What do you see in these four photos of the Hopewell Museum building as it evolved over time? There are some obvious changes to the front porch – but what else.
To see more of the Museum building and plans for its next phase, drop by 28 East Broad Street on Saturday, December 7 from 1 to 4 pm as part of Holiday Open House day in Hopewell.
Also visit the Hopewell Public Library (13 East Broad) from 1 to 3 pm for homemade refreshments, children’s activities and live music, and visit the Old School Baptist Meetinghouse (46 W Broad) from 1 to 4 pm to see this newly-honored National Historic Site.
The Hopewell Museum building is a three-story, three-bay brownstone dwelling built in the Second Empire style, with a Mansard roof and full height projecting bays on the front façade. It was built in 1877 as the Stout residence, and taken over by the Library / Museum in 1924.
Stout – Original House – 1877
The current Museum building originally was built in 1877 as the residence of Randolph Stout, who also ran a lumberyard on the property behind and to the east of the building.
The front porch / portico had angled sides, a triangular pediment, and single columns.
The photo also shows a back porch visible to the right, and shutters on the windows. There also are a pair of chimneys on each side.
- See post – Model Ave. Lumberyard – Stout lumber yard
Smith to Library / Museum – Extended Front Porch – 1920s
In 1906, Hugh A. Smith bought the property as his family home. Smith had founded the Smith Novelty Co. on Somerset Street in 1901, which became H. A. Smith Manufacturing and eventually evolved into the major local Rockwell plant.
Around 1920, Smith added the full-width porch with paired columns on the front of the building, with high stone walls supporting the porch floor. The porch had a porte-cochere (“coach gateway,” or covered vehicular entrance) extension to the left and a curved wrap-around extension to the right.
In the photo, the window shutters also had been removed.
- See post – Smith / Rockwell / Kooltronic – H. A. Smith
Museum – Porch Sides Removed – c.1960
Meanwhile, the Hopewell Free Public Library had been formed in 1914, but was running out of space in its home at 15 Seminary Avenue (Fireman’s Hall), especially after a major bequest of materials in 1920 by Sarah D. Stout. The Hopewell Free Public Library and Museum Funding and Building Association was formed in 1922 to raise funds for a new home. In 1924, the combined Library and Museum moved into the first floor of the building, with the Library on the west side and the Museum on the right (with caretakers living upstairs).
Around 1960, the large front porch was removed, including the porte-cochere extension on the left and the rounded extension on the right. The front portico was reduced to a squared entrance area with no pediment, but still with double columns. Less visible because of the extensive shrubbery, the side porch floors and stone walls were retained, with stairs down the left side (partially visible) and the curved section on the right (more visible).
Another change shown in the photo was the removal of the pair of chimneys on the east side around 1970.
- See post – The Hopewell Public Library – Library / Museum
Museum – Front Portico Restored – 1999
The final major change to the Museum was the 1999 restoration of the front porch / portico back to the original design.
The portico was returned to the angled sides, with the triangular pediment and single columns. The stairs, handrails, and front brick walk also were reworked.
Also visible in the photo is the rear Hill Gallery addition, which was built in 1966.
- View Property Brief on 28 East Broad – The Hopewell Museum (1877) (PDF)
- Browse images of 28 East Broad in the Image Gallery
- See also: Chronological History of the Stout/Smith House (now the Hopewell Museum), Richard L. Porter, 2024 (Hopewell Museum PDF)
Please contact us if you have more information, photos, or other materials on the history of the Hopewell Museum
