Grove Hill Mansion

Grove Hill Mansion, a High Victorian mansion, is set on a hilltop overlooking the Mill River in the village of Leeds in Northampton. The house stands about 75 feet back from Front Street, surrounded by residential structures, a few of which are contemporary and the rest are later infill. The property contains 3z acres of land, and includes at the front a stand of large pine trees which formed a distinctive part of the land- scape when the house was built. Highly eclectic and idiosyncratic in design, the brick mansion (built in 1880) incorporates elements of both Queen Anne and Eastlake styles. The building is generally 23 stories high, with a T-shape floor plan embellished by numerous Eastlakian porches and a 4} story tower at the front.

Intersecting gable and hip roofs of the various building segments are broken by decorative chimneys (one of which enframes a window); all roof surfaces are covered with slate tiles. Decorative brick and stone stringcourses enliven the walls, while the irregularly placed windows are articulated by granite sills and rusticated lintels. Brick relieving arches cap the second story windows. Wooden ornament of particular note includes the first floor porches on each side, featuring bulbous posts and a geo- metrically formed balustrade; stickwork and decorative shingling on the gable ends of the south wing; a covered balcony and open arcade on the tower; and a bracketed entablature with loosely interpreted triglyphs. The exterior remains essentially in its original condition.

On the interior, Grove Hill Mansion retains its grand period woodwork. The entrance vestibule is distinguishedby double doors with etched and bevelled glass, oak panelling and strapwork, and a coffered ceiling. A central stairway opening onto all three floors has panelled wainscoting and unusually carved newels and balustrade in the Eastlake manner.

(in one paragraph) E.C. Gardner Grove Hill Mansion retains integrity of design, materials, setting, and location. The building is significant for its associations (1) with the development of Leeds Village and(2) with alocally prominentmanufacturer and a regionally known architect, and as an excellent and unusual example of its style in the area. The property thus meets criteria A, B, and C of the National Register. Grove Hill Mansion was built in 1879-80 for Lucius Dimock, an incorporator and director of the Nonotuck Silk Company. The companymanufactured silk threads and yarns from 1855 until 1921, when it passed out of local hands. The Nonotuck Silk Mill in Leeds was established in 1879 and is significant for its role in revitalizing the town after a disastrous flooding of the Mill River.

Both the mill and mansion were objects of local pride. A contemporary newspaper account described the mill as a "model" factory, 'massive, solid, neat and attractive," and the nearby owner's residence as "one of the finest houses in the Connecticut Valley." The mansion was designed in 1879 by E.C. Gardner. " A native of Ashfield, Gardner (1836-1915) began to practice architecture in Northampton at the age of 22. Gardner settled in Springfield after the Civil War and maintained a practice there until 1911. Although he designed numerous conmercial buildings in Northampton prior to his move to Springfield, the Dimock house and one, Elm Street residence, also of brick and designed in 1879, are his only residential designs yet identified in Northampton.

The Dimock house remains a unique example of its style in the Northampton area. As originally conceived, the Dimock estate was once considerable: about 20 acres of land including the mansion, greenhouse, barns and stables (the two latter since demolished), and many fine trees which graced the hill.