42 Madison Street
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This Italianate home features a cupola with rounded arched windows and brackets. Its tall narrow windows, stone lintels, and stone sills are typical features of the Italianate style. The brick exterior was often painted, as we see here. The bracketed wooden shutters could be drawn to completely cover the window openings. In the summer, they would provide shade from the sun, but the louvers could be opened to allow ventilation. In the winter, the shutters provided a buffer from the cold, but the louvers could be slanted to allow light inside. The decorative cupola could provide natural air conditioning as hot air would rise and escape as cool air entered lower windows. Built around 1850, this house was purchased by Louis Merklinger, who owned and operated a confectionary on West Main Street. |