Colby Mansion
Description and history
The Colby Mansion stands in Waterbury's Colbyville village, a short way south of the junction of VT 100 with Laurel Road and Crossroad Road. It is set on the southeast side of Route 100, roughly opposite a modern hotel. It is a two-story wood-frame structure, with a shallow-pitch hip roof and clapboarded exterior. Its Italianate style includes quoined corners, bracketed eaves, molded window surrounds with small brackets and ears, and a front porch with paneled square posts, turned balusters, and bracketed roof line. The center bay on the second floor projects above the porch, with a gabled roof, two windows in front, and narrow windows on each side.
The house was built in 1870 to a design by George J. Colby, a prominent local industrialist. Colby was an advocate of healthy living, and published ideas concerning the proper construction and outfitting of residences to that end in a series of articles in 1871. His ideas, all present in this house, included symmetrical composition, balloon-frame construction, forced hot air heat, indoor plumbing (including sinks in each bedroom), and natural woodwork for interior finishes.
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ Charles H. Ashton and Peter Jensen (1979). "NRHP nomination for Colby Mansion". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-10-09. with photos from 1979