GERSHOM LOCKWOOD III HOUSE
117 Dingletown Road, Greenwich, CT
LOCAL HISTORIC PROPERTY
Build: c1745, 1922, 1967 | Protected: 2016
Situated in a wooded valley on the north side of Dingletown Road, the Gershom Lockwood III House, built c1745, is a rambling, multi-winged, wood-shingled dwelling sheltered by gabled, wood-shingled roofs and fenestrated with six-over-six windows. From south to north, the house consists of the original 2½ story, side-gabled Colonial dwelling; a slightly lower, transverse- gabled middle wing facing west, a 1½ story, side-gabled rear wing; and a 1½ story, front-gabled, two-car garage, connected to the rear wing by a wooden gate.
The original house faces south and presents a five-bay façade that is 36 feet long and fenestrated primarily with single windows arranged symmetrically in pairs, exhibiting a greater distance from the central window than between the windows of each pair. The façade focuses on the centrally placed main entrance, located in an enclosed projecting foyer constructed c1922 and sheltered by a low-pitched, hipped roof.
Architectural Significance
The Gershom Lockwood III House is architecturally significant as one of the twelve oldest houses in Greenwich that have maintained sufficient architectural integrity to serve as relatively intact example of houses constructed up until 1750.
The structural elements of the original house are visible at each level but are primarily evident at the basement and attic. The basement reveals the hand-hewn joists of the first floor. At the second floor exposed corner posts are visible at the eastern end of the house while exposed chimney posts are present at the second story’s northwest chamber and southwest chamber. At the attic the framing of the roof reveals a typical arrangement of equidistantly placed, hand-hewn common rafters, pegged at the top.
The house’s central chimneystack is another hallmark of the first half of the eighteenth century. The retention of all four fireplaces is also notable, especially the largest, located in the original kitchen and measuring 5’ wide, 50” high and 2’ deep. Also typical of the house plan in this period are the house’s original staircases. The central staircase is characterized by its tight, winding construction.
Of lesser significance but still notable are the additions that the house has acquired over its long history. By 1922, a kitchen wing to the rear had been added and the 1916 entry porch was replaced with the present enclosed foyer. The additions and alterations of 1967 greatly increased the house’s living space but were sensitively designed to defer to the original structure.
