FEATURE
historic renovation A STORY ALMOST LOST
His home was not only where he and his wife raised their children; it is also where he raised two other children born from an allusively documented relationship with a female slave, E. Clarke, a half-black, half-white slave purchased by Watterson’s wife from her cousin’s estate. Two children, listed in records as “quadroons,” meaning they were only a quarter black, born from a half-black mother and a white father, were later recorded. Census records suggest that E. Clarke eventually became a free woman, as did her children by Watterson. The complicated relationship between the two families ended with Watterston’s death in 1854. But if not for the sake of historical documentation, a striking resemblance between Mary Clark (his second daughter) and George Watterston, and the preservation of their home, this story, which is part of the historical fabric of American history, could have been lost. TWENTIETH-CENTURY MODIFICATIONS
When Watterston died in 1854, the property passed to his son, David. It remained in the Watterston family’s hands for almost a hundred years until 1905 when a lawyer, Patrick H. Kennelly, purchased it. Under Kennelly’s ownership further modifications were made to the property. A three-story bay window,
Above. The transition from the historic main house added much needed space and bridges 200 years of history.
with a flat roof, was constructed on the rear side of the prop-
Right. The underground garage holds spaces for eight vehicles. Cars exiting the garage simply drive into the elevator.
erty; an outline of the bay window was included in a 1908 building permit. In addition, in 1916, Kennelly erected a stable and a two-story garage, called the carriage house, at the rear of the property. The stable and garages (all of which open to the alley) were part of the historical development of the Watterston House. They are contributing struccornices, fireplaces constructed of marble mantelpieces, and slated hearths. Watterston used this main level
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as his study and library, which ran the entire depth of the house. The second and third levels of the house were used as bedrooms for Watterston, his wife, six surviving children, and about a half dozen slaves. Each room
Leo A Daly website
contains a fireplace with wood mantels.
More about the Watterston House. More about George Watterston. Tribal Leaders Conference Center website
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COMMERCI A L A RCHI T EC T URE
MAY 2017
tures to the historic nature of the original property. F.C. Curtis owned the property from 1944 to 1967. Another owner, whose name could not be identified, then owned the property before it was sold at auction to the Watterston House Associates in the 1970s. “The Watterston House serves as more than the headquarters of NIGA; it is a museum, a collection,
The original historic main house features 14 pine-
and celebration of Native American peoples and their
floored rooms. Its arched stairhall, decorative cornic-
culture. Through the practice of architecture, we have
es, and marbled fireplaces remain to this day, evidence
the opportunity to shed light on the unwritten docu-
of the house’s place in early American history and ar-
ments of history,” states a Leo A Daly description of
chitecture.
the project. CA
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