138 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



April, 1908 



delightful a spot. 

 With all these asso- 

 ciations and envi- 

 ronments it is not 

 surprising that a de- 

 scendant of one of 

 the early planters 

 should return to 

 "Old Stratford" 

 and reclaim the 

 sacred land of his 

 ancestors. 



When the late 

 Alfred E. Beach 

 was seeking for a 

 healthful and peace- 

 f u 1 residence, he 

 purchased a plot of 

 land on Elm Street, 

 with its boundary 

 extending to the 

 Housatonic River, 

 beyond which broad 

 views of Long Is- 

 land Sound were ob- 

 tained. He subse- 

 quently purchased the adjoining property on which there was 

 a great Colonial house, and established what was termed the 

 "Stratford Institute," creating a place where his children 

 might be educated, as well as the children of other gentle- 

 men of the village. 



It was a great house, with stately Doric columns support- 

 ing a pediment at the front. A mere glance at the exterior 

 of the mansion impresses one with its generous proportions, 



The House Before the Alteration 



for it is a splendid 

 old house and is a 

 fine example of 

 Georgian architec- 

 ture. 



The house was 

 built in 1826 by 

 Gen. Matthias 

 Nicoll for his son- 

 in-law, Capt. 

 George R. Dow- 

 dall. General Nicoll 

 furnished the ma- 

 terials for the 

 house, and Messrs. 

 Beardsley Brothers 

 built it, according to 

 specifications pre- 

 pared by General 

 Nicoll. 



The form of the 

 house is quite un- 

 usual for a house of 

 the period in which 

 it was built, and its 

 plan, showing the 

 hall on one side and the three succeeding rooms on the other, 

 is equally so; but this arrangement is best explained by the 

 reason that Captain Dowdall was a seafaring man and was 

 about to retire from following his profession. While mak- 

 ing his last voyage to China, and during his absence, his wife, 

 who was a daughter of General Nicoll, knowing that her 

 husband might be an "uneasy sea-dog," concluded to build 

 the house with a great hall twelve feet in width and sixty-two 



Dotted Lines Show the Alterations to the Floor Plans 



