The George M. Whipple House
THE GEORGE M. WHIPPLE HOUSE
Erected in the year 1804, the George M. Whipple house at 2 Andover Street is a typical example of the three-story square wooden dwelling of the period. The enclosed porch with its balustraded roof is of more recent construction, but in keeping with the best architectural traditions. Rather shallow as to depth, light is admitted by means of leaded side-lights of unusual design, as well as by the glazed upper panels of the door itself. Pilasters of Doric order support a dentiled entablature, while the door is divided after the Dutch fashion into upper and lower leaves.
Above is a fine Palladian window of design harmonious with that of the entrance, surmounted by an arched pediment enriched by a carved ornament representing a basket of flowers.
In many of the old houses of the earlier Salem times, the location of the doorway with relation to the façade was dictated by considerations of convenience rather than a desire for symmetry. Sometimes, as in the cabins of the first period, it was placed as far from the fireplace as possible, so that the smoke might not be blown about the room. Structural arrangements of the interior sometimes determined its position, as well as that of the windows, which in many instances seemed to be placed haphazard.
In the Whipple house the front entrance is at the left of the center as one faces the building, with two windows on one side of it and one upon the other—an unusual arrangement in houses of this type.