Latest Restored Newport House May be Last of its Kind

The lengthy restoration and preservation of a unique house on Bridge Street is being celebrated next week and according to its owner, the Newport Restoration Foundation, it could be the last of its kind.

The Dayton-James House at 88 Bridge St. could be the last one-room wide, end-of-the-street houses with two full floors and a gambrel roof still standing in Newport. It’s a style that likely was quite common in the 18th century.

Today, Newporters can be thankful that some good fortunes have come to this humble home that was “rapidly advancing toward self-destruction,” the foundation said in a release.

The organization bought the house in 2011 due to its architectural importance.

The open house will be held at the house from 4 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14.

There is no admission fee to attend and there will be a ribbon cutting by the Newport Chamber of Commerce.

Below is a detailed explanation of the project from the Newport Restoration Foundation:

The Dayton-James House is a one room wide, end-to-the-street, gambrel roofed house with two full floors plus an attic or third level under the roof. There were probably numerous examples of this very simple styled building type in the 18th century.

The Dayton-James House may be the only survivor still standing in Newport. Good fortune has allowed this unique house to survive with simple original fabric. The NRF purchased the Dayton – James House in December of 2011 because of its architectural importance, the ownership history and the fact that as a structure it was rapidly advancing toward self-destruction

Exterior – The north or street façade is clapboarded with an early, if not original, period appropriate pedimented doorway. There are layers of wood shingles on the west and east sides, but under these evidence is indicating clapboards were an early finish. Enough early profiles and measurable sections were found in the existing window frames to duplicate them. Several sash found in the attic have given a guide to reproduce these elements as well.

On the south and east sides one story additions existed on purchase. They were from the 19th and 20th century, built on crumbling piers with a dirt crawl space below. They were in very poor structural condition and did not contribute to the architectural continuum of the structure so they were documented and removed.

The north and west walls are clad in clapboards and evidence now indicates the east side was clad in clapboards as opposed to shingles.

Interior – The first floor rooms have been difficult to figure out their exact configurations and their use as this area was most effected by 20th century “modernization” – plywood paneling, layers of linoleum and sheet rock. Investigation proceeded slowly and carefully with documentation along the way. Eventually the later layers of interior fabric were removed.

The second floor seems to have had very little in the way of change and what there was had been done in a crude and obvious way. Still, what remains of early material is very simple and sparse.

The third floor or attic space is rough finished in early materials – two partial plank walls separate the space into three areas. There is a window in each gable end and a dormer window on each side. The only finishes are indications of whitewash in the two end areas.

There is a tight winding, almost ladder like, stair case from first to second and third floors.

During 2012 and into 2013 NRF has been concentrating on general investigation of the structure and working on securing the structural integrity of the building. New sills have been installed the foundation walls have been rebuilt. Repairs and replacement of various posts has been necessary as severe damage was found – the result of water damage and insect infestation over a long period of time. On the first floor most of the main floor timbers and joist need replacement. Maintenance for perhaps as much as 150 years was not attended to causing much of this damage to the structure.

Some of the investigative disciplines employed in unearthing the secrets of the Dayton – James House were archaeological test pits, paint analysis, dendrochronology or tree ring dating. We are awaiting the analysis of the of the dendro core samples.

Probably the most enlightening areas were, one, an extensive research project covering deed and land evidence, genealogy of the Dayton and James families, and an investigation of the general area in which the house is located. The second is the on-going visits by experts in early architecture who were equally curious and also baffled by the reluctance of the physical building to give up its secrets.