Revisiting Palliser’s Palace

Posted on 7/13/26

Authored & Curated By
M.J.G.

Many years ago, Kelly posted this house on the Link Exchange and Shares page, and it has captivated me ever since. Over the past six years, I have periodically tried to uncover more information about it, only to encounter one dead end after another. The photograph in Kelly’s collection bore the handwritten identification, “Home of John A. Barri.” However, a Bridgeport resident participating in the original discussion suggested that the house had actually been the home of architect George Palliser himself. If true, this would represent a significant piece of both Palliser’s personal history and Bridgeport’s architectural heritage.

With the help of JimH, we have now confirmed that Palliser and his family were living in the house by 1878. The story of this remarkable residence deserves to be brought back to light, and perhaps members of the OHD community will be able to uncover additional information. In the meantime, let us examine what we have discovered so far.

George Palliser, an English-born designer and builder, came to Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1873 and established an architectural practice that quickly became known for fashionable residential design. In 1877, his brother Charles joined him, forming Palliser, Palliser & Co., a firm that helped spread late Victorian architecture through widely circulated pattern books. Their publications, including Palliser’s American Cottage Homes, placed detailed architectural plans within reach of builders and homeowners across the country, allowing fashionable designs to be adapted to different budgets, locations, and needs. In their hands, the “cottage” became a practical yet richly ornamented suburban residence, rather than the small rustic dwelling the word often suggests today. Here is a cabinet card photograph of the Palliser brothers. From left to right are George, Charles, and Robert Palliser.

The first plate in many of Palliser’s catalogs featured this house, beginning with publications issued around 1878. It was similar to an earlier design that lacked the central tower. The 1878 catalog describes the large perspective view as depicting a neat cottage, now in course of erection at Seaside Park. This is the Bridgeport house we are examining today. The catalog also states explicitly that the tower room was designed for use, confirming that it was not merely an exterior decorative feature, as was sometimes the case with towers that had little or no practical function. Measuring 10 by 12 feet, the room even contained a large open fireplace.

The design of this house appears to have been derived from, or adapted from, a plate published in Palliser’s earlier books. As seen here, the third-floor front gable differs slightly, and the fourth-story tower is absent. The house is also constructed entirely of wood. Despite these differences, it retains the same terrace adjoining the front porch, along with a very similar conservatory.

This is the earliest known photograph of the house. The surrounding land had originally belonged to P. T. Barnum and was being subdivided and sold when Palliser constructed his residence here. By the time this photograph was taken, however, he had sold the property to John Atherton Barri, a prominent Bridgeport businessman involved in fertilizer, grain, coal, waterfront property, and later legal disputes concerning riparian rights. A 1928 history of Fairfield County identifies Barri as an incorporator and treasurer of the National Fertilizer Company of Bridgeport. In 1895, he and another businessman purchased the old Berkshire Mill at 740 North Washington Avenue, where they operated the Berkshire Mills Company, manufacturing fertilizer and dealing in grain and coal. The partnership dissolved in 1899, with Barri retaining the grain and coal portion of the business.

The 1880 census records George Palliser, age 32, living at 37 Lafayette Street with his wife, Letitia, age 28, and their children: Melvin G., age six; Charles, age three; and Emma J., age two. Also residing in the household was George’s 26-year-old brother Charles, who was listed as an architect and was his younger brother and partner in the firm. Letitia’s father, 70-year-old William Bird, also lived in the house.

In the 1892 issue of Scientific American, Architect and Building News, the house was described in considerable detail, although no color plate was provided. By the time the accompanying photograph was taken, another residence had been built on the land to the right, altering the formerly open setting around the house. The article identified the residence at Bridgeport, Conn. … one of the most attractive and picturesque looking houses at Sea Side Park. It also provided details about the interior and exterior color scheme and praised it as an admirable design, both in arrangement and appearance. The residence was substantial and stood out even among the other large houses along the street. According to the article, it Cost $18,000 complete. Palliser & Palliser, architects, New York City, N. Y. Our engraving was made direct from a photograph of the building taken especially for the SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN.

This house had a large footprint . It was stated to be Front, 46 ft.; side, 50 ft., exclusive of piazza. The interior design was spelled out in great detail. The interior through-out is cabinet, trimmed with ash. The hall, entered from a vestibule, is spacious. It has a floor laid with unglazed tiles and contains a large open fireplace with hearth and facings of tiles and a cabinet mantel of excellent design. The wall has a paneled dado, and the ceiling is beamed and ribbed. The staircase is located at the rear of hall, and is a very ornamental one, with columns extending to ceiling. Between these posts there are Gothic arches. Parlor is good size, well light- ed, and contains a fireplace similar to one in hall. Library and dining room each have a paneled dado and a fireplace built of buff brick and provided with a tiled hearth and mantel. The latter contains a buffet built in, with a stained glass window. The windows throughout have transoms glazed with stained glass, which shed a pleasant light over the various apartments. Kitchen, pantries and rear hall are wainscoted and provided with the usual fixtures in the best possible manner.

In the front yard, a broad bed of large cannas has been cut into the lawn. Cannas were a very popular garden plant during the period. Behind them, the wooden terrace can be seen extending along the side of the house from the covered porch.

Standing on the sidewalk and admiring the plants, one would also look up to see a remarkable conservatory tucked between the projecting bays. The upper transom windows appear to contain painted and stained glass. The room must have been beautiful in its day, with colored light reflecting throughout the interior. In the distance, the kitchen wing can also be seen, partially covered with vines.

This photograph offers a closer view of the finely detailed stained-glass transoms above the double-hung windows. The lower sashes have built-in, sliding window screens. Scientific American described the construction as follows: first story is built of pressed brick, with brownstone and terra- cotta trimmings, and the superstructure above is built of wood… Height of ceilings: Cellar, 7 ft.; first story, 10 ft. Some versions of the design included a wraparound porch, but in this house it was executed as an open wraparound terrace, fully exposed to the sun.

A closer view of the porch reveals the considerable craftsmanship invested in its railings and lower panels. The recessed ventilation panels beneath the porch are pierced with Aesthetic Movement sunflower motifs, while a row of small dentils or brackets appears just below the floor level. The railing design is especially well composed, with solid sawn panels at the ends and turned balusters filling the central sections. These elements appear to have been painted in two contrasting colors.

Passing through the polychrome-painted wooden gate, visitors approached the main steps leading to the front porch of this grand residence. Vines can also be seen trained up the decorative porch columns.

At the time this photograph was taken, the lot to the right of the house remained vacant and undeveloped.

The broad covered veranda, or piazza, extended across the entire front of the house. The windows to the right of the entrance opened into the parlor. Its architectural details were painted in a polychrome color scheme, while the lighter brickwork at the corners created a bright contrast with the walls. The porch ornament is characteristic of what is now commonly described as the “Stick Style,” a term applied later to this type of exposed, decorative woodwork.

Above the steps leading to the front porch, the gable peak is crowned by a dramatic terra-cotta roof finial, possibly depicting a dragon, wyvern, or gargoyle-like creature. Similar ridge ornaments appear atop several of the house’s other gables.

Late-Victorian examples were marketed as roof finials, cresting, ridge tiles, terminals, or peaks. Surviving examples produced by firms such as Gibbs & Canning demonstrate how molded terra-cotta creatures were used to crown gables and roof ridges. However, judging from the countless period photographs we have examined, this type of ornament appears to have been far less common on residential buildings than more conventional forms of roof cresting and finials.

The second and third floor ceiling heights were stated to be 9 ft.; third, 8 ft. 6 inThe second floor was said to have five bed rooms, large closets and bath room on second floor. Each bed room is provided with a stationary wash bowl. Bath room is wainscoted and replete.

The second-floor windows are crowned with stained-glass panels, but their construction differs from the typical double-hung sash windows commonly seen in houses of the period. Look closer. The upper section appears to be fixed, functioning almost like a transom, while the lower sash operates independently on its own track. It is a fascinating and unusual arrangement. At the far left, the substantial false balcony is especially striking, with curved brackets and a railing composed of rounded, cylindrical elements. Notice the small circular rosettes picked out around the trim in a lighter color?

The third floor is especially richly treated. According to the published description, the gables are paneled. The roof is covered with octagonal cut slates and is finished with a terra-cotta cresting and dragon finials. The photograph clearly shows the decorative cresting running along the roof ridge. If you look very closely on the roof itself, you will see the roof shingles are an octagonal pattern.

Here is a closer view of the third-floor front gable. The published description noted that there are two bed rooms and trunk room on third floor, besides a staircase leading to studio, which is located in tower.

The tower room was identified as a studio, raising the intriguing possibility that it may have served as Palliser’s own workspace. Perhaps it was here that the architect drew plans for some of the houses later published in revised editions of his catalogs. The addition of the tower dramatically increased the boldness and vertical emphasis of the house. Scientific American recognized its importance and appears to have examined the space closely, noting that The hanging balconies attached to the pagoda on top of house afford very pleasant retreats. … The walls and ceiling of this studio are paneled with narrow beaded stuff, and it also contains an open fireplace.

The finial crowning the tower is nearly as tall as the tower itself. This substantial piece of metalwork is an elaborate work of art in its own right, though unfortunately the photograph does not reveal its details very clearly.

A wide variety of weathervanes and finials were available during this era. Those on this house may have been custom-made, although it is also possible that they were purchased from a local manufacturer or supplier.

Scientific American described how the superstructure above is built of wood, with the exterior clapboarded and painted red, with trimmings of a darker shade. Although the article does not mention the fence, the photograph clearly shows that it was not painted white. It may instead have echoed the red and darker trim colors of the house, visually unifying the residence, fence, and surrounding property. Such careful coordination reflects an attention to the overall composition that is often overlooked in modern exterior design.

To read the Scientific American description of the house, click here. The brief article is titled “A Residence at Bridgeport, Conn.”

At some point in the early twentieth century, the left corner of the house was dramatically altered by the addition of a large, rounded three-story tower and turret. This replaced the original box-bay arrangement and resulted in the complete removal of the conservatory. The alteration may have been made after Barri sold the property, perhaps as part of a broader modernization, although it is also possible that Barri himself commissioned the work.

In this 1913 Sanborn map, the alterations are clearly shown, including the removal of the conservatory.

The University of Bridgeport eventually acquired the house, along with many other residences in the surrounding neighborhood, and converted it for use as a mathematics laboratory. For decades, the building was known as Lafayette Hall.

This photograph clearly shows several alterations made to the house during the early twentieth century, including the addition of the rounded tower and turret, changes to the roof finials, and the removal of the original gargoyles or grotesques.

In the early 1970s, the University began closing some of its older halls and relocating their functions to newer buildings. Many historic residences on the campus had already been demolished to make way for new facilities. In 1973, however, Lafayette Hall was being considered for preservation and possible designation as a historic landmark.

As other University of Bridgeport buildings were demolished to meet new campus needs, Lafayette Hall remained standing. Newspaper reports suggested that it would be saved as one of eight historic buildings selected for preservation. One article stated that the unique structure, now inhabited by pigeons, will be restored to accent its Victorian-style features. Despite this apparent commitment, its future remained uncertain.

The building remained abandoned for several years while its future continued to be debated. Numerous preservation efforts were made, and the University reportedly offered to sell the building for just one dollar. Despite this symbolic asking price, no buyer came forward.

At one point, newspaper reports indicated that only one building on the block would be preserved—and that Lafayette Hall would be the one spared. An article published in the Connecticut Post on August 17, 1975, made its future sound especially promising.

One year later, on August 8, 1976, while four people were inside the building attempting to determine what could still be salvaged, demolition unexpectedly began, forcing them to flee the structure. Some students protested the loss as well. Iris Evans stated, we are happy to have our own offices but …it was cozy, this is clinical. Others were even more critical of the change: It was like going from the castle to the dungeon.

It was a painful ending, shared by far too many magnificent works of architecture from this period. It is therefore important that we keep what remains of this house alive through photographs, articles, and continued visual study. Anyone who uncovers additional information about the residence is encouraged to share it in the comments. The article can then be updated as new information comes to light.

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