Thayer's White Mountain Hotel

In 1843, Henry Lowell Thayer (1817-1892), owner of an adjacent general store, secured this lot for a hotel. By 1850, local builders Andrew Scott and Jonathan Nurs had created an eclectic masterpiece that set a standard of scale and style for 19th century Main Street architecture. The entry portico has Italian-style balconies braced by scroll consoles. A fluted Doric colonnade supports a Greek Revival pediment with a Gothic Revival window. The roof, topped by a lantern-style, Italian cupola, is punctuated by formal dormers that echo the Classical façade. With running water and a spiral staircase, Thayer’s was both modern and elegant. It typified the transitional hostelries that displaced rustic taverns and presaged the region’s Grand Hotels. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Littleton, New Hampshire · United States