The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-11-06
Home Development
State Is Described
EARLY Domestic Architecture Subject of Essay Pub
plished By Yale University Press

New Haven, Conn, Nov Glow
the homes Of Connecticut have de-
veloped from hillside cellars
through one-room lean-tos, and the
simple "salt-box" larger houses into
traditional COLONIAL or Georgian
il explained by j. Frederick Kelly,
A. I. A. in an essay on Early DOM
estic Architecture of Connecticut,
written TO rthe tercentenary COM
mission of the State of Connecticut
and published by the Yale Univer-
slty Press.
Such Of the old houses Of Con-
necticut as now remain ARE human
documents of the greatest value
and the utmost significance" Mr.
Kelly says, adding that, they must
not be destroyed, for they form q
vital and irreplaceable link with q
vanished past and a people whose
part in the upbuilding of our ma
ton merits our humble and rever-
ent admiration"
Domestic architecture in Connec-
ticut saw it's start in "one-room
plan, q story and a half or two
stories in height, with the CHM
ney stack at one end"
Such a house was quickly fol-
lowed by adding similar structure
at the other side of the chimney to
give the central chimney plan OF
two rooms which held sway up to
about the last quarter of the seven
teenth century"
These houses were of tho clean
to" type, q plan used by Connec-
ticut builders until 1900 when "the
lcan-to was raised and the house
made of two full stories," and con-
tinued SO to be built until the mid
die of the eighteenth century.
Mr. Kelly points out that "the
final development of the house
plan-the central hall arrange
ment-did not, appear until about
Revolutionary period, 1t became u
fixed type"
Following this came the Greek
revival era which was ushered In
about $780," that more often than
not was built with its gable end
fronting upon the street, so that
what had been the side, now be-
came the front"
Prior to 1880, Mr. Kelly says, ut
had been the custom, almost with
! out exception to build the house
with its main roof ridge parallel to
the street or road"
The earnest Connecticut houses
were "of hewn oak and fastened
together with mortise and tenor
joints, which were secured with
wooden pins.H THE early builders
used material with a lavish hand, y
end their buildings were almost
medieval in character" Mr. Kelly
explains that the great timbers OF
u settlers homo were silent as
surance to him that behind this
bulwark or oak. he had nothing to
fear from proving Indians, the
ravenous wolf pack or the bowling
tempest"
The earliest homes were matched
and Mr. Kelly explains its disap-
pcarance by saying: 1T gave way
to other materials only when it was
found unsuited to the severe storms
and weather conditions OF our eli
| mate" -.
"Split wooden shingles followed
as roof covering, the shingles
being tapered with draw shave
after having been split out"
"A recent restoration of the John
(1753), disclosed the fact that
some split and hand-shaved Shin
giles Of oak were still in place on
| the roof underneath several layers
Of other materials" Mr. Kelly de-
| clares.
Clapboards were used for tie
outside coverings of the early
houses, oak being used until a
comparatively late date" but
eventually the use of white pine
superseded that of oak as q mate
rial for the outside covering be-
cause where exposed. to the wealth
! err, 1t was more durable than oak,
and could be worked with greater
case"
The earliest windows had "dia-
mond shaped 'quarrels" of glass set