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One of the eighty-eight original eighteenth-century buildings at Colonial Williamsburg, the house played an important role in the museum's founding as the first property purchased by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Members of the Ludwell family resided here in the eighteenth century and Lucy Ludwell Paradise, one of their more eccentric offspring, became a well-known socialite in both London and Virginia. She also became a namesake for this home that is a cornerstone of Williamsburg's restoration]]>
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Rights and reproductions]]> View of the exterior of Bruton Parish Church taken by F.S. Lincoln in 1935. A smaller seventeenth-century structure stood on the site from 1683 until 1715, when the larger and more elaborate cruciform-style church replaced it. Located at the edge of Palace Green on the corner of Duke of Gloucester Street and Palace Street, the church was originally designed by colonial Governor Alexander Spotswood.  

A series of restoration efforts began under Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin's direction between 1903-1907 and continued periodically until completed in 1940. In this 1935 photo of the south facade of Bruton Parish Church, the building retains the Colonial Revival window shutters and screen doors installed by architect J. Stewart Barney during his 1906 renovation of the exterior, according to how be believed the church appeared in the eighteenth century.  The shutters and screen doors were later removed during final restoration efforts in 1939, given the availability of further research information.  

The original wooden frame of a small bull's-eye window (accession # AF-21.1.1), removed from the east end of the church around 1906, is now in the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's architectural fragments collection. Otherwise, the building's exterior walls and windows are original and the interior has been restored to its eighteenth-century appearance.  Large bull's-eye windows are still visible today in the south-facing end of the church (facing Duke of Gloucester Street) and the east end (facing Palace Green).  Bruton Parish continues to serve an active Episcopal congregation and has functioned as a site of worship for the community since the parish was first founded in 1674.

 

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Rights and reproductions]]> Exterior of the President's House at the College of William and Mary, view from the courtyard, 1935. "Built in 1732-1733, the President's House has been the residence of every president of the College of William and Mary save one...During the last stages of the Revolution, British General Cornwallis used the house briefly as his headquarters. French officers serving under General Rochambeau occupied the house for a short time after the siege of Yorktown..."

(Source: Michael Olmert and Suzanne Coffman, Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg [Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007], 109).

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Exterior of the Brafferton building, College of William and Mary, view from the courtyard, 1935. "At first, the Native American students had a classroom in the Wren Building and lodged elsewhere in the town. The Brafferton was completed for their use in 1723. Until the Revolution cut off revenue....there were always some Indians -- often a dozen or more -- at the college." The Brafferton and the President's House appear to be nearly identical, "...although the Brafferton is actually somewhat smaller."

(Source: Michael Olmert and Suzanne Coffman, Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg [Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007], 60, 105).

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Exterior of the Brafferton building, College of William and Mary, view from the courtyard, 1935. "At first, the Native American students had a classroom in the Wren Building and lodged elsewhere in the town. The Brafferton was completed for their use in 1723. Until the Revolution cut off revenue....there were always some Indians -- often a dozen or more -- at the college." The Brafferton and the President's House appear to be nearly identical, "...although the Brafferton is actually somewhat smaller."

(Source: Michael Olmert and Suzanne Coffman, Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg [Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007], 60, 105).

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Rights and reproductions]]> Rights and reproductions]]> Rights and reproductions]]> Rights and reproductions]]> Oblique view of the front elevations of the Ludwell-Paradise House and Prentis Store, looking east down Duke of Gloucester Street, 1935.  One of the eighty-eight original eighteenth-century buildings at Colonial Williamsburg, the Ludwell-Paradise house (pictured to the left) played an important role in the museum's founding as the first property purchased by John D. Rockefeller, Jr.  Members of the Ludwell family resided here in the eighteenth century, and Lucy Ludwell Paradise, one of their more eccentric offspring, became a well-known socialite in both London and Virginia.  She also became a namesake for this home that is a cornerstone of Williamsburg's restoration.

The Prentis Store, pictured to the right, was built circa 1739-1740.  Another one of Williamsburg's eighty-eight original eighteenth-century buildings, "the Prentis Store is Williamsburg's best-surviving example of a colonial store.  The firm of Prentis and Company (named after the store's original merchant-shop keeper, William Prentis), operated a highly successful general store in this handsome original building from 1740 until the Revolution.  A classic example of store architecture, its gable end faces the street.  Through the door above, merchandise could easily be lifted into the loft. Windows along the sides were located toward the rear of the building to light the counting room and to leave long, blank walls for ample shelving in the sales area."

(Source: Michael Olmert and Suzanne Coffman, Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg [Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007], 52-53).

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Exterior of the Margaret Hunter Shop, once known as Pender's Grocery, looking east down Duke of Gloucester Street, 1935. When Colonial Williamsburg first opened as a museum in the 1930s, Duke of Gloucester Street consisted of a combination of exhibition buildings and commercial establishments, and several grocers operated small food markets in restored or reconstructed structures. Pender's Grocery offered a place for town residents and tourists to pick up refreshments.

This building, "...an original structure, occupies a favorable spot on the busy 'downtown' end of the main street. Typical of commercial buildings, it has a gable-end facade, and its interior is divided between a large unheated storefront and a smaller counting office with a fireplace in the rear. Like many buildings, this one served as both workplace and home for its occupants." The first occupant (and later owner) of the building was Margaret Hunter, a milliner, who both "...imported and...made diverse and stylish accessories for men, women and children."

(Source: Michael Olmert and Suzanne Coffman, Official Guide to Colonial Williamsburg [Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007], 57).

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