By Intrepid Intern Tara Owens
Famed architect William Buckland is the man responsible for the design and details of the Hammond-Harwood House. Buckland’s architectural style was greatly influenced by the Italian architect Andrea Palladio (1508-1580). In fact, the Hammond-Harwood House is based on Palladio’s design for the Villa Pisani (see pictures below).
Just as Palladio served as inspiration to Buckland, so too would Buckland serve as an inspiration to future architects. The Hammond-Harwood House has come to be known as one of the finest examples of Palladian architecture in America, and as a result, was used as the template for other great American mansions.
One such house is the Vaughn Nixon house located in the area of Buckhead in Atlanta, Georgia. It was constructed in 1925-1926 and is said to have been Atlanta architect Neel Reid’s homage to the Hammond-Harwood House.
Another example of domestic architecture inspired by the Hammond-Harwood House is Marienruh, a historic fieldstone colonial revival country estate built for heiress Alice Astor, the daughter of John Jacob Astor IV. Marienruh is situated on 100 acres overlooking the Hudson River and was constructed by renowned architect Mott B. Schmidt.
Lastly, there is the Ladew House and Gardens, built for Harvey S. Ladew circa 1929. Located in Monkton, Maryland, the Ladew House was a renovation and addition to a pre-existing frame house on the Pleasant Valley Farm owned by the Scarff family. The original structure consisted of two sections built in the last half of the eighteenth century and first half of the nineteenth century. Architect James W. O’Connor and interior decorators Billy Baldwin, Jean Levy, and Ruby Ross Wood aided Ladew in the property’s renovation. Unlike the two previously discussed houses, the Hammond-Harwood House influence does not lie in the structure’s exterior, but is found in architectural details inside. The drawing room features broken pediments and molding copied from the Hammond-Harwood House. See here for pictures of the space.
