The Count's House is a historic
Greek Revival
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...
home in
McHenry, Illinois
McHenry is a city in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. It is a suburb, part of the Chicago metropolitan area and is located about 37 miles northwest of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 27,135. McHenry was at one time th ...
. It is one of McHenry's oldest and most notable landmarks, as well as one of the finest preserved examples of
Greek Revival
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...
architecture in
McHenry County. It is the only building in the city of
McHenry listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
.
History
Although the exact date of construction and original owner of the Count's House are unknown, the building is believed to have been built prior to the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
. The plaque on the exterior denotes the house as having been completed circa 1860. The house has had a number private owners throughout its history, the most notable being
Count Oskar Bopp von Oberstadt, an Austrian count for whom the house is named.
[Illinois Historic Preservation Agency]
/ref> For its architectural significance, the Count's House was added to the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
on June 3, 1982.
Architecture
The Count's House is particularly distinct for its two faces, a very unusual feature for a Greek Revival
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...
. The north facade, facing Waukegan Road, consists of a portico with full two-story columns of the Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. The Doric is most easily recognized by the simple circular capitals at the top of col ...
. The south facade, facing Main Street, consists of two-story loggia
In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior gallery or corridor, usually on an upper level, but sometimes on the ground level of a building. The outer wall is open to the elements, usually supported by a series of columns ...
with an upper balcony and several intricate mouldings. The six-over-six windows, balustrades
A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its cons ...
, columns, door surrounds, and nearly all of the exterior moldings appear to be original. The house's exterior walls consist of double-wythe brick, with double-hung windows over six and a half feet in height. The only known significant modifications to the house have been additions to its wing, the replacement of the column pedestals with brick, and the replacement of the original cedar shake with asphalt shingles. Aside from these discrepancies, an old postcard published in ''Historic Homes of McHenry County'' reveals that the house remains much as it appeared in the early 1900s, if not earlier.[
]
Gallery
Image:McHenry_Il_Count's_House_North.png, The north facade circa early 1900s
Image:McHenry_Il_Count's_House_South.png, The south facade circa early 1900s
Image:Count Bopp von Oberstadt LCCN2014716061.jpg, Count Bopp von Oberstadt
References
*Northwest Herald Staff. ''Historic Homes of McHenry County''. Northwest Herald: 2005.
Notes
{{reflist
Houses completed in 1860
Houses in McHenry County, Illinois
National Register of Historic Places in McHenry County, Illinois
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois
McHenry, Illinois