Search

Three sheets giving two plans and two elevations for a public building (presumably a court house - three of the rooms are designated on the plan as 'clerk''sheriff', and 'surrogate'). There are two facades and it is difficult to tell which is the front and which is the back; one is marked by three segmental arches with a recessed porch behind; the other also has a recessed porch but has a more formal (and more up-to-date) frontispiece in the Greek Revival style, with two pilasters on either side and two square columns in the center, flanking door. Also the roof cornice of this facade has a long low rectangular panel centered over the entryway. These motifs are close to those shown in American builder's pattern books of the 1830s and 40s. The builders' manuals and pattern books of the 19th century were the do-it-yourself manuals of their era, and for builder-architects like Hadden & Gedney, were important resources for construction techniques and design details.

Architectural drawings for residence, public and commercial buildings, churches, university buildings, and other structures, ca. 1880s-1925, many of which are located in Maine. These were done by Stevens while working independently, in partnership with his son John Howard Stevens, and while a member of architectural firms Fassett and Stevens (with offices in Portland, Maine and Boston, Mass.) and Stevens and Cobb. One unidentified photograph of a house is included. Also included are drawings Stevens did for the book EXAMPLES OF AMERICAN DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE.

The four drawings include: Frieze detail (Anthemion Band) : ink and graphite on paper (33 x 49 cm) ; Plan and elevation for the fly-doors at the entrances of the New Custom House, N.Y. : pen and ink on paper, signed (33 x 40 1/2 cm) ; Plan of the Basement of the New Customs House, New York : Ink, brown wash, green wash on paper mounted on linen (64 x 97 4/5 cm) ; Plan of the Flagging of the Principal Floor of New Custom House, N.Y. : Ink on paper mounted on linen (59 x 93 1/3 cm). Condition: The two larger drawings are heavily varnished and stained. A medium size portion of the "Plan and elevation for the fly-doors" has been cut.