List of octagon houses
This is a list of octagon houses. The style became popular in the United States and Canada following the publication of Orson Squire Fowler's 1848 book The Octagon House, A Home for All. In the United States, 68 surviving octagon houses are included on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The earliest and most notable octagon house in the Americas was Thomas Jefferson's 1806 Poplar Forest.
Orson Squire Fowler's 1848 book The Octagon House, A Home for All and his "monumental" four-story, 60-room house built during 1848–1853, Fowler's Folly in Fishkill, New York, provided inspiration for a nationwide fad. Fifty-nine of the sixty-six pre-Civil War houses on the NRHP were built between 1849 and 1861. It is reported that the owner of the first-built of these, the Rich-Twinn Octagon House in western New York, was impressed by seeing an octagon house in the Hudson River Valley, presumably Fowler's home under construction.
Canada
At least 20 historic octagon houses are known to exist in Canada, distributed across four eastern provinces. Extant octagon houses in Canada include the following:- In New Brunswick
- * Pocologan
- *Sackville: Captain George Anderson House, built in 1855, is a locally designated heritage site
- In Nova Scotia
- *Tatamagouche: Fraser Octagon House, built in 1857, provincially designated heritage site
- In Ontario
- In Quebec
- *Guérin
United States
seen in Google maps and other satellite photo services, by zooming in from satellite view above, to their locations. Specifically, almost all of the following listed ones are mapped and may be observed via satellite view in the Google external link here.
Of these, six are further designated National Historic Landmarks of the United States: Armour-Stiner House in the Hudson River valley in New York, which is perhaps the only domed octagon house in the world; The Octagon House in Washington, D.C. where President Madison lived after the White House was burnt by the British; Thomas Jefferson's retreat Poplar Forest; May's Folly in Georgia; Samuel Sloan-designed Longwood in Natchez, Mississippi, still unfinished after its construction was halted by the American Civil War; and Waverley, also in Mississippi.
At least one of the houses were used as "stations" sheltering escaped slaves on the Underground Railroad: the Octagon House in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Including post-Civil War constructed houses, there are now at least 84 octagon houses that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Octagon houses were particularly popular in New York State. There were 120 octagon houses in New York State, of which 13 are listed on the National Register and listed below.
In 1958 Carl F. Schmidt published The Octagon Fad which attempted to inventory the Fowler-inspired homes, most of which were built prior to 1915 in North America. However, only a small fraction of the total are notable and extant.
| House name | Image | Date built | Location | County or equivalent | State | Description |
| Poplar Forest | 1806 | 1548 Bateman Bridge Road, Forest, VA 24551 | Lynchburg | VA | Retreat for, and designed by, Thomas Jefferson, NRHP | |
| The Glebe | 1815 | 4527 17th St., N., Arlington | Arlington | VA | NRHP | |
| May's Folly | 1829 | 527 1st Ave., Columbus, Georgia | Muscogee | GA | NRHP | |
| Waverley | 1840 | West Point | Clay | MS | NRHP | |
| T. R. R. Cobb House | 1842 | 194 Prince Ave., Athens | Clarke | GA | NRHP | |
| Yale-Cady Octagon House and Yale Lock Factory Site | 1849 | 7550 N. Main St., Newport | Herkimer | NY | NRHP | |
| Rich-Twinn Octagon House | 1849 | 145 Main Street, Akron | Erie | NY | NRHP | |
| Capt. Rodney J. Baxter House | 1850 | South and Pearl Sts., Barnstable | Barnstable | MA | Only surviving house credited by NRHP to Orson Squire Fowler. Concrete walls. Property includes an octagonal carriage house as well. | |
| Edward A. Brackett House | 1850 | 290 Highland Ave., Winchester | Middlesex | MA | NRHP | |
| James Coolidge Octagon House | 1850 | 7271 Main St., Madison | Madison | NY | Rare example of cobblestone walls | |
| Dubois-Sarles Octagon | 1850 | 16 South St., Marlboro | Ulster | NY | Rare octagon house with sidehall interior plan | |
| Octagon Cottage | 1850 | Near Rocky Hill | Barren | KY | NRHP | |
| Jacob Woodruff House | 1850 | 610 Liberty Street Ripon | Fond du Lac | WI | NRHP | |
| Enoch Fuller House | 1850 | 72 Pine St., Stoneham | Middlesex | MA | NRHP | |
| William Bryant Octagon House | 1850 | 2 Spring Street, Stoneham | Middlesex | MA | NRHP | |
| Elias Crawford House | 1851 | 3 Norwood St., Worcester | Worcester | MA | NRHP | |
| The Octagon | 1852 | 297 East Perry Street, Tiffin | Ohio | OH | NRHP | |
| Octagon House | 1852 | 21 Spring Street, Danbury | Fairfield | CT | NRHP. Considered best example of style among Connecticut's remaining octagon houses. | |
| Octagon House | 1853 | 919 Charles St., Watertown, Wisconsin | Jefferson | WI | NRHP | |
| Estabrook Octagon House | 1853 | 8 River St., Hoosick Falls | Rensselaer | NY | NRHP. One of the few remaining octagon houses built in strict compliance with Fowler's theories, other than the use of Rosendale cement. | |
| Williams and Stancliff Octagon Houses | 1853 | 26 and 28 Marlborough Street, Portland | Middlesex | CT | Two octagon houses, side-by-side. NRHP | |
| Denton Octagon House | 1853 | 760 Castle Street, Geneva | Ontario | NY | ||
| Charles Lawton House | 1853 | East side of the road at 416 S. Corey St. on NE corner of Corey & Washington Sts.Griggsville, IL | Griggsville | IL | Stucco over brick construction | |
| Currier House | 1854 | 231 E St. Clair Street, Almont | Lapeer | MI | Registered Michigan Historical Site and current offices of | |
| Clarence Darrow Octagon House | 1854 | 8405 Main Street, Kinsman | Trumbull | OH | Boyhood home of lawyer Clarence Darrow, made of chestnut logs and concrete. NRHP | |
| Andrew Gildersleeve Octagonal Building | 1854 | Main Rd. and Love Lane, Mattituck | Suffolk | NY | NRHP | |
| Pressey House | 1854 | 287 Summer St., Oakland | Kennebec | ME | NRHP | |
| Henry H. Smith/J.H. Murphy House | 1854 | 512 E. 6th St., Davenport | Scott | IA | NRHP | |
| Hall-Crull Octagonal House | 1855 | North of Rushville | Rush | IN | NRHP | |
| Richard Barker Octagon House | 1855 | 312 Plantation Street, Worcester | Worcester | MA | NRHP | |
| Capt. George Scott House | 1855 | Federal St., Wiscasset | Lincoln | ME | NRHP | |
| Jenkins Octagon House | 1855 | NY 395, Duanesburg | Schenectady | NY | NRHP, designed and built by Alexander Delos "Boss" Jones | |
| Inkwell | 1855 | E of Lake Landing at 30868 US 264, Lake Landing Township, Engelhard | Hyde | NC | NRHP | |
| Dr. Buck-Stevens House | 1855 | W. Main St., Brasher Falls | St. Lawrence | NY | NRHP | |
| Shute Octagon House | 1855 | McGuire School Road, Duanesburg | Schenectady | NY | NRHP, designed and built by Alexander Delos "Boss" Jones | |
| John S. Moffat House | 1855 | 1004 3rd Street Hudson | St. Croix | WI | NRHP | |
| Sinnett Octagon House | 1855 | Muscatine | Muscatine | IA | NRHP | |
| Frazier-Pressly House | 1856 | Abbeville County | Abbeville | SC | NRHP contributing property | |
| Palmer-Gullickson Octagon House | 1856 | 358 Leonard St., West Salem | La Crosse | WI | NRHP | |
| Deacon West Octagon House | 1856 | 370 High St., Pewaukee | Waukesha | WI | NRHP | |
| Langworthy House | 1856 | 1095 W. 3rd St., Dubuque | Dubuque | IA | NRHP | |
| Lukens Pierce House | 1856 | NW of Ercildoun on Wilmington Rd., Ercildoun | Chester | PA | NRHP | |
| Octagon House | 1856 | 276 Linden St., Fond du Lac | Fond du Lac | WI | Has secret passageways and was used as a safe house on the Underground Railway. NRHP | |
| George F. Lee Octagon Houses | 1856 | South of Nebraska City | Otoe | NE | NRHP | |
| Wilcox Octagon House | 1856 | 5420 W. Genesee St., Camillus | Onondaga | NY | Camillus Historical Society occupies it today. NRHP | |
| Stephen Harnsberger House | 1856 | Holly Ave., Grottoes | Rockingham | VA | NRHP | |
| Abijah Thomas House | 1856 | SW of Marion on VA 657, Marion | Smyth County | VA | NRHP | |
| Hiram Smith House | 1856 | 336 Main Street or 343 Smith Street, Neenah | Winnebago | WI | NRHP | |
| Edward Elderkin House | 1856 | 127 S. Lincoln St., Elkhorn | Walworth | WI | NRHP | |
| James L. Lawther House | 1857 | 927 W. 3rd St., Red Wing | Goodhue | MN | NRHP | |
| Feusier Octagon House | 1857 | 1067 Green Street, San Francisco | San Francisco | CA | NRHP | |
| Albert S. Potter Octagon House | 1857 | 4 Carolina Main Street, Richmond | Washington County | RI | NRHP contributing property | |
| Wallingford Octagon House | ca. 1857 | 37 New Place Street, Wallingford | New Haven County | CT | ||
| Norrish House | 1858 | West 2nd Street and Spring Street Hastings | Dakota County | MN | NRHP contributing property | |
| Hiram Ramsdell House | 1858 | High and Perham Sts., Farmington | Franklin | ME | NRHP | |
| Capt. Josiah E. Chase Octagon House | 1858 | Chase Mill Road, East Limington | York | ME | NRHP | |
| Prime-Octagon House | 1859 | 41 Prime Ave., Huntington | Suffolk | NY | NRHP | |
| Timothy M. Younglove Octagon House | 1859 | 8329 Pleasant Valley Road, Urbana | Steuben | NY | NRHP | |
| Zelotes Holmes House | 1859 | 619 East Main Street, Laurens, South Carolina | Laurens | SC | Believed to be the first concrete house erected in South Carolina; NRHP | |
| Armour-Stiner House | 1860 | 45 W. Clinton Ave., Irvington | Westchester | NY | Also known as the Carmer Octagon House for 20th Century owner, noted writer Carl Carmer. It may be the only domed octagon house in the world. NRHP | |
| David Van Gelder Octagon House | 1860 | 47 Division St., Catskill | Greene | NY | NRHP | |
| Gen. Francis H. West House | 1860 | 1410 17th Avenue Monroe | Green | WI | NRHP | |
| Octagon House | 1860 | 223 W. Main St., Barrington | Cook | IL | NRHP | |
| Octagon House | 1860 | 97 Pleasant St., Reading | Middlesex | MA | A Carpenter Gothic house that is also octagonal. NRHP | |
| Wallace-Jagdfeld Octagon House | 1860 | 171 Forest Ave., Fond du Lac | Fond du Lac | WI | NRHP | |
| Newton Homestead | 1860 | Ridge Rd., South Otselic | Chenango | NY | NRHP | |
| Charles Butler House | 1860 | 13 E. Jackson St., Franklin | Warren | OH | NRHP | |
| John Hosford House | 1860 | 64 Sandusky St., Monroeville | Huron | OH | NRHP | |
| David Cummins Octagon House | 1860 | 301 Liberty Street, Conneaut | Ashtabula | OH | NRHP | |
| Longwood | 1860 | Natchez | Adams | MS | Antebellum mansion, interior unfinished as construction was suspended at outbreak of American Civil War. NRHP | |
| Loren Andrus Octagon House | 1860 | 57500 Van Dyke Street, Washington | Macomb | MI | NRHP | |
| Borden Farm Stable House | 1860 | 621 May Road, Thompson | Susquehanna | PA | Built as a stable, converted to a house. | |
| Octagon House | 1861 | 28 King Street, Westfield | Hampden | MA | NRHP | |
| Petty-Roberts-Beatty House | 1859–61 | 103 N. Midway, Clayton | Barbour | AL | NRHP. One of only two known to have been built in Alabama. The other, the Lane House, has been destroyed. | |
| McElroy Octagon House | 1861 | 2645 Gough Street, San Francisco | San Francisco | CA | NRHP; Structural concrete construction | |
| Octagon Hall | 1862 | Franklin, Kentucky vic. | Simpson | KY | NRHP-listed | |
| Nathan B. Devereaux Octagon House | 1864 | 66425 Eight Mile Road, Northfield Township | Washtenaw | MI | NRHP | |
| The Pratt and Buckingham Octagon House | 1865 | 99 Chestnut Street, Fredonia | Chautauqua | NY | House and carriage house of concrete construction; house closely followed Fowler floor plans. | |
| William Waterfield House | 1867 | 308 3rd St., S., Raymond | Black Hawk | IA | NRHP | |
| Randall House | 1870 | 5927 Treasurer Rd., Mayville | Tuscola | MI | NRHP | |
| Chickasaw Octagon House | 1871 | Court Street, Chickasaw Township | Chickasaw | IA | NRHP | |
| Nathanial Brittan Party House | 1872 | 125 Dale Avenue | San Carlos | CA | NRHP, Victorian-style, two-and-a-half story redwood framed structure with an octagonal folly. | |
| Jane Ross Reeves Octagon House | 1879 | 400 Railroad Street, Shirley | Hancock | IN | NRHP | |
| Clapp Octagon House | 1880 | St. Augustine | St. Johns | FL | ||
| Ezekiel B. Zimmerman Octagon House | 1883 | Near Marshallville | Wayne | OH | NRHP | |
| Dr. Nathan and Lula Cass House | 1885 | 502 N. Travis Ave., Cameron | Milam | TX | NRHP | |
| Robert Waugh House | 1886 | 202 School St., Sparland | Marshall | IL | NRHP | |
| Judge Henry L. Benson House | 1892 | 137 High St., Klamath Falls | Klamath | OR | NRHP | |
| Longfellow-Hastings House | 1893 | Heritage Square 3800 Homer St., Los Angeles | Los Angeles | CA | NRHP Located at 85 S. Allen Ave., Pasadena at time of placement on NRHP | |
| Hattie O. and Henry Drake Octagon House | 1893 | 605 3rd Street, SW, Huron | Beadle | SD | NRHP | |
| William H. McCreery House | 1900 | 746 N. Washington Ave., Loveland | Larimer | CO | NRHP | |
| Arthur W. and Chloe B. Cole House | 1901 | 5803 Rocky Branch Rd., Houston, Missouri | Texas | MO | NRHP | |
| George H. Gallup House | 1901 | 703 S. Chestnut Street, Jefferson, Iowa | Greene | IA | NRHP, boyhood home of George Gallup | |
| Other C. Wamsley House | 1909 | 200 N. 5th St., Hamilton | Ravalli | MT | NRHP | |
| Gallaher House | 1914 | 600 12th St., Mansfield | Douglas | WA | NRHP | |
| Wildfell | 1854 | NW of Darlington on U.S. 1 | Harford | MD | NRHP | |
| Chemosphere | 1960 | Los Angeles | Los Angeles | CA | ||
| Gutherie Octagon House | 1850s | Westland | Wayne | Michigan | Now part of The Westland Historic Village Park, the central portion of the house was built in the 1850s. The two wings were added in the 1930s. The Gutherie family was, and still is, in the lumber industry, which explains the use of Chinese Hemlock on the inside of the house. | |
| The Ocho | 1963 | 21 Cascade Walk | San Francisco | CA | As briefly seen in Dirty Harry | |
| MILES B. LAWSON HOUSE | 1855 | Providence | RI |