The Leete-Griswold House, on Fair Street (formerly Petticoat Lane) in Guilford, was built by Edwin A. Leete in 1856. The house is in the Octagon style, although it no longer has its original overhanging eaves with decorative brackets. Leete had grown up in the Pelatiah Leete III House on Leetes Island in Guilford. He only lived in his octagon house a short time before moving to a larger house nearby.
Leete-Griswold House (1856)
What a delight to find the Leete house here. There are too few octagon houses and I’m always pleased to come across one. It was recorded by the Historical American Building Survey (HABS) and I’ll be adding their drawings to my website Historic Home Plans for anybody who is interested in studying the house in more detail. The octagon at the Leete house was subdivided in a clever and practical way, which isn’t always the case with other octagons.
Found another octagon house, in *Guilford*, New York:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7327243@N05/4457149768/in/photolist-7MS4kN-a3j1KJ-a3j3FL-a3g9TK-a3j2fu-cR5zhC-8d9Kb9-b85DXD-9CxcNa-8C4iio-az35An-az35Yc-b98U8v-dQJgxg-bXixvK-b7Sxpx-9X9DmM-9X9DrB-9X9DoV-9Xcw1f-9X9DYM-cNLkqU-cNLkGo-cNLkxh-buLgbs-edEJ3K-b994BD-aMyqdt-aMyptk-aMypEp-aMypUv-bw1pgW-cR5yGU-85HLes-cR5yW9-7Kz9u2-7KD6xh-7KD6n3-7KD6zs-7Kz9hv-7KD6hN-cR5z9m-ipusQg-7L81dJ-d36KM7-aeq12Z-8gTHkn-cUXLNw-9CPNc5-gZ3EMi
I was lucky to have rented this beautiful home 21 years ago. It is a bright and fun house to live in. The 8 walls allow your living space to be open and airy. Great traffic flow. Arranging furniture was easy. The stair case that runs up the center of the home is so attractive. Even the attic is octagon shaped.
Miss Guilford and this house. Now living in Juno Beach Florida in Palm Beach County
I lived in this house from November 1995 to May 1999. The flow of the design and proportions were great. I never really like the garage they built but it was my first house and contact in Guilford. The basement had some lights but the attic was creepy. The ramp of the stairs was getting smaller as you were going up the stairs and that was giving a visual illusion from the bottom of a real tower in middle of the house.