FOSS MANSION 19 Elm Street Auburn, Maine Revised 12/3/07

GENERAL INFO: Mansion constructed between 1914 and 1917 by Horatio G. Foss, shoe magnate Land purchased from Samuel Pickard, son-in-law of Squire Edward Little Designed by architects Eugene J. Gibbs and Addison Pulsifer, who used dominant features from the Federal, Colonial Revival, Georgian and Spanish styles Employed an upstairs maid, downstairs maid, housekeeper, chauffeur and gardener Mansion bequeathed by Ella Foss to Woman’s Literary Union in 1941 In 1976, placed on the National Register of Historic Places

EXTERIOR: Base and steps are of artificial stone Exterior is white stucco, covering terra cotta tile walls Georgian roof protected by red clay tiles (Spanish) Three chimneys and four fireplaces Large porch and porte cochere on the west side and sun parlor on the east Two-story porch in front supported by four Roman Doric (Greek) columns Palladian entryways and windows Beautiful gardens surrounded mansion, maintained by Mrs. Foss

INTERIOR: The floor plan is Federal, hip roof is Georgian with Spanish influence (red clay tiles) House has 12 rooms and 5.5 baths Includes kitchen with butler’s pantry, formal dining room, living room, library, solarium, five roomy bedrooms with adjoining baths and a half bath on the first floor, large entryways, servants’ quarters Period wallpaper throughout, all original except the entry hall and library Also original to house are paintings in parlor, stair carpeting, kitchen furnishings, rugs in foyer, dining room and upper hall Electric and gas illumination; “concealed lights” in dining room Five Victorian stained-glass windows Flying staircase with bowed windows on landing (Federal style) Ornate mouldings around windows and doorways Palladian entryways framed by pilasters (columns) with decorative ornamentation Hardwood floors; some paneled walls and ceilings Central vacuum system

SIDE ENTRY HALL: Mrs. Foss called it her “palm corridor” Tile floor French doors (two sets) leading to living room Half bath at end of corridor Entryway into front foyer

LIVINGROOM/CLUBROOM: {W0918787.1} Living room is 22' x 36' Front windows are Palladian (Greek) style Palladian entry to front foyer with pilasters (columns) French windows open to large porch, as well as palm corridor & porte cochere Fosses had three living room sets and a piano here

FRONT ENTRY & FOYER: Porch supported by two Roman Doric (Greek) columns on each side; crowned with segmental pediment (roof) Entrance has leaded glass panels Doorway similar to Palladian-Mid Georgian doorways of the 1770s with sidelights & transom, framed by pilasters 18' wide foyer extending to main stairway Large closets on each side of door

STAIRWAY: Flying staircase (no visible means of support) leading to a circular landing Behind circular landing, three stained-glass windows, which receive outside light Two windows on right placed there for aesthetic balance Stairway divides, ascending to second floor hallway Bannister’s newel posts carved in three different designs

DINING ROOM: Room size 20' x 28' Oak paneled with indirect lighting Fireplace with floral garlands carved on the mantelpiece Built-in china closets on each side of fireplace with tabletop access to kitchen French window entrance to solarium Sliding pocket doors to close off this area. Central vacuum system

KITCHEN: Entry through the butler’s pantry Butler’s pantry has steel vegetable sink Dumb waiter extends from the ice room in the basement to the second floor. Access to dining room through two tabletop openings Back stairway entry leading to upper floors

LIBRARY: Entryways to foyer and dining room French window entrance to solarium Palladian style front windows Built-in bookcase; remodeled with glass shelves and now houses doll collection

SUN ROOM and PORTE COCHERE: Tile floor in sun room Fosses had Wicker furniture here Porte cochere has paneled ceiling; supported by columns Roofs of sun room & porte cochere serve as balconies for the second-floor library and bedrooms Balustrade of the balconies decorated with pineapple-shaped ornaments (pineapple denotes welcome)

UPSTAIRS HALLWAY: Five bedrooms off hallway; two of which are open to public

{W0918787.1} GUEST BEDROOM ON RIGHT:

EDWARD LITTLE BEDROOM (LEFT):

THIRD STORY: Servants’ quarters One bedroom, storage area, and a large room with tongue in groove boards, reportedly used as billiard room

CARRIAGE HOUSE: Exterior walls consist of terra cotta tile covered with white stucco; red clay tile roof Wooden floor with turntable; now concrete Work benches for maintenance and repairs Complete with basement and an upstairs room with tongue and groove boards Chauffeur’s quarters above garage; later chauffeur lived in white house on the corner of Elm & High streets Large room has tongue and groove boards; light provided by dormers Driveway extends in a loop from the street to the carriage house and around to the porte cochere. Fosses owned a Packard, Rolls Royce and a LaSalle

REPAIRS NEEDED Porch Sun parlor Fence Pineapples for balustrade Wallpaper in dining room

REPAIRS COMPLETED In 1989, extensive repairs to the porte cochere and dormers ($38,000 raised for this undertaking)

VOCABULARY:

Porte-cochere: A roofed structure extending from the entrance of a building over an adjacent driveway and sheltering those getting in or out of vehicles. Quoins: The dressed stones at the corners of buildings. Commodious: Roomy, spacious; serviceable. Pilasters: An upright architectural member that is rectangular in plan and is structurally a pier but architecturally treated as a column and usually projects a third of its width or less from the wall. Magnate: Person of rank, power, influence or distinction Palladian: Relating to a revived classic style in architecture based on the works of Andrea Palladio Doric: Greek Georgian: Relating to the first four reigns of the Georges of Great Britain Segmental Pediment: a triangular space forming the gable of a low-pitched roof in classic architecture set on a portion or segment of the whole.

HORATIO GATES FOSS A native, born in Wayne, Maine, February 22, 1846 Son of a shoemaker and his wife, Jeremiah and Elizabeth (Handerson) Foss

{W0918787.1} Educated in local schools, learned shoemaking trade from his father Gained practical experience in larger shoe shops in Haverill, Mass. Came to Auburn in 1875, went to work at Dingley, Strout & Co., shoe manufacturers Married Ella M. Fletcher in 1878; they had no children Foss later became partner and general manager of firm, which was renamed Dingley, Foss & Co. Dingley, Foss & Co., located off Hampshire Street, Auburn, manufactured boots, shoes and slippers; produced a special line of men’s fine boots & shoes, slippers, tennis and baseball shoes In later years, spent considerable time in Boston to be near the stock market in which he was very active Died December 2, 1928 at age 82

ELLA FLETCHER FOSS A Maine native, born in Solon in 1854 At age 18, moved to Auburn and found work in shoe factory owned by Horatio Foss Married Horatio Foss in 1878, when she was 24 and he was 35 They had no children; but Mrs. Foss loved her two nieces and a nephew, who spent many happy hours in the Foss mansion when they visited every summer She loved her Auburn home, but every week she returned to the “farm” to visit her family She wintered in St. Petersburg, Florida at the Sorena Hotel from November to April Died in 1941; estate totaled more than a million dollars Bequeathed the mansion to Woman’s Literary Union (1941) Generously paid all inheritance taxes out of the estate on all bequests

The Fosses lived elegantly. They owned a Packard, Rolls Royce and a LaSalle. They entertained often in their beautiful home. They employed an upstairs maid, downstairs maid, housekeeper, chauffeur and gardener.

Facts compiled by Susan Sweet from literature received November 2007

In this same room will be the boilers which will heat the water for the several baths and for kitchen use; also the switchboard which will control the electric lights and other electrical apparatus which will be installed in the

{W0918787.1} building.

The entire house will be provided with electric and gas illumination of the latest type and in the dining room, the so called “concealed light” system will be used, the electric lamps being placed along the walls, behind decorative mouldings, their light being thrown upon the ceiling which reflects the illumination over the room. This provides one of the softest and best lighting systems which has yet been invented.

Terra cotta tile will be used in the construction of the exterior walls. This will be covered with white stucco, which will give a pleasing appearance to the home and be splendidly adapted to the type of architecture selected by Mr. And Mrs. Foss. The base will be artificial stone, as will the steps. The roof will be of red Spanish tile.

At the back of the lot will be constructed a garage of the same material as the main house. It will have space for two of the largest types of cars. There will be a turn table and necessary work benches for making repairs to machines and keeping them in proper condition. Over the garage proper will be the chauffeur’s quarters.

It will be seen, from this rather meagre outline of the new home, that when it is completed Mr. and Mrs. Foss will not only have a spacious, delightful and comfortable, as well as commodious home, but one of the most attractive in the state and a house which will be one of the show places of Auburn.

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