Lewis Miller Cottage

Lewis Miller Cottage, Chautauqua Institution
Lewis Miller Cottage, 1967
Interactive map showing the location of Lewis Miller Cottage
LocationVincent and Whitfield Aves., Chautauqua, New York
Coordinates42°12′37″N 79°27′53″W / 42.21028°N 79.46472°W / 42.21028; -79.46472
Built1874 (1874)
Part ofChautauqua Institution Historic District (ID73001168)
NRHP reference No.66000506
NYSRHP No.01305.000025
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966[1]
Designated NHLDecember 21, 1965[2]
Designated NHLDCPJune 29, 1989[3]
Designated NYSRHPJune 23, 1980

The Lewis Miller Cottage is a historic house at Whitfield and Vincent Avenues, on the grounds of the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York. Built in 1875, it was the residence of Lewis Miller, co-founder of the Chautauqua movement.[4] It was designated a National Historic Landmark on December 21, 1965.[2]

Description

The Lewis Miller Cottage stands in the village of Chautauqua, at the northwest corner of Vincent and Whitfield Avenues. It is a two-story wood-frame structure, with a broad gabled roof showing Stick style woodwork and large supporting brackets. It has a symmetrical front facade, with sash windows flanking the center entrance on the ground floor, and paired sash windows on the second floor, flanking a center doorway that provides access to the second-story balcony. The first-floor porch and second-floor balcony both have gingerbread balustrades.[4]

History

The Lewis Miller Cottage is considered one of the earliest prefabricated structures in the United States.[5] Miller brought the cottage from Akron, Ohio, and erected it at Chautauqua in 1875, where he entertained US President Ulysses S. Grant that summer.[4][5]

Mina Miller Edison, Miller's daughter, spent summers at the cottage with her husband, inventor Thomas Alva Edison.[5] She renovated the cottage in 1922.[6] Among the changes, several of the first floor's rooms were made into one large room.[4] Landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman developed extensive gardens around the cottage.[5]

In 2016 the Chautauqua Foundation acquired the cottage from Miller descendants Ted Arnn and Nancy Kim Arnn.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ^ a b "Lewis Miller Cottage, Chautauqua Institution". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. September 15, 2007. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011.
  3. ^ "Chautauqua Historic District". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. September 10, 2007. Archived from the original on September 8, 2009.
  4. ^ a b c d Bradford, S. Sydney. "NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM". NPGallery Digital Asset Management System. National Park Service. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Group acquires landmark". The Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio. January 24, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  6. ^ "Miller Cottage Named National Historical Landmark". The News-Herald. Franklin, Pennsylvania. June 28, 1966. Retrieved August 9, 2024.