While red is often considered a traditional color for New England homes today, the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum's Joseph Webb House is returning to the exterior tones of its adolescence.
The home, built by merchant Joseph Webb in 1752 and occupied by the family for nearly 70 years before its purchase by Judge Martin Welles in 1820, has been carefully stripped to bare wood and is currently being repainted. By the end of June the home's exterior will be painted in a grayish-tan tone with green shutters and doors dating back to the Welles period.
The contractor for the paint restoration project is Gove Restoration, Inc. of Wethersfield. The work started in March and includes repair of damaged clapboards, replacing rotted framing, and chemical stripping of all paint layers back to the bare wood.
While historical paint analysts were not able to pinpoint the original 1752 exterior colors, a black and white drawing of the home during Welles' ownership in 1832 revealed a lighter body color with dark shutters and front door. This was confirmed by an exterior paint study completed in August 2009. The grayish tan body color discovered is believed to date to the 1820s and is consistent with architectural fashions at the time. Modifications made by the Welles family in the 1820s reflect the classical trends of that period.
The entire exterior painting and restoration project is projected to cost approximately $130,000. The work is being funded through matching grants from the federal government's Save America's Treasures program and from the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism's Historic Restoration Fund grant program.
"The federal and state grants we've received for this restoration have enabled us to do a much more thorough job that will help to preserve this important landmark for generations to come," said Charles Lyle, the museum's executive director. "These critical historic preservation programs matter now more than ever, not only because they protect our heritage at a time when there is limited funding available for historic preservation projects, but also because they serve as economic development engines and job creators in communities like Wethersfield."
For more information, please contact Charles Lyle at (860) 529-0612 or visit http://www.webb-deane-stevens.org.
