Adena Mansion: A Georgian Style Home in Ohio

Constructed of carefully placed limestone quarried on the Chillicothe, Ohio, property, Adena is Georgian in style and includes a two-story center section and flanking one-story wings. It faces a circular drive lawn once the site of a cabin that the Worthington family used while their home was being built. The symmetrical exterior design has four limestone chimneys atop a cedar-shake roof. Courtesy of Cassidy Dawn Photography

Architect Benjamin Latrobe (1764–1820) contributed to the design of many important American buildings, yet he also designed homes for prominent individuals. Only three of Latrobe’s 18th-century residential structures survives. One is Georgian-style Adena Mansion in Chillicothe, Ohio; the others are Decatur House in Washington, and Pope Villa in Lexington, Ky.  

In 1805, Latrobe was selected by President Thomas Jefferson to become the country’s surveyor of public buildings. A few years later, in 1805, the architect designed a home for businessman, politician, and land surveyor Thomas Worthington (1773–1827) and his large family on his 2,000 acre estate.

For Adena, Latrobe focused on the elements of Georgian style, primarily symmetry and classical features. The home was perched on a hill and native limestone chosen for its construction. The exterior design and treatment of rooms were intended to reflect societal prominence.

The property currently consists of 320 acres. On site are five outbuildings, including a replica of the original cabin, as well as a tenant, spring, wash, and smoke house. Three terraces of flowers, shrubs, and manicured trees surround the formal gardens.

In the entry hall is the Worthington family clock, made on site by a craftsman in the 1700s. A floorcloth decorates the space. “The [floorcloths] were used any place highly traveled,” explained Adena Mansion and Gardens’ executive director, Kathy Styer. “They were made of the same canvas-like material used to make sails; a type of paint called gesso was applied to make the material stiff, then it was shellacked, and more gesso was applied to preserve it. Dentil molding is the primary adornment at the ceiling. Courtesy of Cassidy Dawn Photography

The cantilevered staircase features a hand-carved scroll pattern on its paneled side as well as a marble-look treatment, achieved with paint and a turkey feather, on each riser. The entry hall’s ornamental floorcloth covers the area in front of the staircase to provide a contrast from the simple, white-painted walls and soft green-hue accents. Courtesy of Cassidy Dawn Photography

As in other Georgian homes of the period, rooms that entertained guests, like the parlor, used showy wallpapers and rugs. “In his diary, he [Worthington] was very specific about the carpets and the wallpapers,” said Styler. “This drapery-design wallpaper was described in the diary.” Wool Brussels carpets present detailed repetitive patterns in jewel-tones or bright colors. The sofa facing the fireplace is original to the home, as is the card table to the right of the matching sofa. Courtesy of Cassidy Dawn Photography

A unique aspect of Adena’s interior design are its two “rounders,” or inset revolving china servers. This rounder serves both the formal and the family dining rooms. Almost every wooden thing in the home, like the rounder, was made of either poplar or walnut, the two primary woods accessible in Ohio. Yet, the rounders, doors, and any other exposed (unpainted) wood surface was painted “to look like mahogany,” said Styer, in order to connote wealth and influence to the Worthington’s visiting guests. Courtesy of Cassidy Dawn Photography

One sideboard is original to the home (its match is a reproduction). Paint colors in the 1700s were limited, but pink, noted Styler, was “considered very masculine at the time.” Pink paint in the 1700s was made with crushed up cochineal bugs mixed with whitewash. Latrobe and Worthington determined pink should be an accent in different areas throughout the home, including this everyday dining room that adjoins the formal dining room. The inset rounder serves both. Draperies hang dramatically from a wide window pediment. Courtesy of Cassidy Dawn Photography

The back of Adena faces south and affords a view of a dense grove of trees. Mirroring the home’s limestone construction are the limestone patio and walkway. The shutters are painted green, a popular shutter color choice in the 1700s. Courtesy of Cassidy Dawn Photography

To see other kinds of arts and culture articles, please email ideas or feedback to [email protected]