Washington Bottom Farm - Architecture

Architecture

The main residence at Ridgedale farm is a high-style Greek Revival structure. The three-story brick house stands on a brick foundation an has an L-shaped plan. The house has a hip roof with a central square cupola and a widow's walk. The cupola has a window on each side with a 4 over 4 double-hung sash, and brackets under the roof edge. On the roof are five chimneys, one at each corner and one in the back ell with a slightly flared edge of corbels at the top, and a recessed panel in the center face.

The front, or south elevation, has a center hipped wooden porch with steps. The porch has a spindled handrail, wooden posts and deck, and small brackets under the eave. The main entrance is centered with a single transom and has a Greek Revival feature of a wide trim piece over the doorway. The house has five bays on each floor. The windows on the house are all double-hung sash except for the third floor which has small lozenge windows of three vertical lights in the frieze section. With pine sills and brick lintelsthe first floor windows are 6/9 sash and reach to the floor in the front two rooms. The second floor windows are 6/6 sash.

The residence's west elevation is divided into two sections with the front portion of the house and the rear ell. Each section has three bays on each floor with 6/6 sash windows on the first and second floor and lozenge windows on third floor of the front section. The rear ell is slightly set back from the facade and has a kitchen porch on the first floor with wooden posts. A lower level door leads into a basement room, and the first floor door leads into the kitchen. The basement windows are 3/3 sash windows

The north side of the ell is a blank brick wall with a single lower level entrance that has a brick stairwell and original beaded door.. The north side of the main house has two 6/6 sash windows.

The east façade of the house has the front portion to the left with a small center porch which matches the details on the front porch with wooden posts and a spindled handrail. There are small brackets under the eave and lattice covers the area under the porch. The porch is accessed from the two 6/9 sash windows from the front and back room, which reach to the floor. Above these openings are two 6/9 sash windows on the second floor and lozenge windows at the third floor. The right side of the house is recessed back for the rear ell which has a two-story porch. The porches were enclosed in the 1940s with glass windows, and were updated in 2010 with 4/4 casement windows and transoms and brick stairs. The wooden floor remains in its original condition.

The interior of the residence has good integrity with original wooden floors, wooden trim, a wide center hall with curved stairs, 12'ceilings, and six panel doors, some of which have graining. The trim on the second floor with 11' ceilings is simpler with narrow closets in the bedrooms having been added after 1939. The doorways on this floor have transoms opening into the hallway. 2 bathrooms were added at the front end of the hall with pocket doors and transoms. The 3rd floor has 9' ceilings which angle and the low lozenge windows and face nailed pine floor. A narrow dog-leg stairway leads to the cupola and a door opens out to the widow's walk. A dog-leg stairway also connects to the second floor of the rear porch.