Trenor Park Builds a New HomeThe Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA) describes the Park-McCullough House as "one of the finest and most significant" Victorian mansions in New England. Innovations in this early example of Second-Empire architecture included central heating and ventilation, gaslights, hot and cold running water, and five bathrooms. Built by Trenor Park, who had amassed a substantial fortune in California after the Gold Rush, the house sits on land purchased in1864 from Park's father-in-law, Hiland Hall. Park was deeply involved in the building of his new home and seems to have acted as his own contractor.(1) Despite the Civil War, construction proceeded during 1864 and 1865. The family moved into the house in 1865 on Christmas Day. It is clear that the new mansion in the community where Park had grown up in poverty was intended to make a statement. He built on a scale and with lavishness that spoke clearly of the dream of rising from poverty through hard work, perseverance, and shrewdness. Henry Dudley, of the firm Diaper and Dudley in New York, was the architect. Dudley, an Englishman who immigrated to America in 1851,(2) had by this time a national reputation, and had built many churches and private homes, often employing a Gothic vocabulary.(3) For Park, however, the choice was Second Empire, a style that was becoming increasingly popular for the new plutocracy, in that it spoke more of power, aristocracy and wealth, than of the Christian virtues commonly associated with neo-medieval styles. The choice of style was also forward-looking, especially for a rural village. The Second Empire style had been introduced in New York in the 1850s for large academic and public buildings,(4) but had not yet gained widespread popularity, especially for residences. Family lore relates that Park was inspired by the home that Dudley had built in Watertown, Massachusetts for Alvin Adams of the Adams Express Company.(5) The very large scale of the house, especially in a village of small-scale Federal and Greek Revival buildings, asserts that it was the home of a person of consequence. The thirty-five-room mansion featured an imposing seventy-five-foot long central hall and grand stair, and a suite of five large, elegantly furnished rooms for entertainment and family gatherings on the main floor. Above the grand stairway were decorative plasterwork and a stained glass skylight. On the second floor were nine bedrooms and five well-appointed bathrooms, as well as dressing rooms and closets. There were ten additional bedrooms on the third floor. Elaborate fireplaces are found in all of the principal rooms, although the house was equipped with central heating. Park's desire to have the best is demonstrated by his choice of gas lighting for the house. While this was common in cities at the time, in rural Vermont, Park was required to install an automatic gas machine to create the gas for his chandeliers.(6) Park built a spacious carriage barn and stable at the rear. Formal gardens, a fishpond, a curved drive through the landscaped grounds, a fountain, and a grape arbor also adorned the property. The large family dog, Abe, was treated to his own scaled-down version of the main house, which later served as a playhouse for the children.(7)
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