02 Thursday Feb 2017
Posted in Minted
I get so excited for the West Elm challenge and event though there are so many submissions, I cross my fingers each time. I sent a lot of photographs in this one so maybe this year could be lucky. You never know, right? You can view all of them below.
21 Tuesday Jul 2015
Posted in Minted
Tags
above the clouds, Alcatraz, antique birdhouse, architecture, art prints, avonlea, bayard, birch tree, blackbird, boats of summer, carnival, carnival collage, clouds, earthy roots, fire fly, fluffy wildflowers, for arts sake, gray star design, house by the water, in the shade, landscape, light house, light house on the water, Maine, minted, minted challenge, mystic, nature, nautical, nautical scale, new england, ocean, orchids, palm trees, palms, parallel universe, photography, red barn, rock wall, roof study, roots, sky, stairwell, The Calm Sea, the road home, trees, tropical, tropics, vintage carnival, vintage carousel, water penny, wildflowers
And the challenges never end. Minted’s For Art’s Sake challenge just wrapped up and voting is now open! I submitted some oldies and a lot of new entries to this one. You can view them all below and if you feel like voting, just click on each one to go to its entry page. There are tons of great art in this challenge so definitely check as much out as possible. Enjoy!
29 Monday Oct 2012
Posted in Historic Places
Tags
architecture, clapboard, ezra prime, Heckscher Park, historic, history, huntington, long island, new york, Octagon House, prime house
One of the prominent families in the history of Huntington were the Primes. Ezra C. Prime, son of Ebenezer Prime II, played an important part in the town’s industrial history with the business of his thimble factory. He returned from New York City in the 1840s where he owned a silver and jewelry business. Upon his arrival, he built his shop on Main Street and soon after moved the location across the street.
By 1860, Prime owned a significant amount of land from both sides of Main Street. His original house on Prime Avenue, built in 1855, sits across from Heckscher Park where Prime built his dam. The clapboard home is two stories high with a low sloped roof in the back. The rooms were fairly large and inside the home there was a common hallway with an apartment on each side.
The back of the home included slave quarters so it was used as housing for workers as well and is the only example of this type of residence. Its design showcases six-over-six sash windows and sidelights around the door. In 1920, it was converted into a single-family home and cellar fireplaces were added in 1951. All the original moldings, hardware and door are still in tact as well as the fireplaces and oven in the basement.
In 1859, Prime built the octagon house next door. No one knows for sure if it was housing for his employees or just another home for his family but it was lived in until the 1920s. The home was a two-story building with a stucco exterior and hip-roofed cupola. These were built to help with ventilation. And its front porch is a site to see.
The house also showcases a bracketed cornice with subtle detail work that surrounds the top of the house. Think of this as outside molding. It gives the home a little style to play off the hard stucco look. The home’s walls are also 18 inches thick. Here is another beautiful building that is the only one of its kind in the area.
Besides being smart and ambitious Ezra Prime was a creative man as well. He has definitely left his mark on Huntington and, like his homes, has created a history that will always stand strong and never be forgotten.
20 Saturday Oct 2012
Posted in Historic Places
Tags
architecture, church, Duke's Laws, gabled roof, huntington, long island, Matinecock Indians, Meeting House Brook, modillion cornice, New England colonial, new york, Old First Presbyterian Church, parish, Rev. Ebenezer Prime, Rev. Leverich
The Old First Presbyterian Church of Huntington was originally organized in 1658. At the time it was considered a congregational church with its first minister being the Rev. William Leverich. In addition to working with the church he was also the town’s first miller. He came to Long Island with a small group of men from Sandwich, Massachusetts and bought Oyster Bay from the Matinecock Indians. Later they purchased Huntington as well.
Built in 1665, the church location was called Meeting House Brook, what is now Prime Avenue. According to Duke’s Laws it was mandatory to have a house that can be used for public worship and it had to hold up to 200 people. So in 1715, it was decided that a new church building would be built on the East Hill on Main Street.
Rev. Leverich retired in 1669 and Rev. Eliphalet Jones, a Harvard graduate, took over from 1676 to 1723. After he did his time, Rev. Ebenezer Prime took his position up until 1779 when he passed away. He was a Yale College graduate and came to Huntington in 1719 as an assistant to Rev. Jones.
During the Revolutionary War the church building was seized by the British and eventually was dismantled so its parts could be used to build a fort on the Old Burying Ground. Its bell was also taken and used on British warships. However, it was found in 1783 on the ship Rinoceros and had to be recast before it was able to be used for service.
That year the Huntington residents started to reconstruct the church on 125 Main Street where it sits today. The two and one-half story building has a pitched gable roof and five-story bell tower in the center of the structure. Under the bell tower is where the main entrance stands.
During the 1900s, the addition to the two story, five-bay gabled roof was added to connect the back of the building. Later in the 1970s the parish hall was built as well as the four-bay hipped roof on the west side.
The building is dressed with white wood shingles, multi pane windows and many classic decorative details such as its modillion cornice which surrounds the edge of the roof and the elaborate work above the main entrance. Also take note of its lunette windows which is a nice contrast to the rectangular shape windows that are used throughout the structure.
The First Presbyterian Church expresses a New England colonial style that was mostly used for religious architecture. I happen to love the bell tower due to its height and slim design. It looks beautiful against the tones of the blue sky.
For over 300 years, the church has seen unbelievable change but stands today spreading a message of hope and faith. It gives the town a sense of community and provides it with a gathering place for all. With the ring of its church bell every Sunday you can count on that feeling of togetherness and love, all year round.
The Design Inspirationalist 