That Town that Slate Built, Part IV

It's amazing what googling can do. Being still relatively new to Granville, I googled "Granville's most beautiful houses" and discovered that this gem, the Sheldon House, is right around the corner from mine! I just hadn't paid much attention.

You can learn a lot from its website. Most important: "The thirty-four room, 10,000 square foot Sheldon Mansion was built on a ten acre village estate in 1906 by slate baron Frederick Sheldon who owned numerous quarries including virtually all of the most rare, red slate. It is believed that this is the only building in the world constructed with red slate stone walls."

I would describe it as neoolonial, neoclassical architecture, very apt for the period. What I find intriguing are the asymmetrical design and the bold massing of blocks and columns -- including the striking triple columns in front -- combined with wide and flattened overhanging eaves. The glass enclosure on the second floor behind the columns must be a recent alteration to what was an open porch. I googled a little more and found one website that claims, dubiously, that the house was "reputedly designed by Stanford White," the famed American architect. I would need to see evidence to be convinced! Googling also turned up an estate home in Port Arthur, Texas, from the same year, called "Rose Hill Manor" or the "Woodworth House," with some vague similarities in design, probably coincidental.

Today the home is run as an upscale bed-and-breakfast inn. When I pulled up, one of the owners was packing her car, seen at the right. She was very welcoming. A couple more photos:

The back of the house has a much different aspect, almost like a silo. It is difficult to say whether this was part of the original structure or an addition. 

The other building on the property is a garage, probably a carriage house originally, although by 1906 the family of a wealthy slate mogul might already have owned an automobile.