The Lotta Crabtree Cottage (1885-86) is a Shingle style house in the Breslin Park neighborhood of Mount Arlington, New Jersey. Designed by the noted Philadelphia architect Frank Furness, it is a contributing property in Mount Arlington Historic District. [1]
Lotta Crabtree (1847–1924) was an American actress and comedian, best known for her Western roles. [2]: 260 Furness designed the Breslin Hotel (1886, burned 1948) [3] – a 175-room resort hotel built on a hill overlooking Lake Hopatcong – along with a number of summer cottages surrounding it. [2]: 258 A popular celebrity, Crabtree "was given this house as part of promotion for the Breslin Hotel." [2]: 260 She named it "Attol Tryst" ("Lotta" spelled backward), and summered there for 20 years. [4]
The 18-room cottage sits on land that slopes down to Van Every Cove. It is 2-1/2 stories on the land side and 3-1/2 on the lake side. The exterior features Furness's "upside-down" chimneys, with corbels that flare outward near the top. [5] An expansive porch/ piazza, including a semi-circular section that traces the curve of the parlor, wraps around three sides of the house. [2]: 260 The interior features Aesthetic Movement details characteristic of Furness, including a fireplace flanked by terra cotta dog-faced beasts. [2]: 261 The billiard room's massive stone fireplace once featured a mosaic that spelled out "18 - LOTTA - 86" in gemstones. [6]
References
- ^ Mount Arlington Historic District, from National Park Service.
- ^ a b c d e George E. Thomas, et al., Frank Furness: The Complete Works, (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, revised 1996). [1]
- ^ Dan Goldberg, "Lake Hopatcong's disappearing boathouses take regional history with them," Newark Star-Ledger, September 19, 2009.
- ^ Jason Hunter, "Lake Hopatcong's Most Famous, Part 2: Miss Lotta," Lake Hopatcong News, July 14, 2009.
- ^ Ellen Zeiper, "Frank Furness: An Eclectic Architect's Chimney Designs," American Art & Antiques, vol. 1, no. 3 (November-December 1978), pp. 62-69.
- ^ Jason Hunter, "Lake Living: Attol Tryst," Lake Hopatcong News, May 20, 2010.
External links
- Mount Arlington Historic District, from Living Places
- Lotta Crabtree Cottage, from Philadelphia Architects and Buildings
- Lotta Crabtree Cottage, from Fine Arts Library Image Collection, University of Pennsylvania
- Lotta Crabtree - the First American Superstar, from Facebook
40°55′57″N 74°38′03″W / 40.932438°N 74.634181°W
