The Whittemore House - 45 Grove Street

Samuel Whittemore was a successful manufacturer of textile equipment as well as an important property holder when he chose the bucolic site for his home in the village of Greenwich in 1830.  Whittemore moved his family of nine into the two-and-a-half story brick residence along with two "free colored persons."  The house reflected his wealth--the rich sculptured plaster ceiling moldings, woodwork of burl walnut and fine Federal detailing.  The grounds included a stables and greenhouse.

The family lived at 45 Grove until 1851, when Whittemore sold the property.  Before long, it was being operated as a high-end boarding house.  Actor Samuel K. Chester was living here in 1865 as the Civil War was coming to an end.  Early that year, there was a knock on Chester's door that could have changed American history.

When Samuel Chester opened his door that evening, John Wilkes Booth stood before him.  Booth visited the actor, in Chester's words, to enlist his help with a "conspiracy to take over the government."  This included kidnapping the President.

Chester refused to cooperate, however he notified no one.  In April of that year John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln.

The decorations of the second floor window anticipate the coming Greek Revival style.

Later that same year, in an ironic twist of fate, Louisa Lee Schuyler transformed 45 Grove Street to the Lincoln Home, a hospital for wounded soldiers.  (Louisa was the great-granddaughter of Alexander Hamilton and would become famous as a leader in American charity work.)  According to The New York Times on October 8, 1865, "This institution, which is now in operation at No. 45 Grove-street, is doing a good work in caring for disabled soldiers and seamen, about sixty of whom are now under its charge."

The brick was painted in the late 19th century.  from the collection of the New York Public Library

The Whittemore house, despite is varied uses, remained essentially intact until 1871, when Elisha Bloomer hired Benjamin G. Wells to add two stories to the house, converting it into apartments.  Uncharacteristic of the period, the architect continued the original Federal detailing, rather than Victorianizing the entire structure.  He duplicated the out-of-fashion lintels and preserved most of the interior detailing.  The most noticeable alteration was the enlarging of the parlor floor windows.

By 1921, there was a theater in the basement level.  On February 19 that year, a marionette production of Edna St. Vincent Millay's Two Slatterns & A King was staged.  The following week the audience saw Chickasaw Indian, advertised as, "What the American Indian has accomplished in Art and Literature.  Assisted by a company of Indian Artists.  Interpretative Dances, Tom Tom Music, etc."

In 1923, writer Hart Crane was renting a room on the second floor and struggling to make a living.

The fire escapes that zig-zagged down the facade when Berenice Abbot photographed 45 Grove Street on October 21, 1935 testified to its use as a multi-family building.  from the collection of the Museum of the City of New York

Despite the passage of nearly 200 years, the Whittemore house escaped the worst of renovations.  In 1937, the Department of Buildings ordered that the striking original interior doors be replaced with metal ones.  The owners protested in writing, insisting that the doors were, "highly ornamental" and integral to the integrity of the now-landmarked building.  The Department of Buildings rejected the request.  The wooden doors remain in place, however, to this day.

Flanking the stone steps that lead to the impressive arched doorway, two cast iron lamp posts now support matching Victorian-style lanterns.  Originally, almost assuredly, a wrought-iron scrolled arch would have joined them with a single lantern hanging from the center.

Much of the original interior first floor architectural details remain, including the intricate plasterwork and Federal-style woodwork.  Luckily, the present owners are acutely aware of the rich history of this property.  The beautiful country home that Samuel Whittemore built for his family in 1830 should survive for generations.

photographs by the author