Existing comment:
The exterior walls of the Cottage are finished in roughcast stucco. The application of roughcast stucco was an unusual choice for an American home in 1842, when the Cottage was built. Previously, most applications were troweled smooth and possibly scored to imitate the appearance of stone blocks. If a roughcast finish was applied it was typically on a foundation or outbuilding. It wasn't until 1850 when the noted landscape gardener and designer Andrew Jackson Downing wrote, "The Architecture of Country Houses," that he recommended roughcast stucco for rural cottages. |