Portsmouth Precedent for a Boothbay Residence

Precedent: Wentworth-Gardner House Portsmouth, NH Built c. 1760

Boothbay Residence - Nearing Completion

The history of the Wentworth-Gardner House is a fascinating study in historic preservation. It was built c. 1760 for Thomas Wentworth, brother of John Wentworth, the last royal governor of New Hampshire. Mark Hunking Wentworth, a prominent Portsmouth merchant built the house for his son as a wedding present. Major William Gardner purchased the house in 1793 which, with his renovations, now included extensive gardens, a barn, wharf utility buildings and store. In 1915 the house was purchased by Wallace Nutting, a former Congregational minister who played a leading role in the Colonial Revival movement. Nutting purchased four other historic houses to create his "Chain of Colonial Homes." Nutting made extensive restorations and used the house as a backdrop for a series of now famous photographs. In 1918, Nutting sold the house to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. "The Met" intended to either strip the best interiors from the house and install them in the Museum or remove the entire house to New York. Following local protest the house was saved and a nonprofit agency formed which has since restored much of the house.

p r e c e d e n t d e s i g n w o r k s, using the Wentworth-Gardner House as its historical precedent, began design of a Late Georgian style residence in Boothbay. Research and asbuilt drawings were key in understanding the scope of detail required in realizing such an ambitious project. The residence is a testament to the tremendously skilled craftsmen of Midcoast Maine and also to the design standards of
p r e c e d e n t d e s i g n w o r k s.

Check back soon to view recent photos of the completed project!