Charles L. Shrewsbury House

The Charles L. Shrewsbury (also known as the Shrewsbury–Windle House) house is located at 301 West First Street in Madison, Indiana. It is a private historic house museum. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994.[3] It is located in the Madison Historic District.

Charles L. Shrewsbury House
Principal Facade
Location301 W. 1st St., Madison, Indiana
Coordinates38°44′5″N 85°22′58″W
Arealess than one acre
ArchitectFrancis Costigan
Architectural styleGreek Revival
NRHP reference No.94001190[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPApril 19, 1994[1]
Designated NHLApril 19, 1994[2]

History

The Charles Shrewsbury House, also known as the Shrewsbury–Windle House, is the 1848 Greek Revival home of Charles Shrewsbury, a salt-barge riverboat captain, flour manufacturer and pork merchant. Shrewsbury was also the mayor of Madison. The house was designed by Francis Costigan. The Shrewsbury house has twelve rooms, thirteen fireplaces and a fifty-three step spiral staircase. The floor to ceiling windows are thirteen feet tall. A man on horseback could easily step through the enormous front door.

Architectural historians have ranked the house's free-standing spiral staircase as the most impressive part of the interior. Built of pine stairs and cherry railings, the staircase ascends from the middle of the house, supporting its own weight. Aside from allowing access to the second floor, the staircase helps to cool the house: hot air from the first floor can rise through the stairwell and leave the house through the attic windows.[4]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "Shrewsbury, Charles L., House". National Historic Landmarks Program. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2011-06-05. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
  3. Galvin, John (September 30, 1993). "National Historic Landmark Nomination: Charles L. Shrewsbury House". National Park Service. and Accompanying nine photos, exterior and interior, from 1971
  4. Windle, John T. and Robert M. Taylor. The Early Architecture of Madison, Indiana. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society, 1986, 84. ISBN 0-87195-004-9.

Further reading
  • 99 Historic Homes of Indiana by Marsh Davis and Bill Shaw, copyright 2002 pages 229-231.
  • Historic American Buildings Survey in Indiana, edited by Thomas M. Slade, copyright 1983, pages 72,73. ISBN 0-253-32741-5

Media related to Charles L. Shrewsbury House at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.