A Farmhouse in Massachusetts - Timothy Bryant Architect

A historic two-story yellow colonial house with a red door stands in a foggy landscape. It is surrounded by a well-kept lawn. In the foreground, theres a low stone wall, and trees with sparse foliage are visible, creating a serene, misty atmosphere.

farmhouse renovation with original pediment

A cozy living room with floral wallpaper, armchairs with patterned pillows, a sofa, a lamp on a side table, a glass-front cabinet with books and decor, framed art on the wall, and an open doorway leading to a bright hallway.

A cozy living room with patterned wallpaper, antique wood chairs, woven rug, and colorful cushions. A coffee table holds stacked books and a brass vase with blue flowers. Large framed art hangs on the wall; doorways lead to bright adjoining rooms.

A cozy living room with vintage décor, featuring a high-backed armchair, wooden chairs, a patterned ottoman, books on a coffee table, a large brick fireplace, floral wallpaper, framed art, and a rug over a woven mat. A brass vase with flowers sits on the table.

A traditional dining room with a polished oval wooden table, six carved wooden chairs, a chandelier with lampshades, large windows, framed pictures, a gold-framed mirror, and a side table with a vase of greenery. The room has paneled walls and natural light.

A cozy dining room features a wooden table with chairs, a bowl of fruit, a patterned rug, and a blue cabinet displaying books and decor. The walls have floral wallpaper and framed pictures; sunlight streams in, creating a warm, inviting atmosphere.

A corgi sits on a blue-striped sofa with a blue and white blanket in a room with floral wallpaper. Above the sofa hangs framed modern art. A small round wooden table with a lamp is beside the sofa, and a striped pillow rests on it.

A cozy living room with a wooden table and chairs, a blue-striped sofa with a checkered blanket, a small cat, and a side table with a lamp. The wall has leafy wallpaper, framed art, fairy lights, a cabinet, and a window showing trees outside.

A shelf holds blue and beige canisters, a framed moon photo, and decorative mugs and jugs. Below are a brass pitcher, a patterned vase, an abstract painting of a man, metal tools, and a small framed artwork. A wall sconce with a tan shade is on the right.

A cozy, vintage kitchen with cream cabinets, patterned tile floor, marble backsplash, and hanging tea towels. Through an open doorway with a bright orange door, a sunlit entryway with coats, shoes, and a patterned rug is visible.

A cozy, vintage-style kitchen with a wooden dining table, fruit bowl, cream cabinets, marble backsplash, black stove, and patterned tile floor. There’s a blue pantry in the back, warm lighting, and floral wallpaper adding charm to the space.

A variety of vibrant flowers, including yellow tulips, pink peonies, yellow billy balls, and purple star-shaped blooms, are arranged together, with natural light streaming in from a window in the background.

A cozy corner with blue patterned wallpaper, a striped blue sofa with a blue-checkered throw and striped pillows, a round side table holding a brown lampshade, and two framed artworks hanging on the wall above the sofa.

A fireplace mantle holds vintage items, books, a feather quill, a round mirror, and a small bell. The wall beside it is decorated with floral wallpaper and framed art, including bird and silhouette portraits in gold frames.

A rustic interior with glossy brown stairs, a floral wallpapered wall, a vintage wooden chair holding books, a small red stool, a blue patterned rug, and a gold-framed bird painting hanging above the chair.

View through a white doorway into a cozy living room with armchairs, a wooden floor, a patterned rug, and a tall bookshelf against a wallpapered wall. A framed picture hangs on the left wall of the foreground hallway. The scene is warmly lit.

A cozy bedroom with a wooden four-poster bed covered in a blue and white patterned quilt. The walls have blue and tan floral wallpaper. There’s a wooden nightstand with a lamp and flowers, a wooden chest at the bed’s foot, and framed art on the walls.

A white freestanding bathtub sits beneath a window with grid panes. Above the tub are vintage-style sketches in gold frames. A marble ledge holds a small vase of flowers. Soft beige walls and natural light create a calm, elegant atmosphere.

A cozy bedroom with intricate blue-and-tan wallpaper, a wooden chair with a blue plaid cushion, a small wooden nightstand holding a lamp and clock, and a bed with a dark blue quilt. A door opens to a sunlit room with a large, grid-paned window.

A vintage wooden chair with a woven seat sits beside a red, weathered metal trash can in front of a fireplace with a white mantel. The wall has yellow floral wallpaper with framed art and a lit candle above the mantel.

A cozy room with a tufted brown leather sofa, a patterned pillow, a round wooden side table with stacked books, and a window with open shutters. The walls have ornate blue wallpaper and framed art, and a patterned rug covers the floor.

A sunlit bedroom features a wooden four-poster bed with blue-and-white bedding, two matching gold lamps on bedside tables, framed art on ornate wallpaper, a carved wooden chest at the foot of the bed, and a large window with white shutters.

A vintage mirror with a painted panel of two women and gold leaves hangs on a wall. On the shelf below are three framed silhouette portraits, and a decorative vase with green branches sits on a dark table in front. The colors are muted and earthy.

A tall, vintage wooden chest of drawers stands against a wall with blue and cream-patterned wallpaper. In front, there’s a round wooden table with a small plate and a white candle. An open window with pale green shutters lets in light from the right.

A cozy bedroom with patterned wallpaper, a wooden bed with a blue and white coverlet, two large pillows, a small wooden nightstand with a lamp, and a wooden chest at the foot of the bed. Framed art hangs on the wall; sunlight enters through shuttered windows.

classic architectural preservation shingle farmhouse

A stone wall with an open passage stands in front of a tan wooden house with white trim. Leafless shrubs flank the house. In the background, a green lawn and trees are visible under a clear blue sky.

A small gray shingled shed with a yellow door stands in a grassy yard. A short stone wall runs in front. Leafless trees rise behind the shed against a clear blue sky on a sunny day.

A small wooden shed with a gabled roof and light brown door is situated in a misty, lush green garden. The foreground features two apple trees with green leaves, and a well-maintained grassy area. Fog gently obscures the background, creating a serene, rural scene.

A small, pale gray wooden shed with a steep roof sits on short stilts in a grassy yard. The door and window trim are painted yellow. Bare trees and brown hedges border the shed under a clear blue sky.

A serene rural scene with an old stone wall surrounded by lush greenery and tall grasses. In the background, there is a quaint house partially visible through the foliage of large, sunlit trees. The sunlight creates a warm, golden ambiance over the landscape.

A scenic view of a lush, grassy landscape featuring several leafy trees under a cloudy sky. In the foreground, theres a rustic stone wall made of uneven rocks, adding a natural, textured element to the serene environment.

A Farmhouse in Massachusetts Description Close

When Timothy Bryant started his work on the Cory House, a late-18th-century farmstead in Westport, Massachusetts, the property was slated for demolition. Its grounds were strewn with debris, its outbuildings were in complete disrepair, and the exterior planking was so damaged in some areas that vegetation grew through the walls. Little did he know that this was to become an irresistible counter-part to the fast-pace of Manhattan living as his primary residence.

With the help of a local preservation consultant, Bryant pieced together the story of the house. Tree-ring dating performed on the oak post-and-beam framing revealed that the lumber was cut in 1777, as the new nation fought for its independence. When the faux-brick siding came off, it revealed shadow lines of the original front door surround and pediment and curved window heads, providing a blueprint for new exterior trim.

Fragments of interior millwork, recovered from a burn pile on the property, helped to accurately re-create new cornices, door casings, base boards, chair rails, sliding shutters and mantels. A box of snapshots, taken by people who had lived in the house from the 1920s to the 1960s, was discovered in one of the outbuildings. This spectacular windfall of reference information was used to ascertain appropriate designs, colors, textures and materials for the interior. The beehive oven was rebuilt and restored to its rightful place according to a description found in a 1796 will written by the original inhabitant, William Cory.

The property was further developed selectively with a few related, age-appropriate structures. An 1840s carriage house, moved to the site from Coventry, Rhode Island, contains chilled water units as well as electrical, telephone and cable services. And a mid-19th century granary structure – which once belonged to a Cory family relative – in Tiverton, Rhode Island, was faithfully copied to anchor an orchard of mature apple trees, transplanted from nearby.

In 2004, the house received the Sarah R. Delano Preservation Award, given to individuals and organizations that have made “outstanding contributions to rehabilitation, restoration and interpretation of the historic character and environment of Greater New Bedford.” A preservation award from the Massachusetts Historical Commission followed in 2007, and entry to the National Registration of Historic Places followed shortly thereafter.