c. 1750 – Torrington, CT
Torrington, CT 06790
- 3 Bed
- 1 Bath
- 1900 Sq Ft
Torrington's oldest residence on 24. 41 acres. Primitive early home has never been ruined by modernization, center chimney, wide board floors, some modern conveniences added in 1976+. Land is mostly open with long views to south & west. Corn & hay fields
21 Comments on c. 1750 – Torrington, CT
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Is it just me, or does the white siding seem out of place?
Are those front columns original? They seem out of place.
“has never been ruined by modernization”
Bless the person who wrote that!
What an interesting roof line! Is this the style known as “salt box?”
The home is beautiful in its simplicity and to think that when it was built,each board was measured,cut and put up by hand,no power tools and all hardware forged by hand and the house is still standing and appears solid and the land around is beautiful. I would love to know the history of that house and how it has remained so long, “not ruined”.
Above comment, some thought, isn’t it? Could this be older than 1750? The outbuildings are very interesting too. I’d love to know more about the entire place.
The house was built by Jacob Strong Jr., and the circa 1750 date is probably correct (the ‘wild’ northwest corner of the state wasn’t settled much before that date). The house is the classic saltbox form–the kitchen with its huge fireplace was across the back, and there were no bedrooms above it that would have been heated by the ever-burning fire during the summer months. The house was purchased in the late 1920s by Paolo Salvatore Abbate (1884-1973), an Italian-born realist sculptor of some note who worked in marble and bronze. Abbate preserved the primitive character of the house while adding the columned portico across the facade. The stucco outbuilding shown in rather poor repair was his studio.
Chestatee, GA
Charles, do you know when the stucco building was built or did he build it especially to use as his studio?
Jacob Strong is a cousin of mine… I think I ought to live here maybe? That part of my family settled all through the wild bits of the state, venturing out from Hartford.
Oh, but looking at the street view… just a FEW too many cars!
It dates from the latter part of the 18th century as can be seen from interior evidence (click ‘overview’ on this page):
http://connecticutbarns.org/find/details/id-51852
Chestatee, GA
Cool, thanks!
This, for me says Old House Dream. I absolutely love primitives. But then, I am in love with so many homes on here. Thanks as always, Kelly, for all you do.
I am so in love with this homestead. A novel would write itself while living there. Something in the style of Diana Gabaldon.
I love this house. Drive by it all the time.
The columns do not belong and ruin the original saltbox look.
Other than that it is stunning!!!
Interesting quandary…Do you return a house like this to its 18th-century purity, or do you respect the changes made by an important artist who made it his home for almost a half-century? If you applied for a homeowner’s Historic Tax Credit, it’d be interesting to find out what the state Historic Preservation officials would say about removing the columns–‘uncomplimentary alteration’ or ‘feature has attained significance in its own right?’.
I was wondering too! They obviously seem out of place on a saltbox, but…
‘Pristine’ 18th-century saltboxes are a dime a dozen in Litchfield County. Only ONE has this Priscilla-Alden-meets-Scarlett-O’Hara quality.
I can highly recommend life in Connecticut’s NorthWest Corner!!!
Could be a wonderful restoration project for someone with plenty of time and money. I’d like to see the outbuildings restored as well. Possibly turn this into a demonstration working farm of the period?
This house reminds me of “Old Fort Henry” (Canadian HIstory Spot) … did anyone check the street view, think the google car was there during a family reunion across the street LOL. That fireplace is massive! Not my style but definatly a nice house!
Could this house have ever been a schoolhouse at some point in time? Could one of the outbuildings been? Trying to research family history. In the 1940’s my mother spoke of walking way up to the top of Highland Avenue to where her grandparents lived. It was referred to as “The Friday Farm”. She also mentioned a schoolhouse being up there.