 |
|
|
|
|
Listed on the National Register, the Follett House at 69 College
Street is a lavish Greek Revival home overlooking Lake Champlain.
The nationally known New England architect, Ammi B. Young built
it for Timothy Follett. Follett was a shipping tycoon and at the
height of his prosperity in 1840 when he commissioned Young for
the building.1
Like many of the other early American born architects, Ammi
B. Young became well versed in the Greek Revival style. Young
was born in 1798 in Lebanon, New Hampshire. He learned from his
father who was a master builder and then moved up to Burlington,
Vermont. Among some of his earlier works were buildings on the
Dartmouth campus and the Vermont State Capitol.2
Many of his early buildings were taken from Greek examples, if
not as a whole, as an assemblage of Greek forms. The Follett house
is a blending of many of these forms in a very successful manner.
Unlike many vernacular master builders and architects, Young's
historical accuracy suggests that he was well versed in such literature
as Asher Benjamin's guides, as well as the works of other architects.
For example, the columns have a Eustyle spacing as Vitruvius
described in his recording of Roman intercolumnation. This means
that the space between the columns and is 2-1/4 times the diameter
of the column. Likewise the pediment and the roof pitch are of
the appropriate proportions.3
 |
Following his work in northern New England,
Ammi B. Young went on to design civic buildings around the U.S.
Among these commissions were the U.S. custom houses in Charleston,
SC and Boston, MA as well as the U.S. Courthouse in Richmond,
VA. While all of these buildings continue to use the Greek Revival
style that demonstrates Young's classical knowledge and skill,
the Follett house remains one of his most successful buildings
in this manner. Perhaps it is the residential dimensions of the
house mixed with the monumental western façade that make
it stand out among the rest. The proportions of the house and
its basic box shaped massing allowed Young to focus less on the
structural and form elements and more on its elaborateness and
classical accuracy. Like many of the best architects of his period,
Young designed the Follett house as a modern representation and
melding of Greek components. |
In 1845 Follett became the first president of the Burlington
& Rutland railroad. His house was a frequent spot for Burlington
socialites. Follett's prosperity would soon come to an end, only
thirteen years after he built his house. In 1853 he was forced
to sell his home to Henry R. Campbell owner of the rival Vermont
Central Railroad. The home changed hands several times after that.
In 1892 it became a mission home for working women, then it was
home to the Knights of Columbus, and then the Veterans of Foreign
Wars. By the time the VFW sold the property to the Pomerleau Agency
in 1978 the house was in serious disrepair. Following their acquisition
of the Follett house, the Pomerleau agency began swiftly to restore
it. Despite a damaging fire at the onset of the project, it was
completed quickly and thoroughly.4 Thanks to the
effort of all those who helped save the Follett house it remains
one of the best examples of high-style Greek Revival architecture
in Vermont.