48 Prospect Ave
This home was built sometime between 1888 and 1891 for William Henry Eaton, an English-born insurance executive who purchased this land from the Larchmont Manor Company in 1886. Mr. Eaton became a member of the Larchmont Yacht Club in 1882, and he was probably a summer resident of the Manor from that year or earlier. He was one of several members of that congregation who were instrumental in founding St. Augustines Catholic Church. Mrs. Eaton sold the propertty in 1900 to Howell Perrin, a realtor, who by 1905 had transfrred title to H.C. Jones. Annetta Schlubach took the title from Mabel Jones in 1926.In the same year, the house--originally in the Shingle Style--was completely remodeled according to plans drawn by architect W. Kenneth Watkins. A wrap-around porch was removed and replaced by the the existing stone terrace with slate flooring, the exterior walls were covered with stucco and false half-timbering made of cypress, the original Shingle-style massing and applied Tudor elements are sheltered by a combination of steeply-gabled and low-pitched roofs--once sheathed with slate--punctuated by mansard-like dormers.The two-story, three-car shingled garageon the Woodbine Avenue boundary of the property was erected in 1907.The large square entry hall with fireplace and many windows is a defining characteristic of the Shingle and Queen Anne styles popular at the time the house was built, but its symmetry and central placement bespeak the influence of the rising Colonial Revival Style.
Bullard Cottage 31 Prospect Avenue
On October 2, 1890, the Larchmont Manor Company sold Annie A. Bullard, wife of Dr. William E. Bullard, a parcel of land on the northwest corner of Prospect and Walnut avenues. The cottage was erected sometime before Bien's 1892 map was drawn. Dr. Bullard, a graduate of the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, headed Larchmont's Board of Health. Dr. Bullard died in 1930, and the cottage was sold the following year to Edward L. Larkin, a real estate entrepreneur.This late Stick Style cottage combines the form of an Arts and Crafts bungalow with Victorian detail. It is an idiosyncratic structure and bears little resemblance to surrounding houses. The upper dormers bear the decorative hand-cut fishscale shingles typical of the Queen Anne Style. The charm of the cottage is enhanced by the many-mullioned windows and steep hipped roof with flaring overhangs on all four sides.The exterior has undergone only two minor alterations: the removal of three steps that originally ran the entire length of the open porch on the Prospect Avenue facade, and the addition of a modern deck in 1975, designed by architect Larry Litchfield, the owner at that time.
Proctor's Garage 31 Magnolia Avenue
This unusual Spanish-influenced residence was originally built for humbler purposed. On September 3, 1925, the Larchmont Times reported that a stucco garage with tile roof was being built for Frederick F. Proctor on the northeast corner of his property (90 Park Avenue). The garage accomodated two automobiles on the ground floor with servants' quarters above.During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Mr. Proctor built a theatrical empire in New York City.In the mid-1960s, the former Proctor estate was purchased by Mario Cacchione, who sub-divided the property and converted the garage into a single-family residence. The garage bays were replaced with a large picture window and roofed entrance.The Mediterranean Revival Style, also referred to as Spanish Colonial Revival and Spanish Eclectic, enjoyed popularity from about 1915 through 1940, spurred by Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue's work at the 1915 Panana-California Exposition in San Diego. The exposition encouraged architects to travel to Spain for inspiration, and in the U.S. the style is most often found in the southwestern states, where 18th- and 19th-century building had also been inspired by Spanish precedents. Hallmarks of the style include low-pitched roofs covered with clay tile, a stucco surface, casement sash, and colored tile decoration on exterior surfaces.
Spring Cottage 62 Magnolia Avenue
Fordyce Cottage 57 Beach Avenue
In January 1892, Thomas A. French from the Larchmont Manor Company purchased the title to the entire block that includes 57 Beach Avenue. Thomas French is believed to have been a relative of Samuel French, one of the original partners in the Manor Company. In 1893, French transferred the title to John and Alice Dean Fordyce who had the property surveyed six months after, possibly in preparation for erecting a house on the lot. Dr. Fordyce, a professor of Dermatology at Columbia University, was counted in the 1891 pre-incorporation census as the owner with a household of six.In May 1895, Dr. Fordyce commisioned Frank. A Moore to design a three-story frame residence with hot-water heating, possibly the subject house. However, Dr. Fordyce at the same time purchased the Vincent King Residence on the west side of Beach Avenue between Maple Avenue and Hazel Lane (now 20 Maple Avenue) and insurance maps indicate that the King residence was soon razed and a new house erected on the property. In September 1895, the Fordyces conveyed their title to Emma K. Wickstead, presumably their daughter Emma, although the 1900 census includes her in the parental household. Notices the the Larchmont Times indicate that the residence was frequently rented. It is believed that the house was constructed around 1895 based on records and the design which matches architects and carpenters strong inspiration to build houses reminiscent of the colonial period during that time. With a mix of colonial and other style elements, the result is a simple, spacious house with little resemblence to colonial architecture that nevertheless evokes sentiments of the colonial era.
