The Goodwin House

The twelve-room Italianate-style house, known as the Goodwin House, was built in 1887 by Hudson D. Brock. Brock was a well-known individual in the community and passed away in 1920.  Then, the Goodwin family moved into the home, where James A. Goodwin spent his childhood. Goodwin also became a prominent figure in the community. Then the house was acquired by Waynesburg University.

Between the encouragement of the Waynesburg University President Timothy Thyreen, his wife, and planner Carl Johnson, the restoration of the Goodwin House was imminent. The house was named after Goodwin, both as a tribute to his childhood spent there in the 1930s and for the funding that came from the James A. and Mary S. Goodwin Trust. Carl Johnson insisted on maintaining the home because the Italianate style was too precious to fall to pieces.

The Italianate style of the house originated in England during the Romantic movement. The style derived from Italian villas and country farmhouses in Italy. The style migrated to America in the 1840s. It became popular in America as a retaliation against the structured homes that were popular at the time. Asymmetry was everything. The most notable features found with an Italianate house are tall, narrow windows with a smoothed frame. They also often have a one-story porch or portico over the entrance. Italianate houses were often two stories with exaggerated eaves, or an overhanging roof, with medieval-inspired brackets, and a square tower. Cast iron became accessible and inexpensive and was popular in decorating these houses around the doors and balconies. This style was also the first to showcase panes of glass in the doors. However, the style developed into a more Americanized version. The fame of this architectural style is due to architect Andrew Jackson Downing, who created Italianate homes and had them published in magazines. The Italianate style died out in the 1880s after a short-lived life in the spotlight.

The Goodwin House has an Americanized look to it. It is made of brick and consists of a low-pitched roof, a defining square tower, and slim windows. The house is one out of fifteen percent of Italianate homes that has a square tower to identify it as an Italian villa. There is also a wrought-iron veranda that overlooks the park, and a carved newel post and banister in the stairwell.  

During renovations in the 2000s, Mrs. Goodwin was the overseer for all things interior design. Several walls inside were taken down to enlarge the dining room for events and an intricate gold-framed mirror and chandelier were set above the dining room table. The kitchen and hardwood floors were also given an update and three guestrooms were renovated for Alumni or other guests upstairs. The living room now has a cream-colored carpet and showcases a Queen-Anne-style desk. The most prominent renovation is a plaque that sits on the entrance with Proverbs 24: 3-4, "Through wisdom a house is built. By understanding it is established. By knowledge, the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches."

The Goodwin House is now used exclusively by the university. It houses visiting Alumni, university events, and special dinners. It is typically not open to the public or students, other than for designated events.

Taylor, Lynda Guydon. Home Showcase: Waynesburg's Goodwin House restored and in use, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. April 11th 2004. Accessed April 3rd 2021. https://www.post-gazette.com/local/washington/2004/04/11/Home-Showcase-Waynesburg-s-Goodwin-House-restored-and-in-use/stories/200404110179.

White, Meghan. What Is Italianate Architecture?, National Trust for Historic Preservation. April 16th 2019. Accessed April 19th 2021. https://savingplaces.org/stories/what-is-italianate-architecture#.YH4eROhKhPY.

Wentworth Inc. Writers. Italianate Style (1840-1885), Wentworth Inc. Accessed April 20th 2021. https://www.wentworthstudio.com/historic-styles/italianate/.