Henry Barnard and Emeline Frisbie Norton House
circa 1840, Greek Revival
188 Washington Street Norwich, CT
Please note, this is a private residence and is not open to the public
It was said that Henry Barnard Norton (1807–91) came to Norwich in 1824 with only $1.00 in his pocket. By his death in 1891, he had amassed a fortune through ventures in steamboats, banking, and cotton manufacturing. Norton was an incorporator of the Norwich Free Academy, and the school’s Norton Gymnasium is named after him (# 3).
The Nortons’ Greek Revival-style residence is one of the finest of its period on Washington Street. Its elegant portico and neat row of pilasters (relief columns) in the Ionic order—modeled on elements of classical Greek architecture—created an image of dignity and sophistication well suited to a family of means and social standing.
