• The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house reflects Gould's love of hardware and handicraft, with touches that include an iron spot brick fireplace, and red oak columns in many of the doorways. Photo: Contributed / Contributed
Photo: Contributed / Contributed
Image 1of/17

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 17
The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house reflects Gould's love of hardware and handicraft, with touches that include an iron spot brick fireplace, and red oak columns in many of the doorways. less
The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house ... more
Photo: Contributed / Contributed
Image 2 of 17
The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house reflects Gould's love of hardware and handicraft, with touches that include an iron spot brick fireplace, and red oak columns in many of the doorways. less
The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house ... more
Photo: Contributed / Contributed
Image 3 of 17
The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house reflects Gould's love of hardware and handicraft, with touches that include an iron spot brick fireplace, and red oak columns in many of the doorways. less
The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house ... more
Photo: Contributed / Contributed
Image 4 of 17
The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house reflects Gould's love of hardware and handicraft, with touches that include an iron spot brick fireplace, and red oak columns in many of the doorways. less
The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house ... more
Photo: Contributed / Contributed
Image 5 of 17
Image 6 of 17
The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house reflects Gould's love of hardware and handicraft, with touches that include an iron spot brick fireplace, and red oak columns in many of the doorways. less
The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house ... more
Photo: Contributed / Contributed
Image 7 of 17
The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house reflects Gould's love of hardware and handicraft, with touches that include an iron spot brick fireplace, and red oak columns in many of the doorways. less
The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house ... more
Photo: Contributed / Contributed
Image 8 of 17
The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house reflects Gould's love of hardware and handicraft, with touches that include an iron spot brick fireplace, and red oak columns in many of the doorways. less
The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house ... more
Photo: Contributed / Contributed
Image 9 of 17
The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house reflects Gould's love of hardware and handicraft, with touches that include an iron spot brick fireplace, and red oak columns in many of the doorways. less
The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house ... more
Photo: Contributed / Contributed
Image 10 of 17
Image 11 of 17
The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house reflects Gould's love of hardware and handicraft, with touches that include an iron spot brick fireplace, and red oak columns in many of the doorways. less
The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house ... more
Photo: Contributed / Contributed
Image 12 of 17
The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house reflects Gould's love of hardware and handicraft, with touches that include an iron spot brick fireplace, and red oak columns in many of the doorways. less
The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house ... more
Photo: Contributed / Contributed
Image 13 of 17
The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house reflects Gould's love of hardware and handicraft, with touches that include an iron spot brick fireplace, and red oak columns in many of the doorways. less
The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house ... more
Photo: Contributed / Contributed
Image 14 of 17
The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house reflects Gould's love of hardware and handicraft, with touches that include an iron spot brick fireplace, and red oak columns in many of the doorways. less
The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house ... more
Photo: Contributed / Contributed
Image 15 of 17
Image 16 of 17
The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house reflects Gould's love of hardware and handicraft, with touches that include an iron spot brick fireplace, and red oak columns in many of the doorways. less
The classic Foursquare-style house at 27 Green St. in Milford was built in the early 20th century by Alfred Gould, of Milford's Harrison and Gould's Hardware store. The 2,938-square-foot, six-bedroom house ... more
Photo: Contributed / Contributed
Image 17 of 17

MILFORD — There are benefits to living in a house built by a hardware aficionado.

That’s something Tina Franke has learned firsthand over the seven years she’s lived at 27 Green St. in Milford. The home was built in the early 1900s by Alfred E. Gould, the “Gould” in Harrison and Gould hardware store.

The store, which opened in 1907, was on Broad Street, not that far from Gould’s house. And Franke said Gould’s passion for hardware, good construction and interesting design is clear from the way he built his home.

Take, for example, the still-working fireplace in the house’s living room. It’s not the standard red brick structure one finds in most homes. Instead, it’s a white-ish brick, speckled with dark spots. It’s known as ironspot brick, and Franke said it was a somewhat unusual material at the time.

“They would bring it in on railroad cars from Ohio,” she said, patting the fireplace.

Other classical touches include the oak columns framing many of the doorways, the square newel at the foot of the staircase, and the pulls on the windows and built-in cabinets.

“It has retained so much of its original architectural detail,” said Franke, who is both the property’s owner and listing agent.

She and her husband are looking to downsize, so they are selling the 2,938 square foot house, which is listed at $579,900.

The house, and the hardware store to which it’s linked, have a history that stretches back more than 100 years.

Harrison and Gould, which eventually became just Harrison’s, was a staple of downtown Milford for years. In 2013, the site of the former hardware store became a Colony Grill pizza restaurant.

Franke said it was typical at the time for business owners to live near their businesses. Though town records state the house was built in 1900, Franke said, in researching deeds and other records, she learned that its construction date was likely closer to 1915.

At any rate, the house is at least a century old, and was built in the classic foursquare style, in which the house is typically shaped like a square with a pyramid-shaped roof and large front porch. Franke said homes in this style usually have four rooms on each floor.

“Each is a corner room, which was very important back in the day, because (homeowners) needed that for ventilation,” she said.

The front porch was also needed to help homeowners stay cool in the summer months, Franke said. Of course, today, the large roofed porch is used mostly for people-watching and relaxing.

The house has two-and-a-half bathrooms, a modern kitchen with granite countertops and lots of storage throughout. One of its interesting touches is a back stairway, which Franke said might have once been used by the home’s servants. She said her family doesn’t use it much — at least, not any more.

“The kids thought it was really cool when we first moved in here,” she said. “They used to run up and down it.”

Selling 27 Green St. is bittersweet for Franke, who loves the home and its classic character.

“I have a thing for old houses,” she said.

Do you know of a house or apartment building with an interesting story? Contact acuda@ctpost.com, and the home could be featured in an upcoming installment of Habitat.