The Klir Beck House, also known as The Gnomes, was a historic house in Vienna, Maine. It was an architecturally idiosyncratic house, built by the artist Klir Beck as a summer residence. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977,[1] and was destroyed by fire in 2000.[2] It was delisted in 2017.
Klir Beck House | |
Formerly listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
   | |
| Location | Vienna, Maine |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 44°30′26″N 70°0′5″W / 44.50722°N 70.00139°W |
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1927 |
| Built by | Beck, Klir A. |
| NRHP reference No. | 77000067,[1] updated to 100001239 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 23, 1977 |
| Removed from NRHP | June 30, 2017 |
Description and history
editThe Klir Beck House stood in a rural area of Vienna, west of the village center of adjacent Mount Vernon, in a setting of woods, fields, and lakes. It was a 1+1⁄2-story structure, built out of a combination of materials. It had an irregularly coursed stone foundation, a ground floor finished in half-timbered brick, and the half story was finished in half-timbered stucco. The roof was gabled, with a cross gable section and main gable end that each feature a projecting hipped overhang, with a carved wooden balcony in the style of a Swiss chateau. Some of the wall sections created by the half-timbering were further decorated, several exhibiting a lotus pattern on a brick background. The interior was equally rich and fanciful, including a compass set in stone on the living room floor.[3]
The house was built in 1927 by Klir Beck, in part by adapting and altering an existing 19th-century farmhouse. Beck was well known in artistic circles, and is credited with creating dioramas that are displayed in the Maine State Museum.[3] In January 2000, a fire broke out in the basement, resulting in the destruction of the house.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b Perry, Donna (January 27, 2000). "The Gnomes offered art, history". Franklin Sun-Journal.
- ^ a b "NRHP nomination for Klir Beck House". National Park Service. Retrieved April 16, 2016.