Beauport, also known as Sleeper–McCann House, Little Beauport, or Henry Davis Sleeper House, is a historic house in

Gloucester, Massachusetts Gloucester () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a ...

Background

Beauport was built starting in 1908 as the summer home of interior decorator and antique collector

Henry Davis Sleeper Henry Davis Sleeper (March 27, 1878 – September 22, 1934) was an American antiquarian, collector, and interior decorator best known for Beauport, his Gloucester, Massachusetts, country home that is "one of the most widely published houses of ...

. Situated on the rocks overlooking Gloucester Harbor, the structure was repeatedly enlarged and modified by Sleeper, and filled with a large collection of fine art, folk art, architectural artifacts, and other collectible materials. Sleeper decorated its rooms, which came to number 56, to evoke different historical and literary themes. After his death, Charles and Helena Woolworth McCann acquired the house and its contents. They preserved much of the Sleeper's designs and decorations, but made some modifications, including adding their porcelain collection to the house. Their heirs donated the property to the Society for the Protection of New England Antiquities (now

Historic New England Historic New England, previously known as the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA), is a charitable, non-profit, historic preservation organization headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It is focused on New England a ...

) in 1947, who operate the property as a house museum. Beauport served as Sleeper's escape, a backdrop for summer parties, and as a showcase for his professional skills. The house has frequently been written about in books and magazines, with the first major article appearing in ''

House Beautiful ''House Beautiful'' is an interior decorating magazine that focuses on decorating and the domestic arts. First published in 1896, it is currently published by the Hearst Corporation, who began publishing it in 1934. It is the oldest still-publish ...

'' in 1916. It has been featured in such diverse publications as ''

Architectural Digest ''Architectural Digest'' is an American monthly magazine founded in 1920. Its principal subjects are interior design and landscaping, rather than pure external architecture. The magazine is published by Condé Nast, which also publishes internati ...

'', ''

Country Living ''Country Living'' is an American lifestyle and home magazine published by the Hearst Corporation since 1978. The monthly magazine focuses on food, home renovation, home decor, DIY and lifestyle. The magazine hosts four Country Living Fairs a ye ...

'', and ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'', and has been showcased on television programs such as ''

America's Castles ''America's Castles'' is a documentary television series that aired on A&E Network from 1994 to 2005. Through interviews, historic photos and newly shot footage, the program documents the mansions and summer homes of the high society of The Gild ...

''.

Preservation

Beauport was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 2003, in recognition for its distinctive architecture, its unique collection of artifacts, and for its association for Sleeper, whose design influence extended across the wealthy elite of the eastern United States.Timothy T. Orwig, Carolyn Pitts, and Patty Henry (2001-08-31) , National Park Service (''including maps and plans'' and In addition to the main house, the property also has a gate house, garage, and toolshed that were built by Sleeper. The gate house has been adapted by Historic New England as a visitor reception area, and the toolshed now houses restrooms. The garage is used for storage and as office space. There is a single non-contributing building on the property, a caretaker's house, which is potentially of local historic interest as an example of a prefabricated post-

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

residential structure.

Gallery

File:Beauport, Gloucester, MA, 3.jpg, Beauport, 2016 File:Paul Revere Room (Chapel Chamber) at Beauport, Sleeper-McCann House.jpg, Paul Revere Room (Chapel Chamber), Beauport, Sleeper–McCann House, 1928 File:Interior view of the Amethyst Glass passage at Beauport, Sleeper-McCann House.jpg, Amethyst Glass passage, Beauport, Sleeper–McCann House, 1928 File:Interior view of the Octagon Room at Beauport, Sleeper-McCann House.jpg, Octagon Room, Beauport, Sleeper–McCann House, 1928 File:Interior view of the China Trade Room at Beauport, Sleeper-McCann House.jpg, China Trade Room, Beauport, Sleeper–McCann House, 1928 File:Interior view of the Pine Kitchen at Beauport, Sleeper-McCann House.jpg, Pine Kitchen, Beauport, Sleeper–McCann House, 1928

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * Shoemaker, L. "Backstage at Beauport: SPNEA shines a spotlight on the extended family who made the house work." ''Historic New England'', Summer 2004. {{DEFAULTSORT:Beauport, Sleeper-McCann House Houses completed in 1907 Historic house museums in Massachusetts National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts Museums in Essex County, Massachusetts Biographical museums in Massachusetts Shingle Style houses Houses in Gloucester, Massachusetts Decorative arts museums in the United States Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Essex County, Massachusetts Historic New England Shingle Style architecture in Massachusetts

Background

Preservation

Gallery

See also

References