Wentworth-Gardner House facts for kids
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Wentworth-Gardner House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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1967 photograph
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 Location in New Hampshire
Location in the United States
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| Location | 140 Mechanic Street, Portsmouth, New Hampshire |
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| Built | 1760 |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| Part of | Wentworth-Gardner and Tobias Lear Houses (ID79000319) |
| NRHP reference No. | 68000012 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | November 24, 1968 |
| Designated NHL | November 24, 1968 |
| Designated CP | October 30, 1979 |
The Wentworth-Gardner House is a very old and special house. It is located at 50 Mechanic Street in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. This house was built in 1760. It is a great example of Georgian architecture, a popular building style from a long time ago.
Today, the Wentworth-Gardner House is a museum. You can visit it and learn about its history. It is one of the best examples of old Georgian-style homes in New England. This house also helped people learn about saving old buildings in the early 1900s. Because it is so important, it was named a National Historic Landmark in 1968.
Contents
The House's Amazing Story
The Wentworth-Gardner House is a two-and-a-half-story wooden house. It was built in 1760 by a rich man named Mark Hunking Wentworth. He was a very successful merchant and landowner in New Hampshire. Mark built this beautiful house as a wedding gift for his son, Thomas Wentworth.
The front of the house looks like it's made of stone. This is because of a special building trick called "flushboarding" with "quoins." The sides and back of the house are made with regular wooden boards called clapboards. The front of the house has five sections, with the main door in the middle. The door frame was added later, around 1916-1918, during a restoration.
The house has a sloped roof with decorative blocks called "modillions." There are three small windows, called dormers, on the front and back of the roof. The middle dormer has a rounded top, and the ones on the sides have pointed tops.
Inside the House
The inside of the Wentworth-Gardner House has a classic Georgian design. There is a wide central hallway. On each floor, there are four rooms, two on each side of the hall. All the rooms connect to one of the two chimneys inside the house.
The main hallway is very grand. It has a beautiful arched doorway with a special keystone. This arch is supported by columns. The decorative trim around the ceiling is also very fancy. It has detailed designs.
The stairs are on the left side of the hall. They have fancy turned railings and decorated step ends. The upper hallway also has rich wooden decorations. It features columns and molded trim.
The front parlor, or living room, on the southeast side is the most beautiful room. Its fireplace has tall columns and a wooden frame above it. All the rooms downstairs have detailed wooden trim around the ceiling. They also have special window shutters that can fold into the walls. The fireplaces in these rooms are surrounded by tiles.
Saving a Piece of History
In 1916, a collector named Wallace Nutting bought the house. He worked to restore it and make it look new again. In 1918, he sold the house to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This museum thought about moving the entire house to New York City to display it!
However, they decided it was better to keep the house where it was built. This helped start the idea of saving historic buildings in their original locations. The Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (now called Historic New England) took care of the house for many years. In 1940, it was given to its current owners, the Wentworth-Gardner Historic House Association. The house was officially named a National Historic Landmark in 1968.
Visiting the Museum
You can visit the Wentworth-Gardner House and the nearby Lear House. They are usually open for tours from mid-June to mid-October. They are open Thursday through Monday. There is a small fee to enter. The Wentworth-Gardner House is also a popular place for wedding photos!
See also
- Wentworth Lear Historic Houses
- List of National Historic Landmarks in New Hampshire
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Rockingham County, New Hampshire
Images for kids
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Circa 1921
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The house in 2013
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Portrait of Thomas Wentworth by Joseph Blackburn
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