frame works
Architect Mark Miller is an urban designer at Nederveld, and has led the Grand Rapids Historic Preservation Commission and the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
> Brookby is a Georgian Revival style home. This style was prominent in American architecture from 1880 to 1955 and is part of the broader Colonial Revival style inspired by Colonial American homes constructed in the 18th and 19th centuries. Features include a front door that is centered on the home and framed by a portico, double-hung window sashes (usually with multi-pane glazing) and a symmetrical composition. deSign deFinitionS: > Portico: A portico was the principal entrance to a Greek temple. In Classical Revival style architecture, it was often used in lieu of a porch for the front entry transition into the building.
> Corinthian: One of the three classic orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. Corinthian columns were the most elaborately detailed of the three orders and included acanthus leaves and scrolls on the column capital.
Brookby: testament to an era the roAring ’20S, as depicted in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” were a time of prosperity, optimism and elaborate excess. The lifestyles described in the novel paint an image of artistic, social and cultural dynamism embodied by jazz, flappers and expressionism. This dynamic era was manifested by the elaborate estates that sprawled along the Gold Coast of Long Island and which ultimately
inspired the fictional estate of Jay Gatsby. These suburban estates were envisioned by architects such as Stewart Walker and Leon Gillette, prolific New York City designers who worked at various scales in a myriad of architectural styles. Completing high-society townhouses in the city and colossal estates in the country, they also crafted such soaring Art Deco skyscrapers as the Fuller Building, still dotting New York’s skyline. Walker and Gillette brought their flair for glorious estates to Grand Rapids when they were hired to design a home for John Wood Blodgett. The resulting house was as impressive as their previous work: They built a structure reminiscent of the precise detailing and grand stature of their Long Island mansions. The Blodgett mansion, a Georgian Revival style masterpiece completed in 1928, has a rich history, a dominant façade and an imposing mass that anchors the northwestern edge of East Grand Rapids. Often referred to as Brookby,
Built in 1928 as a home for John Wood Blodgett, the Georgian Revival style mansion anchors the northwestern edge of East Grand Rapids. Overlooking trees and a meandering brook, it’s often referred to as Brookby.
PhotograPhy courteSy SaM cuMMingS
eXtrA deSign tidbitS: > Former Brookby owners Sam and Janene Cummings donated 5.4 acres of the estate to Aquinas College last year. The main home will become the personal home of Dr. Juan R. Olivarez, the college president, and will be used for Aquinas functions.
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