explored &
photographed by: Shady
The next place we explored just
happened to be a very old, historic home called the Gulick House, in Lawrence, NJ, that is
currently being threatened by demolition, much to the dismay of many of the people who
live in Lawrence (click here for the latest story on the fate of the Gulick House), and
we would have never known about it except for the twist of fate that led us to drive right
by it.
Somehow, we just happened to spy this place
while driving by; we turned around to see if we could get a
better look. The first impression that we all got was just how huge and beautiful
this house was... a really amazing example of architecture from a bygone era surrounded by
a lush, gorgeous piece of land. We could only wonder why it stood empty and neglected... |
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As we found out later, a prosperous
farmer named William Gulick had this wonderful house built for his large family- a
wife and eight children- in the 1850's. The house was constructed in the Italianate style-
a very fashionable style of architecture in the mid-19th century. |
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We couldn't believe our eyes as we
approached the enormous home... this house is one magnificent piece of architecture. The
telltale eerie silence of a place abandoned surrounded the area as we drew nearer and
nearer. The house was really big, with three floors that featured a ton of windows. The
land around the house was really pretty too, just brimming with jewel-green foliage. The
first building we checked out appeared to be an empty, carriage-style detached garage that
sat in the curve of the driveway; we didn't see much other than a lot of cobwebs and some
dust... |
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The area behind the house boasted a
really cool brick fireplace/oven situated under the protective branches of an old tree.
You can really picture what a wonderful home this must have been in days long gone... |
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The cross gable on the peak of the
roofline... the round, arched windows... the decorative brackets along the roofline...
these are all hallmarks of the elegant Italianate style. Historic preservationists have
stated that the Gulick House is the best example of Italianate architecture in
the entire area. |
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After spending a few minutes roaming
around the grounds, we decided to venture into the mansion to get a better look. As
awe-inducing as the place was from the outside, we never could have imagined what
we would find within...
BACK TO LAMBERTVILLE HIGH
STEP INSIDE
GULICK HOUSE
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