John I. Howe House, Greek Revival house in Derby, United States.
The John I. Howe House at 213 Caroline Street in Derby is a 2+1⁄2-story house of loadbearing granite walls, built in 1845. Its cruciform plan has a north–south gabled main block with gabled projections at the centers of the east and west facades. Gable ends are wood and pedimented, windows have granite sills and lintels, and a two-story porch, recreated from photographs, stands at the front right corner.
Built in 1845 for John Ireland Howe, inventor of machinery for making straight metal pins, who moved his Howe Pin Company from upstate New York to Derby in 1838. The Derby Historical Society, owner since the late 20th century, had the house listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 and planned to convert it into a museum of industry.
The house shows how Greek design influenced American homes during the 1800s. Walking past it, you notice how the classical columns and balanced layout reflect the building tastes of that era.
The house is located in a residential neighborhood in Derby and is easily visible from the street as you pass through the area. It can be reached by car and offers a good view of the building's architecture from the road.
The Derby Historical Society has hoped to bring one of John Ireland Howe's original pin-making machines back from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., for permanent display in the house. The building is intended to become the Lower Naugatuck Valley Industrial Heritage Center.
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