The Dutch House is a historic multi-unit residential building at 20 Netherlands Road in

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton, A ...

. This four-story brick building was originally built as an exhibition hall at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, where it served as the Dutch Cocoa House. It is a close copy of the

Franeker City Hall Franeker City Hall (Dutch: ''Stadhuis van Franeker'') is the city hall of the municipality of Franeker, Netherlands, one of the eleven historical cities of Friesland. The building dates from 1591–1594 and was built in Frysian renaissance style. ...

in Franeker,

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. The door frame, embellished with stone animals, is a replica of the

Enkhuizen Enkhuizen () is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland and the region of West-Frisia. History Enkhuizen, like Hoorn and Amsterdam, was one of the harbor-towns of the VOC, from where overseas trade wi ...

Orphanage. The building's interior is highly ornate, with massive ceiling beams and Flemish wooden panels. The original dining room included classic blue and white Delftware tiles, some more than 300 years old. The exterior has a high mansard roof that extends over two floors, and has stepped gables. The windows include more than 12,000 individual lights of leaded green glass. The building was erected at the World's Fair by the Van Houten Cocoa Company, and was one of the few privately built fair buildings to win a medal. After the fair ended, the building was purchased by Brookline resident Charles Brooks Appleton, who had seen it there. The building was dismantled brick by brick and reconstructed at its present location, although some of its brickwork was covered by cement in imitation of stonework. It was placed 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 1986. Netherlands Road was named in honor of the house. Because it was built by the Netherlands and is a copy of a Dutch building, it is considered one of the finest examples of Dutch High Renaissance styling in the nation.

See also

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Further reading