The Colonial Architecture of Salem

Salem, Massachusetts, has long been considered the center of New England's Colonial architecture, a storehouse of well-preserved American antiquities. This profusely illustrated study, first published in 1919, represents the first complete, chronological survey of Colonial architecture in Salem — from the town's settlement in 1626 to the end of its Colonial development in 1818. Focusing on such major styles as the gable and peaked-roof house, the lean-to house, the gambrel-roof house, and the square three-story house, this volume features detailed descriptions of over 100 buildings: the famous House of Seven Gables, the Governor Bradstreet Mansion, the Witch House, Nathaniel Hawthorne's Birthplace, Assembly Hall, the Old Courthouse, the Old South Church, the Salem Custom House, and numerous others. The text is enhanced by more than 250 rare illustrations of the building under discussion, as well as details of doorways and mantels, moldings, wainscoting, windows, stairways, and other features. Brimming with informative and well-illustrated descriptions of classic early New England architecture, this highly readable volume is an invaluable and inspirational sourcebook for architects and home builders. In addition, its colorful anecdotes concerning colonial Salem and its residents offer fascinating fare for historians and other readers.