The Sheldon Boright House, also known as the Grey Gables, is a historic house at 122 River Street in
Richford, Vermont. Built in 1890 for a prominent local businessman, it is a fine example of a pattern-book design by
Palliser, Palliser & Company
Palliser, Palliser & Company was a Bridgeport, Connecticut, and New York City architectural firm and publisher of architectural pattern books.
George Palliser, the firm's founder, was born around 1849 in Thirsk, Yorkshire, England. He emigrated t ...
, and may be the only instance of a house found on the cover of one of that company's pattern books. Now a bed and breakfast inn, it was 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 ...
in 1989.
Description and history
The Sheldon Boright House stands on the west side of Richford's town center, overlooking the
Missisquoi River from the north side of River Street. It is a distinctive -story wood-frame structure with elaborate Queen Anne styling. Its asymmetrical massing is covered by a multicolored slate roof that features iron cresting and numerous gables. A central tower rises to a third story, covered by a cross-gabled roof. The walls are finished mainly in clapboards, with pilastered corners and peaked window surrounds. A single-story porch wraps around two sides, with elaborate turned posts, gables and Stick style arched woodwork. The interior retains equally elaborate decorative elements original to its period of construction.
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The house is the largest and most elaborately decorated in the small community. It was built about 1892 for Sheldon Boright, a Canadian immigrant who was a prominent local businessman. The house is based on a pattern published by Palliser & Palliser of
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...
in its 1878 ''Palliser's American Cottage Homes''. It was apparently also the design for George Palliser's own home in Bridgeport, which no longer stands, and appears on the cover of the book. It is one of the only known examples of a Palliser house in Vermont, and it may be the only one that is a close copy of one of the Palliser's own homes. It was built by M.E. Dode, who successfully adapted local materials (including polychrome slate for the roof) to the design.
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See also
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Franklin County, Vermont
References
External links
Grey Gables Mansion Inn web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boright, Sheldon, House
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont
National Register of Historic Places in Franklin County, Vermont
Queen Anne architecture in Vermont
Houses completed in 1890
Houses in Franklin County, Vermont
Buildings and structures in Richford, Vermont