Notable Building No. 2: The Sarah L. Herreshoff House

Sarah Herreshoff must have been one tough woman.  She divorced her husband back when women didn’t do that.  Even better, she documented her mistreatment meticulously so that when her case went to court, she could prove her allegations.  I admire her immensely.

Sarah Lukas Kilton Herreshoff (she went by Sadie) was born in Boston.  She came to RI in the late 1860s after her marriage to John Brown Herreshoff.  JB, with brother Nathanael, was a co-founder of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, the boat manufacturing operation.  JB is also an interesting character:  he was blind from the age of 14 and ran the business by performing all necessary mathematical equations in his head.  Wow.  Just a quick note on Nat:  He was one of the most innovative boat designers in history and the author of more than 2100 different designs.

JB and Sadie had a tumultuous marriage.  In 1884, things took a turn for the worse and Sadie began recording their problems in her diary.  An example:  “Then, standing on the threshold he spoke with more vehemence than I almost ever heard him use before—saying ‘damned infernal old fool—you better sell me the house & take your brat & go to hell, yes, go to hell—just as soon as you can paddle.’”  Sadie was very devout, so the threat must have been extra painful. 

The house JB is referring to stood on Burnside St. amid the Herreshoff operations.  I couldn’t find an exact location—please speak up if you know it.  JB must have been very angry about his estranged wife living so close to his office.  The couple separated in 1885, when their daughter, Katherine Kilton Herreshoff, was fourteen.  They divorced in 1891.  Sadie kept the Burnside residence and Katherine lived with her most of the time.

I’m not sure what precipitated the need for a new house.  Perhaps Sadie got an offer that she couldn’t refuse.  Or, with Katherine grown up and married to Lewis DeWolf, her uncle’s wife’s brother (no kidding), maybe it made sense to downsize.  One thing for certain is that the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company had expanded over the years, and Sadie now lived amid all sorts of warehouses, wharfs, and other working structures.  Maybe she just wanted a new start.

In 1906, Sadie began construction on a new house only a block away at 11 Burton St.  She commissioned the design from Franklin J. Sawtelle, of Pawtucket.  Sawtelle had a good pedigree:  he trained with the firm Stone and Carpenter before opening his own office in 1880.  Unfortunately, Sadie died while the house was under construction.  Katherine saw the project to completion.

The house is really interesting.  It has been described as Colonial Revival, which means that it evokes early American buildings like Mount Vernon.  But it really isn’t, when you look closely.  Colonial Revival houses are usually very symmetric.  This one isn’t.  Also, there aren’t any motifs borrowed from early American architecture.  And, the porch is off-center in a funny way—it covers more than half but not quite two thirds of the façade.  Likewise, the door and bay window under the porch function independently from the door and windows on the second floor.  It’s like Sawtelle was thinking about each unit individually, but not together as a whole.  The design is curious, although pleasing in its own way.

Other details are also interesting.  Check out the double octagonal bay that wraps around the front and west (left) side.  Very cool!  Step closer and look up under the eaves.  See the long “sticks” that extend underneath?  They look like a boat frame.  Maybe Sadie used a boat maker as her builder.  Now, step back and look at the slight flare in the roofline.  This feature is reminiscent of traditional Asian structures.  Where that idea came from is a mystery.  So much for evoking Colonial America.

There is more to be learned about Sarah.  For example, her name appears on two patents filed by James L. Herreshoff.  Was she supporting a brother-in-law’s mechanical inventions?  Hard to say.  And, her diaries recording the deterioration of her marriage have been preserved at the Rhode Island Historical Society.  I’ll bet they contain a lot of information about Sarah and her world.  But, for now, 11 Burton St. testifies to the extraordinary life of this interesting woman. 

Next up: The Abbie M. Young House