Fonthill (house)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fonthill
(U.S. Registered Historic District
Contributing Property)
Fonthill
Fonthill
Location: Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Built/Founded: 1908
Architect: Dr. Henry C. Mercer
Architectural style(s): Mixed (more Than 2 Styles From Different Periods)
Added to NRHP: June 01, 1972
NRHP Reference#: 72001094, 85002366[1]
Governing body: Private

Fonthill was the home of the American archeologist and tile maker Henry Chapman Mercer, in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Built between 1908 and 1912, it is an early example of poured-in-place concrete and features 42 rooms, 200 windows, 18 fireplaces and 10 bathrooms. The interior was originally painted in various pastel colors, but age and sunlight have all but eradicated any hint of the former hues. It contains much built-in furniture and is embellished with decorative tiles that Mercer made at the height of the Arts and Crafts movement. It is filled with an extensive collection of ceramics embedded in the concrete of the house, as well as other artifacts from his world travels, including cuneiform tablets discovered in Mesopotamia dating back to over 1,000 B.C.E. The home also contains around 1,000 prints from Mercer's extensive collection, as well as several thousand books, almost all of which were annotated by Mercer himself. It has been designated a National Historic Landmark.

Fonthill is one of three poured-in-place concrete structures built by Mercer. The others include Moravian Pottery and Tile Works, which is located on the same property; and the Mercer Museum, located approximately one mile away. Water and pollution have caused damage to all of the structures, none more so than at Fonthill, where replacement of damaged windowsills is almost an annual event.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).

[edit] External links

v • d • e
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
National Park Service logo