Our Big, Fat, Greek Love Affair - 241 Elm Street

Apart from the State House and Court House, we haven’t seen too many examples of this type of Greek Revival architecture on our tours, but here is one, and you’ll see a few more like it on this tour. They conjure a Southern antebellum state of mind that makes you think Scarlet O’Hara might slip out the door and glide down the portico. Like most of the country, Montpelier had a mid-19th-century love affair with this style, which is characterized by the colonnaded portico and pedimented gable. They are known for having a symmetrical layout, but a particularly New England variation of this style places the front door off to the side as it is here. This house dates back to around 1850 and is thought to have been constructed by Alfred Wainwright, who owned the forerunner to Montpelier’s historic Lane Manufacturing Company, which we’ll hear more about in a few minutes.

We’re going to keep going up Elm Street a bit farther and eventually turn right onto Vine Street, but before we do I invite you to pass by that intersection and walk on to Birchgrove Bakery.