Edwards House

The Edwards House was finished circa 1841 in a brick Greek Revival design. The property adjoins the Edwards Store which is located directly south. Edwards store was built prior to Edwards House, and given the proximity between the two structures and the shared name it is likely that both the store and the house were built and owned by Tailor Henry Edwards. Perhaps running a successful business permitted him build a home next door? Share your knowledge (or best guess) in the comments below.

This two-story brick home employs a “temple-form central block (cella) with flanking one-storey subsidiary wings” (“Essex: An Architectural Guide.” 15). The cornice on the central block juts out and highlights the form and straight lines of the roof. At a later date the wings were renovated and the original roofs were replaced with slate-covered gambrel roofs (“Essex: An Architectural Guide.” 15), which are Colonial Revival in style. They are what remain today when looking at the wings.

Of the home’s original elegant details a semi-elliptical fan in the gable and the elegantly decorated entrance remain unchanged (“Essex: An Architectural Guide.” 15). The entryway is covered by a portico with two white columns holding up the little roof at the front steps. They add just the right touch for the Grecian resemblance the original style meant to create.

Additional Resources for the Edwards House

This map (with satellite image overlay) will help you locate the Edwards House and see how its location relates to other historic buildings in the historic district.

View Flaneur’s Guide to Essex, New York in a larger map

References for the Edwards House

“Essex: An Architectural Guide.” Essex Community Heritage Organization, 1986.

“Essex Village Historic District.” Living Places. Ed. Julia Gombach. The Gombach Group, 2010. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. .

Hislop, David C., Jr. Essex on Lake Champlain. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub., 2009. Print. Images of America.

“Historic Essex.” Historic Essex. Essex Community Heritage Organization. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. <http://www.essexny.org/>.

McNulty, George F., and Margaret Scheinin. Essex; the Architectural Heritage. Burlington, VT: Queen City Printers, 1971. Print.

Smith, H. P. History of Essex County: With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Syracuse, N. Y.: D. Mason &, 1885. Print.

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