old house in Torrington, Connecticut. It was built in 1915 and looks like a beautiful Italian villa. This house was one of the first homes built by Italian families who moved to Torrington.
In 1991, Villa Friuli was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is an important building that should be protected. Today, the house is used for offices.
Contents
What Does Villa Friuli Look Like?
Villa Friuli is located in Torrington, on High Street. It is a two-and-a-half story building made of strong materials. The outside walls are covered in stucco, which is a type of plaster.
The roof is low and gently sloped, called a hip roof. It has small windows that stick out, called dormers. The roof also has wide edges supported by large wooden brackets. These details give the house a unique look.
The Front of the House
The front of the house is very balanced and has four sections, called bays. A small porch sticks out from the middle. On the first floor, the windows on the sides have a special curved top.
Upstairs, the windows are different. The ones in the middle are in pairs, and the ones on the sides are single. All these features make Villa Friuli a great example of Mediterranean Revival style.
Who Built Villa Friuli?
The house was built in 1915 by two brothers, John and Matthew DeMichiel. They were among the first Italian families to settle in Torrington. The brothers designed the house to be a duplex, meaning it had two separate living spaces.
The Architect and Builders
A person named Ferruccio Guarda, also known as Fred, designed the house. He worked for an architecture company in Massachusetts. The DeMichiel brothers had their own business. They specialized in cutting stone for buildings.
You can still see their amazing stone work inside the house today. One of their first big jobs was making the stone pillars for Torrington City Hall.
John DeMichiel's Role in Politics
John DeMichiel also became involved in local government. He was a politician and represented Torrington in the state legislature. This means he helped make laws for the state of Connecticut.
