Samuel Simpson House
{{short description|Historic house in Connecticut, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Samuel Simpson House
| nrhp_type =
| image = WallingfordCT_SamuelSimpsonHouse.jpg
| caption =
| location = 1370 Scard Road, Wallingford, Connecticut
| coordinates = {{coord|41|26|24|N|72|45|29|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = Connecticut#USA
| built = {{Start date|1838}}
| architect = Henry Austin
| architecture = Greek Revival, Renaissance
| added = June 18, 1986
| area = less than one acre
| refnum = 86001334{{NRISref|version=2010a}}
}}
The Samuel Simpson House (also known as the Taber House) is a historic house at 1370 Scard Road in Wallingford, Connecticut. Built in 1838 by John Meigs Hall, it was the home of 19th century industrialist and philanthropist Samuel Simpson. Some of the house's structural beams, repurposed from an older building in the same location, date back to the 1600s.{{Cite book|last1=Devlin|first1=Beth|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ki7eDwAAQBAJ|title=Wallingford's Historic Legacy|last2=Gottschalk|first2=Dawn|last3=Granucci|first3=Tarn|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|year=2020|isbn=9781467104944|location=|pages=33}} Around 1867, the home was extensively redesigned by renowned New Haven, Connecticut architect Henry Austin, giving it Renaissance Revival characteristics.{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=86001334}}|title=NRHP nomination for Samuel Simpson House|publisher=National Park Service|accessdate=2015-01-24}}
The house was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=National Register of Historic Places Digital Archive|url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/7d88dc2d-2bb3-4715-9f76-c77eb5a538ea/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=}}
History
= Simpson-Taber Residence =
The house originally stood at 216 North Main Street in downtown Wallingford. Simpson, a silver manufacturer, partnered with Robert Wallace in the firm of R. Wallace & Sons, the forerunner of Wallace Silversmiths Inc. He was later president of Simpson, Hall, Miller, & Co., which was one of the founding companies of the International Silver Company. Simpson was a noted philanthropist and benefactor to Wallingford, and his house was a prominent fixture in the town's downtown area.
Simpson's great-granddaughter, Margaret Tibbets Taber (1891-1985), later ran a bookstore in the house.{{Cite book|last=Granucci|first=Tarn T.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8j5mCgAAQBAJ|title=Legendary Locals of Wallingford|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|year=2015|isbn=9781467102049|location=|pages=106}} Known for her philanthropy and dedication to the public library, Taber sold the property to the town in 1978 under the condition that the land be used for library purposes.
= Preservation Debate and Relocation =
In 1982, the Wallingford Public Library moved from its original location at 60 North Main Street to a newly constructed building on the former Taber property, alongside the Simpson House.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=The Story of the Wallingford Public Library|url=https://wallingford.lioninc.org/pdf/historyoflibrary.pdf|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=Wallingford Public Library}} The library Board of Managers, reluctant to use library funds for maintenance of the aging mansion, suggested demolishing the house and repurposing the site as a garden and outdoor reading area.{{Cite web|title=Clipping from Hartford Courant - Newspapers.com|url=http://courant.newspapers.com/clip/55239692/hartford-courant/|access-date=2020-07-12|website=Hartford Courant|language=en}} In 1984, given a three-month deadline to avoid demolition, community members formed the Simpson-Taber Residence Preservation Committee. The committee sought to raise donations to keep the Taber house in its current location and use it as a meeting place for local community groups. In a 7–2 vote, the Town Council rejected the committee's plans, but agreed to consider proposals to move the house to a new location rather than demolish it.{{Cite web|title=Clipping from Hartford Courant - Newspapers.com|url=http://courant.newspapers.com/clip/55247670/hartford-courant/|access-date=2020-07-12|website=Hartford Courant|language=en}}
In 1987, a local developer, Thomas Solinsky, purchased the house from the town for one dollar and had it moved to its current location on Scard Road.{{Cite web|title=Clipping from Hartford Courant - Newspapers.com|url=http://courant.newspapers.com/clip/55247247/hartford-courant/|access-date=2020-07-12|website=Hartford Courant|language=en}} A portion of the original wrought iron fence remains on the original property outside of the library building.
Appearances in pop culture
In 2012, the Samuel Simpson House served as the main location in director A.D. Calvo's film The Midnight Game.
See also
References
{{reflist}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Samuel, House}}
Category:Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
Category:National Register of Historic Places in New Haven County, Connecticut
Category:Greek Revival houses in Connecticut
Category:Renaissance Revival architecture in Connecticut
Category:Houses completed in 1838
Category:Buildings and structures in Wallingford, Connecticut