Bridges House

Description and history

The New Hampshire Governor's Mansion is located in a rural-residential setting about 2 mi north of downtown Concord, on the west side of Mountain Road (New Hampshire Route 132) north of the East Concord exit from Interstate 93. It is set on eleven landscaped acres, with views toward downtown Concord, Rattlesnake Hill, and the Merrimack River valley. The house is a story brick building, with a side gable roof and end chimneys. It is oriented facing south, with a five-bay front facade. The main entrance is at the center, flanked by sidelight windows and topped by an entablature and granite lintel. Windows are set in rectangular openings, with granite sills, and granite lintels on the first-floor windows. The street-facing east facade has a pedimented brick gable with a deep recess at the center and ogee crown moulding along the rake edge.

The house was built by Charles Graham about 1836. It is a particularly early example in the state of Greek Revival architecture executed in brick, a building material that was only then beginning to come into wider use for home construction in central New Hampshire. Styles Bridges, governor of New Hampshire (1935–37) and U.S. senator for 25 years thereafter, lived in the house from 1946 until his death. Bequeathed to the state upon the death of his widow Doloris Bridges, in 1969 it became the governor's official residence.{{cite web

During the 1980s, New Hampshire First Lady Nancy Sununu oversaw the first major renovations in the mansion's history.

Not all governors live in the mansion during their tenure. Recent examples include John Lynch, a resident of nearby Hopkinton, and Maggie Hassan, a resident of Exeter, who resided instead on the campus of Phillips Exeter Academy where her husband, Thomas Hassan, served as principal.

References

References

1. {{NRISref. 2009a
2. "New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places". New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources.
3. ["NRHP nomination for H. Styles Bridges House"]({{NRHP url). National Park Service.
4. Porter, Steven. (2024-09-09). "Nancy Sununu remembered for her devotion to N.H. political family". [[Boston Globe]].
5. Tracy, Paula. (2024-09-07). "Nancy Sununu, Former NH First Lady and Governor’s Mother, Dies After Battling Alzheimer’s". InDepthNH.org.