Touring the Isaac Royall House in Medford, MA
Bob visits the historic site of the Royall House, which was the home of wealthy trader Isaac Royall. Buit in the 1600s and remodeled in the 1730s, the house is a fine example of Georgian architecture.
Clip Summary
Bob visits the Royall House in Medford, MA, which was named after Isaac Royall, a wealthy man loyal to the British crown, who made a fortune in the trade of slaves, sugar, and rum. The property reflects his desire to have the most pretentious house in the Boston area, and it's a good example of classical American Georgian architecture.The house is a remodel of an earlier house built on the site by Governor Winthrop. There are two facades-- one side facing the river to receive visitors by boat; the other facing the road to receive visitors by coach.
The scale of the windows gets progressively smaller near the top, as does the scale of the stone and wood blocks.
Peter Gittleman, President of the Royall House Association, meets Bob at the south façade to show him brick details of the house on the exterior that outline its earlier history before the remodel. Together, Peter and Bob go into the house where they remark on the wood carving that adorns the interior columns and the turned banister of the staircase.
They enter the Best Parlor, where there are furnishings, such as a Queen Ann tea table, of the period. Then they go upstairs to the Marble Chamber, which has been furnished with red damask-covered furnishings similar to those originally in the room.
