The rate of development for residential use on Willimantic’s Prospect Hill was increasing in the 1890s and many fine Victorian homes were being constructed by town’s prosperous upper middle class. In 1899, the industrialist William J. Asher, originally from Springfield, Massachusetts, began the construction of his home at 321 Prospect Street, on land he had purchased from the Windham Manufacturing Company. His Queen Anne house, located across the street from the recently built high school, was completed in 1900. Asher, who owned the Maverick Steam Laundry and also manufactured washing machines, was a prominent member of Willimantic’s early Jewish community. The apex of his home’s front gable contains inlaid scallop shells, a symbol of good fortune. The stone used to construct the front porch came from a textile mill which had been destroyed in a fire in the 1890s. At the rear of the house, Asher had a custom-built garage for his new automobile with an underground fuel tank. Asher left Willimantic in 1914 and sold the house to Archibald W. Turner, a diamond and jeweler dealer, who also acquired Willimantic’s leading livery stable.
I lived in this house for a short while. While run down, it was a fantastic dwelling! If anyone knows how I could get a floor plan of this house, please post a comment.
Thanks!
Who owns this house now? It once belonged to my Grand parents the Loiselles and is where my father Gerard E Loiselle Jr was raised. It is sad to see it in such nelect.
Not sure who owns the house. Would like to know so I could get a copy of the floor plan!
Anyway, if you would like some more information about the house, follow the links below. The articles were published in 1998, so no information regarding current ownership.
http://www.threadcity.org/61/?form_58.replyids=7&form_62.replyids=164&form_62.userid=3
http://www.threadcity.org/61/?form_58.replyids=2&form_62.userid=3&form_62.replyids=165
i lived in this house for a short while also… my parents re-did the in side, new hard wood floors etc… but i love this house. i was in 7th grade at the time and the school was right across the street.
Was thast some time ago?
Is it owned by the univeristy now?
I used to live a few blocks up on High St and always ended by winter sled rides down High St at the corner of Prospect & High Sts. Wonderful ole house this is…it used to have a metal icon of a squirrel attached to the side porch (on High St side) for many years. Now its owned by ESCU I was told.
If I recall…a girl named Mary Jane Loiselle lived there and she and I sledded together on winter nites long ago.
Chas
I have always had a fascination for Victorian Homes. I came across this one and I think it is lovely. I am curious to know what the floor plan is like. If anyone can give me a rough sketch of it, I’d really appreciate it.
Venessa
Venessa,
You have probably seen that I have also posted a request for a floor plan, so I thought you should know that I have had no responses.
Thanks Anthony. I guess we can check back once in a while hoping that someone who has once lived there will be kind enough to send us at least a rough scetch of the floor plan. If I come across anything to do with this home and the floor plan, I will be sure to post the information on here Anthony.
Again, thanks.
Thanks Vanessa. I will optimistically check back regularly.
Anthony,
I have looked for house plans that could be like the one in this home. I came across this one and it could be a possible fit. It looks similar to it on the outside. It doesn’t have the third floor though.
http://www.eplans.com/queen_anne_house-plans/HWEPL09914.hwx
The home is listed in this site. It is larger in square footage than the plan that shared above.
http://www.trulia.com/property-sitemap/CT/Willimantic/06226/Prospect_Street/
Thanks for the plans Vanessa. Hopefully you haven’t spent too much time searching!
It’s amazing how both houses look similar from outside, but from what I can remember, the floor plans are considerably different!
Beautiful homes!
I lived there for several years in the 80s. My parents were renovating when my mother passed away. It was bought by the college in 1990 – I’m sure all the work that was done has been undone!! Very sad to see it looking like this.
The link of the floor plans above does not match this home at all. I’ll post a link back here when I get a sketch scanned into my computer.
Curious – why do you want the floor plans? Building from scratch, or just for inspiration?
Jen
It is a dream to build a similar house.
I am fascinated with the outside of this home. Of course, it needs a lot of work. I think Queen Anne Victorian homes are lovely. As a little girl, I loved doll houses and this just looks like a human size doll house. I hope to have a victorian home some day soon.
Hey Ant, why don’t you just check with the school and find out if there is a way to actually go inside – with a measuring tape and graph paper? Surely someone could direct you to someone with a key. If not, well, peak in the windows (if you can) and measure the outside, this along with your memory should get pretty close to the layout. Most likely you will want to alter it a bit anyway for our life styles of today.
Good luck!
Tanya
PS: I’m currently building my own dream – a victorian/New Orleans Garden District style home and there nothing more delightful than building your dream!
Had no idea that there was any interest in the house. I bought the house from the family that bought the house from Jen’s family. The previous owners rented the house to the ECSU Animall House memorial fan club, as evidenced by the Blutarski poster covering the missing wall in what probably was the back parlor. The interior of the house was destroyed by sledgehammers and anything that could be broken off and used for destruction, compounded by a tri level flood that occurred shortly before the closing. The exterior has been the least of our worries. The quadrupled taxes, the quintupled insurance, the aggressive nature of the college on all levels, the party houses that surround with the yard being used as an open toilet, mating ground and free shortcuts and parking and a reopened repurposed public building across the street with nearly 24/7 events and the direct holding flight pattern for the local hospital lifestar helicopter directly over the turrett and, well, you do the math. If you want to direct me to some free download for drawing floor plans on Windows7 platform I’ll be happy to do it. You realize, i assume that this house appears to have had its floor plans rearranged numerous times over the decades I am a fifth generation resident of this neighborhood and bought this place specifically when I returned to town. The challenge is immense so any of the whiners wanna grab a paint brush and ladder just gimme a call. I work 80 hrs a week to afford the tax load alone. Lucky that gas is nice and cheap and the closest even mediocre jobs are just a convenient Route 6 drive up to the lively Hartford area. First use white primer. Body should be medium gray, lg trim dark gray details can be black white and gold but nothin fancy. I’m real subtle and i want the house to reflect that Let me know when you’re done painting and I’ll buy the roof(s) & gutters.
Any chance of drawing floor plans on paper, scanning, the e-mailing?
Good luck with the renovations. I am sure it will be worth the effort.
How upsetting! I figured that the house was trashed, but not like I just read. I was traveling from MD to MA last week, and so wanted to stop by and show my kids the place…. I’m looking for pics to send in of what my parents were doing to the interior. The back “parlor” was probably the large storage area behind the room. Is all the italian tile around the fireplace ruined? Is the square tub still in the downstairs bathroom? Those were my two favorite features of the house, aside from the little balcony off my room.
I wish I had photos of the house. Unfortunately my camera and all rolls of film (digital cameras weren’t popular back then!)were stolen, along with many other possessions. They would have helped me remember the floor plan!
To Charlie: My mother Betty Jane has told me stories of sledding down High Street too. She grew up in the house and I spent many holidays there with my cousins. The house was magnificent in its day! I’ll mention you to my mom (she still goes sledding with her many grandkids!)
If you call the town hall and ask, they will tell you. The current owner bought it for $60,000 outright in 2003. I don’t understand letting a gorgeous house like this just rot away!
Maybe you could get them from the town hall.
I had a look at the town hall online records. Lots of mortgage and ownership transfer paperwork, but unfortunately no floor plans.
This house is currently undergoing renovation and will be open to the public on June 2, 2018 as part of Victorian Days in Willimantic Home Tour. http://www.VictorianWillimantic.org for info.
This would be a great opportunity to view these wonderful houses, particularly 321 Prospect (William J Asher). Unfortunately I cannot get there. If anyone is willing to obtain, or sketch, a floor plan of 321 for me I would very much appreciate it. I am now seriously considering building a Victorian style home (albeit smaller than 321) and I need some ideas/inspiration.
Further to my recent post, perhaps some photos?
This is by far my favorite house in Willimantic. Hope it get fixed up the way it deserves!
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thought the interested members in this comment thread would be happy to know 321 Prospect St has been renovated and has been restored to be quite the beautiful home! The exterior is painted a pretty light blue color and the inside has been given the love it deserved – refinished hardwood and new granite kitchen countertops.
That is great news! Emily, have you been inside since the renovations?