Address: 161 North Main Street
Contemporary Building Name: 161 North Main Street
Historic Building Name: F.W. Coleman House
Present Use: Residential
Historic Use: Residential
Architectural style: Georgian
Date constructed: 1760-1899 (Baber), 1749 (Assessor), c. 1820-1830 (Keith)
Description: The broad front elevation of the F.W. Coleman House is divided into five bays in the traditional 2-1-2 rhythm. Windows are 2-over-2. There is a four-light transom over the door enclosed within an eared architrave. A brick chimney of modest size in plan but of good height rises from the center of the ridge line. The roof is low pitched. On the south side elevation a three-sided oriel has been added at the first floor while there are two windows at the second floor. The attic window is half round. A long narrow ell runs back from the center of the rear elevation. The angles between the ell and the main block are occupied by shed-roofed infills.
Significance: The F. W. Coleman House is a good example of a colonial-era house which qualifies for the Georgian style because of the classical eared-architrave feature of the doorway, assuming the feature is original. The attic fanlight window would be more convincing if it were semi-elliptical rather than half round, as it is. The window and the low roof pitch raise the possibility of alterations were made to the roof framing at some time. The 1869 atlas shows two Coleman houses at about this location. 161 North Main Street may be the F.W. Coleman House.
Sources: Baber, David. Capitol Region Council of Governments Historic Resource Survey of Marlborough, 1978.
Keith, Elmer D., director. Works Progress Administration, Federal Writers’ Project, Census of Old of Distinctive Buildings in the State of Connecticut. c. 1935.
Ransom, David. Historical and Architectural Resources Survey, Town of Marlborough, Connecticut. April 1998.
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