Twin Maples [†] is a three-story Colonial Revival estate, designed with a central main section and two side wings. Its most striking feature is a semi-circular, two-story front porch, highlighted by large Ionic columns. The house sits on a parged foundation, with walls finished in smooth stucco and a main roof covered in asphalt shingles. The interior follows a Georgian style, evident in the use of freestanding columns at side entrances and a balanced, symmetrical floor plan. Located on Second Watchung Mountain in an upscale residential neighborhood, the house faces west toward Edgewood Road, though access is from Springfield Avenue. The property is surrounded by a landscaped lawn, with an asphalt driveway connecting the house and garage to the street.
Behind the main house stands the gardener's cottage, a modest two-story structure in the Colonial Revival style. This building serves as both a garage and a residence, and also faces Edgewood Road. Despite some updates over the years, both the main house and the cottage remain in good condition and retain much of their original character.
The front of the house is five bays wide, dominated by the central two-story portico. This portico sits on a tile and concrete terrace about five feet above ground, reached by a set of curved stone steps. The porch itself is semi-circular, with four massive Ionic columns supporting the roof above the second floor. At the center, a pair of outer entry doors, flanked by glass sidelights, create a vestibule area.
On the second floor, a porch within the portico is accessible from the hall and also flanked by glass sidelights. This porch has a wooden balustrade with turned balusters connecting the columns. The portico roof features bracketed eaves and a balustrade set back from the edge, with large square posts supporting runs of turned balusters.
Crowning the portico is a central Palladian dormer window. The main window is arched, double-hung, with Gothic-style tracery in the upper sash and a single pane below. Side windows mirror this design and are flanked by fluted pilasters. The dormer has a split arched roof with a turned finial at the center and twin volutes at the roofline. The original roof balustrade was removed after it deteriorated.
On either side of the portico are two windowed bays. The first-floor windows are eight-over-one double-hung with triangular pediments, while the second-floor windows are six-over-one double-hung, without pediments, and flanked by decorative wood shutters. Above the main roofline, on both sides of the portico, are single gable-roofed dormers with arched double-hung windows and fluted pilasters. The upper sashes of these windows feature Gothic-inspired tracery, and all third-floor windows share this configuration.
The facade is accented with stucco quoins at the corners. The rooflines have bracketed eaves and a built-in wooden gutter system. Three salmon-colored brick chimneys with cast-stone tops rise from the roof.
Each side of the main house features a one-story wing. The north (left) wing, once a veranda, is now part of a large meeting room created for The Fortnightly Club, with entrances at both the front and rear. The second story above this wing has three six-over-one double-hung windows and a centrally placed dormer on the main roof.
The south wing is distinguished by large, multi-paned window units forming window walls on all three exterior sides. The two main window units on the south side each consist of four rectangular eight-light sashes, each topped by a two-light square transom. Each window unit is flanked by a pair of engaged Ionic columns. The entrances at the front and rear are similarly framed by windows and columns. This wing has a flat roof with a wooden balustrade around the edge. The second story above features three six-over-one double-hung windows and a small six-light window next to the chimney, with a central dormer on the main roof.
At the rear of the house is another one-story wing with a flat roof, though its wood balustrade has been removed. The central bay on the second floor features a leaded glass double window and door unit with an arched transom, all in excellent condition. Four six-over-one double-hung windows, two on each side, flank this central unit. Three dormers span the main block at the rear.
The gardener's cottage, whose exact construction date is unknown, was originally built with horse stalls that were later converted to automobile bays. Evidence of these changes and a former hayloft is still visible. The north side of the cottage, facing the main house, has two garage stalls with a door in between leading to the upstairs. The second floor includes a living room, kitchen, two bedrooms, and a bathroom. The central window on the second story features wooden muntins in a Gothic design, with two smaller windows on either side. Each end of the building is topped with a dormer window.
† Adapted from: Mrs. Nancy B. Dukek, Vincent Lepre, Allison Ziefert, The Fortnightly Club, Twin Maples, nomination document, 1997, National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C.
Street Names
Springfield Avenue • Edgewood Road