Period Homes

1 month ago | period-homes.com | Nancy Ruhling

The storied Nathan Appleton residence, a National Historic Landmark in the Boston neighborhood of Beacon Hill, has a rich history. One of a pair of twin brick townhouses, the four-story residence was built in 1821 for textile manufacturer and U.S. Representative Nathan Appleton, a key financial figure in the industrialization of New England. In 1843, the house was the site of the wedding of his daughter Frances to the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

2 months ago | period-homes.com | J. Michael Welton

Once home to a 1940s cottage, a two-acre lot on the western edge of the coveted Buckhead neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia, is now a secluded residential compound. As is true of neighboring homes, this one is barely visible from the street, in part because of its natural setting and in part because of a ready collaboration between the architect and landscape architect.

2 months ago | period-homes.com | Nancy Ruhling

Architects often invent stories to give new structures a history and to explain the apparent evolution of buildings on the property over the course of hundreds of years. In the case of the new equestrian estate in Fairfield, Connecticut, Ferguson & Shamamian Architects had to look no further than their client for an incredible and inspiring back story. The woman, a native of France, had come to America to study law.

2 months ago | period-homes.com | Mary Grauerholz

This article first appeared in the Winter 2025 issue of New Old House. Like a clutch of jewels, the family compound is poised on the cliffs of the Southern California coast, radiating the sublime vibe of a tiny, historic Mediterranean village. The guest house, the last building in the compound to be erected, could be the most sparkling gem of the lot.

Jan 24, 2025 | period-homes.com | Natalie Gale

As of 2018, the Breakers in Newport, RI, the former summer “cottage” of the Vanderbilts, had no AC. But that changed when the Preservation Society of Newport County installed a geothermal climate control system in the opulent mansion in 2018. Since it was one of the first homes in the country to have electricity, it was only fitting that the Breakers remained on the cutting edge of technology. Now, construction is underway to install the same system over at Chateau-sur-Mer.