Insert ImageJoseph
Coolidge, Sr., House (1791-1792)
Location: Boston, MA
Joseph Coolidge’s house gave
Boston her first example of Neo-Classical architecture. Once described
as a place where, "elegance and convenience strive for perfection," the
house, although a radical break from the accepted forms, was not without
some remnants of the Colonial folk style. Among Bulfinch’s first works
after returning from Europe, and certainly his first in the Adam Style,
his immaturity as an architect and trepidation in execution show through.
The Coolidge house was based
on Robert Adam’s Royal Society of Arts building in London. A cursory glance
of the elevations of the two buildings, however, illustrates Bulfinch’s
modifications to the original scheme. A hipped roof and widow’s walk are
placed atop the structure in an effort to conform to the conservative tastes
of the town, although they serve no other purpose than to weigh down the
delicate facade designed by Adam. The order was switched from Ionic to
Corinthian and a swag panel, soon to be a Bulfinch trademark, was placed
above the Palladian window in an effort to reconcile the horizontality
of the structure. The interior of the Coolidge house likewise shows deference
to colonial standards with a central hallway and multipurpose square, corner
rooms surrounding it. The most striking feature of the interior is the
geometrical staircase, the first of its kind in America, and an ornamental
device that would be repeated and copied many times over.