Building Name (Common)

Wadsworth Stable

Building Name (Historic)

Wadsworth Stable / John Trumbull Birthplace Historic Site

Address

169 West Town Street
Lebanon

Typology

• Carriage House

 

Designations

• National Register
• National Historic Landmark

Historic Significance

Architectural description:

This is a 2 story carriage house. The main facade faces northeast and is perpendicular to West Town Street, which runs approximately southeast-northwest. The main entries are two pairs of swinging hinged doors that flank a Palladian style facade. "The main facade has a shallow gable roof hidden behind a false facade. A central pediment is carried on four thick pilasters with flanking secondary masses with a single round arched opening each. The wings are lower than the central part and have a solid cresting concealing the roof. There are wide doors [main entries TL] beneath the arches and narrower ones between the pilasters. The "window" openings on the second level between the pilasters are boarded in, but one is a door to the hay loft."

The southeast eave-facade has three distinct bays separated by four pilasters. The middle bay has an off-center pass-through door that acts as the present day main entry. To the west of the door is a ten-pane window. The westernmost bay has an identical ten-pane window on the main level and a recessed hay door above. The southernmost bay has a three small four-pane windows on the main level and a side-hinged hay door above. The structure has vertical flush-board painted tan and is set on concrete block masonry foundation. The roof has a break in the pitch were the pediment in the gable facade ends. Centered atop the roof is an octagonal cupola. The roofing material appears to be rolled asphalt.

Historical significance:

A contributing resource in the Lebanon Green National Register Historic District (the adjacent Trumbull House is a National Historic Landmark).

Until the 1830s, the horses used for riding and driving carriages were often kept in the main barn along with the other farm animals. By the 1850s, some New England farmers built separate horse stables and carriage houses. Early carriage houses were built just to shelter a carriage and perhaps a sleigh, but no horses. The pre-cursor to the twentieth-century garage, these outbuildings are distinguished by their large hinged doors, few windows, and proximity to the dooryard. The combined horse stable and carriage house continued to be a common farm building through the second half of the nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth century, until automobiles became common. Elaborate carriage houses were also associated with gentlemen farms and country estates of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Another form of carriage barn, the urban livery stable, served the needs of tradespeople.

Field Notes

The Wadsworth Stable, circa 1820, serves as an example of rare Palladian style architecture. The original stable was built about 1730, but a fire destroyed it. The stable was rebuilt about 1820. The Wadsworth Stable was slated for demolition in the mid 1950s, but thanks to a group of historic preservationists was saved as a monument to the Wadsworth legacy, as well as a masterful example of Palladian Style architecture. David Wadsworth is credited with the design of this city carriage barn. The Wadsworth Stable was moved to Lebanon and sits adjacent to the Gov. Jonathan Trumbull House Museum. Both are owned and operated by the Connecticut Daughters of the American Revolution (CTDAR).

The Stable is open to the public May 15 - Oct. 15, Fri. 1 to 5, Sat. 10 to 5 and Sun. 11 to 5 Historical displays include antique modes of transportation, ironware, tools, hardware and a photo presentation of the rescue of the Stable.