Longfield | |
 | |
| Location | Bristol, Rhode Island |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°41′49″N71°16′47″W / 41.69694°N 71.27972°W |
| Built | 1848 |
| Architect | Russell Warren & Son |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 72000016 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | July 17, 1972 |
Longfield (or Charles Dana Gibson House) is an historic house at 1200 Hope Street in Bristol, Rhode Island.
The large house was designed in 1848 by architects Russell Warren & Son on sixty acres of DeWolf family land; it was given to Charles Dana Gibson (the grandfather of the famous artist and namesake) upon his marriage to Abbey DeWolf, the daughter of the late US Senator James DeWolf. [2] Warren had built many other important buildings in Bristol for the DeWolf family, who rose to prominence through wealth gained from the Atlantic slave trade. [3]
In 1901, the house was passed down from Abbey DeWolf Gibson to granddaughter Josephine Gibson, who became the longtime chatelaine of the estate. Josephine was one of the models of the "Gibson Girl" illustrated by her brother, named Charles Dana Gibson after their paternal grandfather.
Josephine Gibson married a Mr. Knowlton and made Longfield a center of social and artistic gatherings until her death in 1969. Her son, bookbinder Daniel Gibson Knowlton, sold the house in 1972. In May of that year, it was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places. The property includes smaller houses and cottages, originally constructed to house servants and caretakers. [2]
Knowlton built an adjacent home and bookbindery, named Longfield Studio, on the property at 1202 Hope Street. [4]
The property has been sold several times since it passed out of the family. [5] Various owners announced intentions to convert the property to a single-family house, a "green inn", a place for weddings and functions, or an artists' residency. [6] In the early 21st century, renovations were begun, then halted, and the property was sold twice in 2012. [5] By January 2014 the structure was seriously neglected and derelict, [5] missing windows and the porch floor. Its future is uncertain.
There is a nearly identical house, built c. 1845, at 64 Kay Street in Newport. [7]
The house is a slightly altered example of Gothic Revival architecture interpreted in wood. According to a National Park Service survey, the foundation of the house is of stuccoed stone and the walls are constructed of wood clapboards. The house has four chimneys. The original cut-out bargeboard trim was removed from the gables around 1907. The front porch was rebuilt with a steeper shingled roof and its Gothic bracing and wooden crockets were removed. The Gothic window over the front porch may have had its sill-level raised. The south side porch was enlarged from a half-octagon shaped protrusion, which had been accessible from only the south parlor window. Its Gothic balustrade, bracing and parapet railing were kept. The original exterior window blinds of the house are stored in the attic. The rear entrance porch was rebuilt in 1963. The original partition separating the front southwest bedroom from a dressing room was removed. The house originally had a wood-shingled roof and was painted light red with darker trim. As of 1979, the house was painted white with black trim. [2]
Josephine Gibson Knowlton and Andrea Hurley recorded the history of the house and the family in a number of books.
Bristol is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States, as well as the county seat. The population of Bristol was 22,493 at the 2020 census. It is a deep water seaport named after Bristol, England. Major industries include boat building and related marine industries, manufacturing, and tourism. The town's school system is united with that of the neighboring town of Warren. Prominent communities include Portuguese-Americans, mostly Azoreans, and Italian-Americans.
Charles Dana Gibson was an American illustrator who created the Gibson Girl, an iconic representation of the beautiful and independent American woman at the turn of the 20th century.
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Russell Warren (1783–1860) was an American architect, best known for his work in the Greek Revival style. He practiced in Bristol and Providence.
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The Atwater–Ciampolini House, also known as the Charles Atwater House, is located at 321 Whitney Avenue in New Haven, Connecticut, at the southwest corner of intersection with Edwards Street. It is an important example of Shingle style architecture. It was designed by New York City-based architects Babb, Cook and Willard and was built during 1890-92. For many years the property had served as offices for Thompson and Peck, an insurance agency.
Daniel Gibson Knowlton was an American classicist bookbinder at Brown University. Knowlton was the nephew of illustrator Charles Dana Gibson and a descendant of Plymouth Colony governor William Bradford.
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Mark Anthony DeWolf was an American merchant and slave trader.