Facts About The Hills House
(35 Triangle St., Amherst, Massachusetts)
The Leonard M. Hills house, finished in 1864, was an Italianate style house, exactly the same as his son's house (Henry Hills) but 1 foot bigger in every direction. It was owned by Leonard Hills and the architect responsible for the design was William Fenno Pratt. It had 12-foot ceilings, a veranda, 3 porches, 3 parlors, bracketed roofs, plumbing and heating (which was a luxury at the time), a dining room, and 3 bedrooms. It also had a back wing which housed the kitchen, butler's pantry, wood house, ice house, and three bedrooms for the servants. The house also included 2 washroom and 2 bathrooms, as well as a attic.
The Hills family commonly entertained guests, so two of the parlors were merged together and re-furnished to benefit orators and other guests. Later, electric light bulbs were installed and additional chandeliers were put up. The windows in the house were plentiful, all being large windows rounded at the end. These helped heat the house in the summer, and allowed breezes in on days that were too hot.
The Hills' House tended to be aimed for warmer climates, as the roof was as flat as snow would let it get, and the house only had 3 fireplaces.
The house, in Victorian style was fairly crammed with expensive furniture, and even the servants had luxurious quarters.
In its time, each house had a name. Emily Dickinson's brother's house was called the Evergreens' and Leonard M. Hills' house was called the Hedges, after the hedges that surrounded it.
