Address: 54 Hodge Road
Contemporary Building Name: 54 Hodge Road
Historic Building Name: Hodge House; W. I. Hills House
Present Use: Residential
Historic Use: Residential
Architectural style: Colonial
Date constructed: 1780-1820 (Baber), 1700 (Assessor)
Description: The broad front elevation of the low house is divided into five bays with central door, whose surround is covered by the asbestos siding, and 6-over-6 sash. Small rectangular windows are located under the eaves in each bay. A partial shed dormer occupies the center of the front roof slope, with a slender chimney rising behind it. A second exterior chimney is on the north side elevation.
Significance: Since the name of the road is Hodge and the name of the owner of the house is Hodge, it is presumed that the Hodge family has lived here for generations, but the 1869 atlas may associate the property with the name W. I. Hills. The house is old, as evidenced by the low windows located close under the eaves on the north side elevation, which suggest that the Assessor's date of 1700 may be reasonably accurate. A house on the 1869 atlas carrying the name W. I. Hills may be the Hodge House, but on the map it appears to be too far north. In addition to having the features of the eaves windows, the house is significant for its large size (35 feet in breadth), and the fact that it has not been added onto, having no ell, no wing. The chief alteration has been the addition of the front shed dormer. Some trim details may still be in place under the siding.
Sources: Baber, David. Capitol Region Council of Governments Historic Resource Survey of Marlborough, 1978.
Ransom, David. Historical and Architectural Resources Survey, Town of Marlborough, Connecticut. April 1998.
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