The house built in 1899, on Summer Street in Bristol for Herbert J. Mills, is an example of how a historic home can suffer from later unsympathetic alterations. Mills, who was the president of the H.J. Mills Box Shop company, lived in a Queen Anne-style house that still stands. With the exception of the decoration of the front entry porch, the rest of the exterior has lost most of its original stick style decoration and roof brackets. The integrity of the house’s tower has also been compromised by an addition on the north side of the building.
Herbert J. Mills House (1899)
An intact, un-muddled, nearly identical specimen of this home design can be seen at the Hubert C. Hart House at 134 Main Street in Unionville (Farmington).
Hubert C. Hart (1844-1940), a local manufacturer, was somewhat inventive genius, with over 100 patents to his name. His father, Chauncey Hart, a manufacturer or edge tools, produced the pikes used by John Brown in his infamous 1859 raid on the Federal Arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia.
While the Hart house is not painted in period colors (currently it is white with blue shingles), its exterior architectural features remain intact. It is likely a pattern book home produced by the Victorian-era architctural firm of Geo. F. Barber & Co., a leading architect of the time.
Correction to my post…I meant to say blue shutters, not blue shingles!
I just purchased this home in early 2012. Please don’t blame me for the alterations, they were all done before my time. This was a short sale crack house with squatters living in it at the time of purchase. I’ve remodeled it and rented to responsible individuals and although I can’t bring the house back to its original styles I do promise to keep it nice, clean, and an asset to the neighborhood for as long as I own it.
I actually grew up in this once beautiful house back in its glory years of the 1950 and 60’s. My grandmother and grandfather bought this home after arriving here from Italy. My parents Elvio and Eunice DiSabato lived on the third floor with my 2 sisters and myself. My uncle Thomas DiSabato lived on the first floor with his wife Grace and their 3 daughters. My aunt Mary D’Andrea lived over the garage with her husband Jim and their 2 boys. There was a gorgeous grapevine in the back yard where we gathered for Sunday dinners and picnics each summer, homemade wine every fall. The vegetable and flower gardens were always bountiful and beautiful. Our memories are many. One very obvious omission are the priceless stained glass windows that once graced the front and side areas of the home. We were told that a renter absconded with them upon leaving many years ago. My wish, and that of my relatives is that this home can once again be brought back to its once original beauty that it so deserves. My best to Dave the new owner. Many of us would love to see the inside again one day, please respond to this if possible.