I did something a little different this year, I worked with TRI KAPPA on their annual Tour of Homes here in Madison Indiana photographing some of the beautiful Historic Homes that grace our hometown. All the homes were beautiful in their own right but one stood out against all the rest and that’s the Charles L. Shrewsbury House.
According to Wikipedia just because I am lazy today..
The Charles L. Shrewsbury house is located at 301 West First Street in Madison, Indiana. It is a private historic house museum. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994.
The Charles Shrewsbury House, also known as the Shrewsbury-Windle House, is the 1848 Greek Revival home of Charles Shrewsbury, a salt-barge riverboat captain, flour manufacturer and pork merchant. Shrewsbury was also the mayor of Madison. The house was designed by Francis Costigan. The Shrewsbury house has twelve rooms, thirteen fireplaces and a fifty-three step spiral staircase. The floor to ceiling windows are thirteen feet tall. A man on horseback could easily step through the enormous front door.
Architectural historians have ranked the house’s free-standing spiral staircase as the most impressive part of the interior. Built of pine stairs and cherry railings, the staircase ascends from the middle of the house, supporting its own weight. Aside from allowing access to the second floor, the staircase helps to cool the house: hot air from the first floor can rise through the stairwell and leave the house through the attic windows.[4]
Francis Costigan, the architect of the Shrewsbury house and the nearby Lanier Mansion, was one of America’s outstanding architects of the mid 19th century. He was born in Washington, D.C. about 1810 and worked as a carpenter builder in Baltimore prior to moving west and settling in Madison in 1837. Madison was growing prosperous, and Costigan designed and erected residences and other buildings for its leading citizens. In 1851, Costigan left Madison for Indianapolis. All of his work in Indianapolis has been razed. Other extant examples of Costigan’s work in Madison include the Costigan house and St. Michael’s Catholic Church.
Doing this type of Architectural photography here in Historic Madison should be a no brain er with all the wonderful structures that line our streets but until now I never really had any interest, but after seeing these beautiful homes I plan on changing that !!
If you didn’t have reason enough to visit our beautiful area here is more reason for a visit. Thanks for stopping by and taking a look !!
Bernie Kasper Photography 