Pfau–Crichton Cottage
Pfau–Crichton Cottage | |
The house in June 2014 | |
30°41′55″N 88°7′40″W / 30.69861°N 88.12778°W / 30.69861; -88.12778 | |
Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
---|---|
Built | 1862 |
MPS | 19th Century Spring Hill Neighborhood TR |
NRHP reference No. | 84000120[1] |
Added to NRHP | October 18, 1984 |
The Pfau–Crichton Cottage, best known as Chinaberry, is a historic cottage in Mobile, Alabama.
History
The 1+1⁄2-story, wood-frame, Gulf Coast cottage was completed in 1862.[1] The house was built by the Pfau family, but its best known resident was Miss Anne Randolph Crichton, known for the elaborate gardens that she developed on the property.[2] She enlisted in the Navy at the outbreak of World War I and continued her service until retirement, in the 1950s. She traveled extensively in Europe during the 1930s, maintaining scrapbooks that recorded her visits to various art museums, gardens, and monuments.[3] She was the last direct descendant of Hugh Randolph Crichton, the founder of the Mobile County town of Crichton.[2] The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 18, 1984, as a part of the 19th Century Spring Hill Neighborhood Thematic Resource listing of well-preserved buildings that represent the historical development of what was once the village of Spring Hill.[4]
After Crichton's death, the house sat vacant for decades. It was restored and an addition built in 2018 by a real estate company for use as offices.[5]
Architecture
The cottage is unique in its architectural features. The home itself is a two-story structure, each floor being measured at 700 sq ft (65 m2). The bottom floor of the home is the central living area consisting of the kitchen, library, bathroom, living room, dining room, and a single bedroom. The unique part of this part of the architecture is that all rooms are connected by multiple doorways, but no hallways. The upper floor is a one-room storage area.
On the property there are a total of three structures. Aside from the cottage itself there is an outlying kitchen and a chapel. There are brick walkways that lead to each structure and all garden areas.
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ a b "Flotte's Notes on Mobile Neighborhoods: An Unofficial Encyclopaedia of Mobile & Baldwin Counties". Flotte’s Outlines. www.flotte2.com. Archived from the original on 2007-06-13. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
- ^ "Anne Randolph Crichton Scrapbook". Newcomb Institute. Tulane University.
- ^ Elizabeth B. Gould and Ellen Mertins (7 December 1982). "19th Century Spring Hill Neighborhood TR". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved 27 September 2009.
- ^ Thronton, Anna (June 3, 2022). "Chinaberry: A Cottage to Cherish". Mobile Bay Magazine. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
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Landmarks
- Government Street Presbyterian Church
- Mobile City Hall
- USS Alabama
- USS Drum
districts
- Africatown Historic District
- Ashland Place Historic District
- The Campground
- Church Street East Historic District
- Common Street District
- Convent and Academy of the Visitation
- De Tonti Square Historic District
- Leinkauf Historic District
- Lower Dauphin Street Historic District
- Maysville Historic District
- Midtown Historic District
- Oakleigh Garden Historic District
- Old Dauphin Way Historic District
properties
- Aimwell Baptist Church
- Wade Askew House
- Azalea Court Apartments
- Barton Academy
- Battle House Royale
- Beal–Gaillard House
- Bettie Hunter House
- Bragg–Mitchell Mansion
- Brisk & Jacobson Store
- Caldwell School
- Carlen House
- Carolina Hall
- Cavallero House
- Center–Gaillard House
- U. J. Cleveland House
- Coley Building
- Collins–Marston House
- Collins–Robinson House
- Convent of Mercy
- D'Iberville Apartments
- Dahm House
- Davis Avenue Branch, Mobile Public Library
- Davis Avenue Recreation Center
- Denby House
- Emanuel AME Church
- Emanuel Building
- George Fearn House
- Fire Station No. 5
- First National Bank
- Fort Charlotte
- Gates–Daves House
- Georgia Cottage
- Greene–Marston House
- Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Passenger Terminal
- Hawthorn House
- Martin Horst House
- International Longshoreman's Association Hall
- Joseph Jossen House
- Kirkbride House
- George Levy House
- Martin Lindsey House
- Magnolia Cemetery
- Meaher–Zoghby House
- Ernest Megginson House
- Metzger House
- Miller–O'Donnell House
- Mobile City Hospital
- Monterey Place
- James Arthur Morrison House
- Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church No.1
- Murphy High School
- Neville House
- Oakleigh
- Paterson House
- J. E. Paterson House
- Dave Patton House
- Pfau–Crichton Cottage
- Phillipi House
- Pincus Building
- Bishop Portier House
- Protestant Children's Home
- Roberts House
- Ross Knox House
- St. Francis Street Methodist Church
- Saint Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church
- Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic Church
- St. Louis Street Missionary Baptist Church
- Saint Matthew's Catholic Church
- Saint Paul's Episcopal Chapel
- Saint Vincent de Paul
- Scottish Rite Temple
- Raphael Semmes House
- Sodality Chapel
- South Lafayette Street Creole Cottages
- Robert L. Spotswood House
- Spring Hill College Quadrangle
- State Street AME Zion Church
- Amelia Stewart House
- Stewartfield
- Stone Street Baptist Church
- Stone Street Cemetery
- Trinity Episcopal Church
- Tschiener House
- Turner-Todd Motor Company
- United States Court House and Custom House
- United States Marine Hospital
- Arthur VanderSys House
- Jacob VanderSys House
- Vickers and Schumacher Buildings
- Joseph M. Walker House
- Weems House
submissions