The William Richmond house, at 126 Thames St. in Bristol, is a lovely example of a two-story, five-bay brick Federal Period home. Built in 1807 on the site of an earlier property belonging to Captain Simeon Potter, the house features an impressive second-story Palladian window, splayed lintels and a find modillion cornice.

The balustrade portico on the front is a Colonial Revival addition, but the exterior of the house is otherwise almost completely historically intact. It remains one of only a handful of brick Federal homes on Bristol’s waterfront.

Inside the home, the main staircase is original, an elegant spiral with a hand-carved cornice, wainscoting, and shadow rail leading from the front hall up to the second floor. The northwest parlor features an elegant, hand carved fireplace mantel as well as the original crown molding door and window casings.

The southwest parlor also retains its original Federal period mantel. Much of rest of the house contains a mix of period details and later additions and changes, with the hardwood floors in most rooms an early 20^th-century addition.

Located across the street from Bristol Harbor, 126 Thames St. boasts lovely water views to the west and north, and is just steps from the downtown waterfront parks, docks, shops and restaurants. Though the house is currently set up as a two-family home, it would lend itself very well to a number of uses, including an investment property on a street that has seen its star rise considerably in the last two decades. Conversion to a single-family home would be simple, and the addition of appropriate period details could easily fully restore the house to its original splendor.

Just the facts

• $354,000
• Keller Williams East Bay Realty
• Sarah Principe
• (401) 374-7064

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