francis costigan house

This home stood out among the tours of the day as the most unusual piece of architecture I had seen in a long time. Starting with the front door, the front door now was a pocket door! I thought the sign on the door to slide it back had to be a joke, but no that was how it worked! We were told that when the lot was purchased by Francis Costigan that it was so narrow, he had to make use of every inch of space. The front stairs were curved as were many of the walls making rooms appear to be larger than they really were. It is a beautiful home even though there is nothing left which belong to the family other than the house itself.

Visited here during our trip to Madison for the day, was a nice place, the design work was interesting to see.

It was one of the historical museum houses that was on the 2013 Christmas tour of homes and it is considered a architectural masterpiece of how fit a wonderful home into a very narrow lot.

I'm a local who visits HMI properties with house guests at least monthly if not more often. I sometimes stand outside waiting to avoid paying full price for a tour I know by heart. Lots of tourist towns offer a discount for locals to encourage such visits.

Ever wonder what an architect's design for his own home would look like? Ever wonder what it would have looked like in the 19th Century? Here it is, full of unique, delightful details. This house is only a few blocks North of the Lanier Mansion, and can be toured completely in just a few minutes - my daughter actually waited in the air conditioned car while I toured it (she was all toured out by that time). So it can be a quick visit, but it's still worth seeing. It's interesting to see what an architect like Costigan, whose vision was grand enough to produce the Lanier Mansion, did on a much smaller scale for his own little house. The very first thing you encounter when visiting this home - the front door - is one of the most interesting details. It SLIDES open; basically a pocket door. I have never seen an exterior entrance to an old home like that. Then there are the numerous curved walls on the inside. Even the wall with the front window, which can be seen to be completely square on the outside, is a surprising curve on the inside, complete with a curved 10 foot high door!I also found the stairs to be fascinating, if a bit impractical. They called it a "ladder staircase" - a long, straight flight of stairs to a small landing at the top, with another long, straight flight of stairs back down on the other side of the landing. The landing is so narrow that there's a safety gate in the middle to keep people from falling down the side opposite of the side they ascend. This gate is not some modern, legalistic government red tape requirement of the Americans With Disabilities Act. It appears to have been an original feature of this house.Finally, though the entire house is only 22 feet wide, the interior rooms are large and spacious - so careful was Costigan in arrangement and orientation of the rooms. He also has numerous closets throughout the house, which was a rare, forward-thinking idea at the time.If you have any interest in architecture, this home is not to be missed. If you also love history as I do, it's doubly interesting.

House is furnished with period furniture and wallpaper and paint is what would have been used in the home in the 1800s. It features at least two curved doorways which are really unusual. If you can make the tour during the Nights Before Christmas (last weekend in Nov and lst in Dec), you will see the home decorated as it was for Christmas in the 1800s. Tour guides are very knowledgeable and able to answer most questions.

Lots of nice features, both architecturally and furnishings. The tendency is to visit the sites nearest the Lanier Mansion. It's worth a trip to Third Street to see this place.

The house of this fascinating architect, designed by himself, is very cool with many architectural features. I loved all the red in the Parlor

As much as I enjoyed the Lanier mansion, my visit to Madison would not have been complete had I not visited this fascinating small but totally unique home of the architect who designed the Lanier mansion. Much of the unique architecture that is seen at the Lanier house is visible in the Costigan house. In addition, Costigan added many features unique to this house, including many that are pointed out by the very helpful docent. You can walk through the house at you own pace, touring most of the rooms on your own. There are very steep stairs to the upstairs of the house, so I do not recommend it for anyone who has trouble climbing stairs. As one of the many properties owned and restored by Historic Madison, Inc. be sure to ask for a combo ticket that will saved you a lot over the individual tickets.