Hope Terrace, Clinton Louisiana

Date added: March 29, 2024 Categories:

Hope Terrace is an important part of Clinton's stock of Greek Revival buildings.

Until comparatively recently, Clinton had six Greek Revival townhouses, but two were lost within the past fifty years. Of the four that remain, Hope Terrace is one of three that retain their original facades. (The fourth example, a large cottage form, was fitted with a Vieux Carre style cast-iron second-story gallery about forty years ago). So Hope Terrace, with its impressive facade and elaborate woodwork, stands as a major residential landmark of Clinton, as well as a vital part in the town's standing as a Greek Revival "mecca". Its importance in architectural history is that it illustrates the fact that major Greek Revival town residences were not very different from plantation houses. Hence, along with the other examples in Clinton, it shows something of the nature of the Greek Revival movement in the South.

Hope Terrace (1842) is a two-story frame Greek Revival town residence located near the Clinton Central Business District.

Hope Terrace has a five-bay front with a central entrance hall and a rear stair hall. The stair hall is set at right angles to the entrance hall, forming an "L." The plan is essentially one room deep with a short rear wing; thus there are only three major rooms on each floor. Chimneys are set between rooms on the interior walls of the house.

As originally built, Hope Terrace had a single-story, three-bay, fluted Doric gallery, a full entablature, and pedimented gable ends. It is not known what the original gallery roof looked like. Relatively soon after Hope Terrace was built, a second story was added to the front gallery with almost identical detailing. Although this created something like a full portico, there was never a pediment.

All the evidence suggests that the present hip roof surmounting the gallery is original to this early renovation. Of course, adding a second story onto the gallery necessitated adding a new central doorway upstairs to provide access. The new doorway matched the old one downstairs with side lights, a full entablature, and pilasters inset with a fretwork motif.

The interiors feature molded baseboards and fluted door and window surrounds with corner blocks. All six of the original mantels survive. Each of the downstairs mantels feature pilasters, an entablature with a pediment-shaped top, and decorative bolection molded panels. The upstairs mantels are simpler with flat panels and plain tops. Doors are of the four-panel type with false graining.

Since the addition of the second story onto the gallery, there have been few changes in the main block of the house. According to Ann Reiley Jones, the daughter of a former owner, there was a large galleried rear wing which was probably an addition. This no longer exists. Also, there was a late nineteenth-century rear lean-to which has been demolished. In about 1900 a two-story projecting bay was added on the west side. There have been minor changes in plan to accommodate bathrooms and closets.

Just east of the house is a c.1900 shotgun house which acquired a second story in about 1930.