“The projecting bay on the facade is a tower whose first story is octagonal; the second story, resting on corbels, is circular. Above a wide frieze is the finial-capped, bell shaped dome – the feature that makes the house a Montgomery landmark.”Joseph Kennedy designed the house and supervised construction which was completed in 1894. He is believed to have designed, cut and crafted all the stained glass windows.None of the main rooms are rectangular or square; all have three-sided bays.“The stair hall is dominated by a ceremonial oak staircase. Its balusters are turned and incised. The stairs rise, past a cloverleaf-shaped leaded window, to a landing with a very large stained-glass window that is decorated with faceted ‘jewels’. The balustrade as the second-floor landing makes a gentle S-curve.”“The dining room is dominated by a massive fireplace. The mantle is supported by lion’s-head consoles with lion’s-paw bases. The overmantel’s beveled-glass mirror is flanked by columns with composite capitals.”“The house has a bedroom on the main floor, and three bedrooms and a sleeping porch on the second floor. The porch’s wide overhanging roof, supported by heavy timber brackets, is an addition to the 1894 house. The house has two bathrooms, one on each floor, plus a servant’s bathroom off the back porch. A steep servant’s staircase rises from the back hall. The attic, with a high ceiling and seven dormers with colored-glass windows, has a pine beadboard walls and ceiling.”
The house was saved from demolition in 1980 by William Newell who restored it. Margo and Jess Jordan of Mansfield, Texas, completed the restoration and interior decoration.
The house is now owned by John M. Holloway, Jr. and is home to the Law Firm of Holloway & Moxley, LLP.
Features:
5,300 square feet
one-over-one window sashes
finials on the dormers
roof cresting
fine pressed brick that is said to have been made of molasses, sand & oil
The floors are of quarter-sawn oak banded in mahogany
The wainscoting is also quarter-sawn oak
The sliding pocket doors to the parlor are of oak and a burl wood imported from India
L-shaped banquette under the staircase
All information herein was obtained from:
A Sense of Place: Montgomery’s Architectural Heritage 1821-1951
By Jeffrey C. Benton
