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Title	Bridgeport historic building 017
Town	Bridgeport
Subject - LCSH	Bridgeport (Conn.); Dwellings
Keywords	Historic homes; Old houses
About the survey data	The text in the following fields, up to the Tell Us More field, is transcribed from a survey form that accompanies the photograph.
Date [built] (Source)	1700 (Heer., HET); c. 1765-70 (EDK)
Orig Owner	William Pixlee
Present Owner [1935-37]	Dr. V. M. Romano
Location	Faces west end of Old Mill Green. 590 Boston Ave. at SW corner of East Main St., faces north on south side of Boston Ave. [Berkshire Sec.]
Description [Material]	Wood and stucco
Roof	Integral saltbox / leanto original
Chimney Type/No.of	Stone & brick / central
Height	Two stories and half
Fenestration	9 window front, paired; 12/12 sash and 1/1 sash; muntins and frames 19th cenutry.
Overhang	Gable end, top of second story, about 6".
Foundation	Stuccoed - probably stone
Condition - Physical	Good
Authenticity	Remodeled; covered with stucco.
Exterior	Walls - are stuccoed, but were originally shingled (up to 1926). Cornice - narrow at rake and eaves, and covered with stucco. Porch - new, open veranda with octagonal posts (slender). There is a dormer on the rear. The house was built all at one time, including the added leanto. Foundations ten feet deep. Side door, now blocked up, used to have knocker marked 1700. Setting - shrubbery around house. A large elm and garden in the rear.
Doorway	Central, four sunk panel door; plain pilasters and lintel, 1850 type.
Interior	Chimney base ten feet square. Porch - enclosed stair, L to R, up two steps and behind wall of matched boards. Northeast room has heavy girts and posts; no summer beam, though ceiling is 96". Six-panel door. Simple mantel of c.1800 with sunk panels and dentils. A corner cupboard, at southeast corner, has a round topped upper section with one inch muntins; and a two-panel door underneath. It is flanked by five-fluted pilasters, with heavy cap and rounded moulding. A narrow raised panel across the top. Northwest room - six-panel doors and one of two panels. Kitchen - ceiling 83 1/2". Brick oven and wood box to left of large brick-lined fireplace. Twelve foot hearth. Southeast room had featheredge wall against staircase. Featheredge doors at top and bottom. Upstairs porch has rather low moulded balustrade with oblong, rectangular spindles. Northwest room (Washington's), ceiling 88 1/2". Has a piece of paneling from somewhere else. Two good featheredge doors. Northeast room has recessed fireplace. Paneling three deep. No summer beam. Heavy end girts. Attic - contains room of San Domingo mahogony, unpainted. Said to have been built later on by three Indians who were paid in cider. Smoke oven. Rafters with bark on.
History	Washington and Lafayette both are supposed to have stopped here when it was Harpin's Tavern in 1789. Washington is supposed to have stayed nine weeks. Tradition assigns the house to William Pixlee of Hadley, Mass., who bought three acres in 1690, married in 1701, and died in 1712. But none of this house, unless it is featheredge doors, can be as early as this. Peter Pixley, his son, kept tavern here and died in 1788, at 85. He undoubtedly replaced the small house of his father, William, who had but two children, with this larger house. William Harpin, tavernkeeper, evidently carried on after his death. Peter's son, William, built the Berkshire Hills, which developed this part of town, and opened the road which is now Boston Avenue, constructing the bridge. In 1836, the house was sold to Rev. Mr. Silliman (d. 1887), whose daughterr Laura married James Beach; their son Rev. Robert Beach inherited it. In April 1921, Mr. and Mrs. Vito Romano bought it.
Tell Us More	Tell us more about the building, its history, its address, etc. mailto: CSL.diginfo@ct.gov Put the Title in the email Subject line.
Creator	W.P.A. Federal Writers Project, State of Connecticut
Date - Created	1935-1942
Date - Digital	2004 Oct. 20
Collection	WPA Architectural Survey
Type	image
Format	jpeg
Language	eng
Source - Original	Photograph, b&w, 4 x 6 in.; Pre-printed form, b&w, 11 x 8.5 in. with typescript
Source - Location	Connecticut State Library, State Archives, RG 033:28, WPA Records, Architectural Survey
Relation	http://www.cslib.org/OldHouse.htm
Publisher	Connecticut State Library
Rights	Digital Image © Connecticut State Library. All rights reserved. Images may be used for personal research or non-profit educational uses without prior permission. For permission to publish or exhibit, see Reproduction and Publication of State Library Collections, http://www.cslib.org/repropub.htm
File Name	wpa_archsurvey_brdp017.jpg
Height	1245