Geddy House

The Geddy House, also known as the James Geddy House, was built by James Geddy Jr. ca. 1762. One of the oldest houses in Virginia and in Williamsburg, it is located on the Palace Green across from Bruton Parish Church. It is a two-story, central-passage house.

History

James Geddy Jr. was a well-established silversmith in Williamsburg. Advertisements in the late 1760s indicate that Geddy's business sold imported silver and gold items, in addition to fine jewelry and cutlery.

In 1762, Geddy built the house at the corner of Duke of Gloucester Street and Palace Green. In addition to serving as the family home, the structure also housed the various business ventures of the Geddy family utilizing a rear entrance as a retail shop.

During restorations of Colonial Williamsburg in 1930 and 1967, the entrance porch was replaced, and the house's chimneys were rebuilt above the roof ridge. The house retains much of its original woodwork. Further preservation activities were undertaken in 2002.

Features

Many aspects of the house's design are not common in other sites in Williamsburg. The house's low-pitched roof and lack of dormers are unusual features, as are the door and balcony above the front porch. The L-shape may have also been adapted to fit the location.

The details of the home include English architecture and Italian variations of Greek and Roman architecture. Archeological excavations of the shop site of the house have provided information about eighteenth-century clockmaking in British America.

Gallery

Geddy House, Colonial Williamsburg 02.jpg, Front view
Geddy House, Colonial Williamsburg 03.jpg, Rear view
Geddy House, Colonial Williamsburg 04.jpg, Outbuilding

References

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Colonial Williamsburg
18th-century architecture in the United States
Museums in Williamsburg, Virginia
Historic house museums in Virginia
Houses in Williamsburg, Virginia
1762 establishments in Virginia
Residential buildings completed in 1762