126 Main Street

‘Ibis house stands adjacent to the Merriam Manufacturing Company on Durham’ s Main Street •

• Record ID: 61
• Address: 126 Main Street
• Current Owner: Venuti, Joseph and Karen
• Name of Building:
• Historic Name: Frederick Plumb Hubbard House
• Download PDF of Original Record

Notable Features

This 2 1/2  story domestic, vernacular structure has been extensively altered since its construction in 1910. As built, the house was a domestic, simple, cross gable residence with classical revival features. The main block, rreasuring 21’x39′, was fronted by a two story porch. The first story was and remains open, supported by doric columns joined by a simple stickstyle balustrade. The second story, which may originally have been open, has been enclosed a sunporch. The gable end, which faces the street, contains a louvered rectangular window in its peak (probably a replacerrent) and has cornice returns — a classical reference echoing the porch columns. The entry door contains four wood. and two glass panels and is probably original to the house. The gable peaks, like that of the main gable, have cornice returns and contain lxl windows. The north side of the house boasts a square stained glass window. The original sheathing on this house – which was either wooden shingle or clapboard — has been replaced with aluminum siding. The house has suffered major additions. The most prominent of these is a 23′ x25′ two car gambrel-roofed garage on the south side, connected to the main block by a breezeway. A shed roof and gable roof addition to the rear also dates from the mid-twentieth century.

This house was built in 1910 for Frederick Plumb Hubbard (1849-1910) and his wife, Alid. They purchased the land in June of 1909 fran the Merriam Manufacturing Canpany of which Hubbard was president, having succeeded his father in the post. The house remained in the Hubbard family until 1919, when Frederick Hubbard’ s widow sold it to the Company. In 1934, the house was sold to George J. and Ehma Francis, another president of the Merriam Manufacturing Company. The Francises left the house by will to Mary Mazzoleni in 1955. She sold it to its present owners in 1965.
In its present condition, the house has little architectural significance. Historically, however, the proximity of’ this commodious residence to Durham’s chief manufacturing
enterprise illustrates the traditional proprietary relation between the company’s chief executive officer and his firm in the nineteenth century – a pattern that continued in Durham long after it had disappeared elsewhere.

Historical or Architectural Importance