Hammersmith Farm - History

History

The main house on Hammersmith Farm was built in 1887 for John W. Auchincloss, the great-grandfather of Jacqueline Kennedy's stepfather, Hugh D. Auchincloss. The house was located in an area in of the island originally known as "Hammersmith" after the hometown of the first settler of the area, William Brenton, a 17th century governor who founded the first farm on the site in 1640. The house was opened for public tours in 1978. Following the death of Hugh Auchincloss, Jr., Fruit of the Loom executive William F. Farley bought the mainhouse for $6.675 million in 1997. In 1999, he sold it for over $8 million to Peter Kiernan, a partner at Goldman Sachs, who restored the failing edifice and converted the home back to private use. The house had not been lived in since 1974 (over 25 years) and had fallen into serious disrepair. Many of the original plumbing pipes were inoperable, wiring had frayed with time and rodent intervention. Bricks were coming loose and wood rot was everywhere. Each year the building was tipping a little more towards Fort Adams. A major restoration was required to save the damaged structure. Kiernan oversaw a multi-year rehabilitation of the building working with noted restoration architect Windigo headed by James Gubelman. Major structural flaws necessitated the removing of one end of the building and installation of steel and wooden beams for support. The house had suffered from decades of wood rot from leaking windows and was listing towards the left. Outside the brick was bowing due to many successive winters of freezing and expansion. Popping and falling bricks during the winter was routine. The interiors were painstakingly disassembled and numbered and new plumbing, HVAC and wiring were installed. Later the numbered moldings and fixtures were replaced in their original positions so the historic rooms look exactly like they did when the building was constructed in 1887, save for the electricity and modern plumbing.

The exterior was restored with equal sensitivity to the original structure. Working with Gubelman and the Historic District Commission metal and plexiglass porches were removed and brick to match the original was reset and the light green paint used to hide the mismatched brick of decades of repairs was removed. Windows were rebuilt to protect the house from the fierce sea winds of winter. New shingles and roof were installed following the original architectural plans, and the many sketches and photographs taken of the building over its 120 year history. Happily the building had been recorded from numerous angles and vantage points over the many decades and a clear visual history existed as a guide. The goal of the owners, architects and the HDC was to restore the Farm as close as possible to the appearance one might have enjoyed in 1888. About half of the original furnishings were returned to the Auchincloss family under a prior agreement and the family sold them off in a Christie's auction in 2000 which fetched $233,620.