![]() ![]() Though some examples of octagonal structures were built in America before Fowler’s 1848 publication- most notably Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest Estate-the text set off a short-lived octagon house boom in the mid-19th century. He argues that octagonal-shaped homes have more space, allow for a better arrangement of rooms, have more natural light, better ventilation, and can be more efficiently heated. Fowler extolls the merits of octagonal structures over traditional square or rectangular dwellings in his book. Armour likely got the idea for the shape of his home from the book A Home for Allby noted phrenologist, sexologist, and amateur architect Orson Squire Fowler. Armour, the home has been occupied by a tea importer, an adventurer, a famous poet, and an architect, all of whom have left their own unique marks. Originally constructed sans dome and cupola in 1859-1860 for New York financier Paul J. Mimicking the design of Donato Bramante’s 1502 Tempietto in Rome, the dome on this brightly painted abode isn’t the only thing that sets it apart from its neighbors. ![]()
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