Lands End – Trail Marker #14
Lands End
Land’s End was designed in 1864 and completed in 1865 by John Hubbard Sturgis for Samuel G. Ward, a Boston banker. It got the name Land’s End from the colonial name of the reef that it is built upon.
This home’s most famous resident was the author Edith Wharton, who moved into the house in 1889. She recruited the Boston architect Ogden Codman Jr. to redesign the interior of the house in 1893. Their designs were highlighted in a co-authored book, The Decoration of Houses. Since then, both the interior and exterior of the house have gone through numerous renovations.
This house was originally designed with a subdued Italianate style, featuring several gambrel-style gables. This runs in sharp contrast with the uppermost portion of the roof, being a variation of the Mansard roof known as the turtleback style.