Cupola House (Edenton, North Carolina)

Cupola House
Cupola House
Location 408 S. Broad St., Edenton, North Carolina
Coordinates 36°3′28″N 76°36′38″W / 36.05778°N 76.61056°WCoordinates: 36°3′28″N 76°36′38″W / 36.05778°N 76.61056°W
Built 1758
Architect Francis Corbin
Architectural style Colonial, Georgian, Other
Governing body Local
NRHP Reference # 70000889
Significant dates
Added to NRHP April 15, 1970[1]
Designated NHL April 15, 1970[2]

Cupola House, in Edenton, North Carolina is an architecturally significant building featuring a cupola. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1970.[2][3]

The house is 2.5 stories and was originally situated on a very spacious lot extending to the Edenton Bay.[4] The property was owned by a succession of merchants, including Richard Sanderson, a shipowner. Francis Corbin bought the lot in 1756 and built the current residence.[4]

Set between two large brick chimneys, the house features wooden weatherboards and heavy shingles on its gabled roof. Two rooms surround a central passageway, which was an uncommon layout in colonial North Carolina but was not rare in other colonies. The unique aspect of the house is its combination of a cupola with an overhanging upper story.[4] The cupola is octagon-shaped and covered in wood that has been cut to imitate stonework.[4]

Inside, the house features elaborate finishing which denotes the "social hierarchy" of the rooms.[4] The balustrade of the staircase in the central hallway features carved floral decorations and moldings, while the doors leading to the two main rooms extend up to the ceiling.[4] The house includes ornate mantels and woodwork throughout.[4]

The Cupola House is one of several sites of Historic Edenton. Other historic sites open for tour include the James Iredell House, Roanoke River Light, Barker House, Chowan County Courthouse and St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Cupola House". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
  3. ↑ Polly M. Rettig and Charles W. Snell (January 7, 1970), National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Cupola House (pdf), National Park Service and Accompanying three photos, exterior, from 1969 and 1975 PDF (32 KB)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Bishir, Catherine (2005). North Carolina Architecture. UNC Press. pp. 20–24.

External links