208 Goundry Street

This is the Kent House or Kent Place or Kent Mansion, once one of the most beautiful mansions on the street, and home of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander G. Kent.

Kent was a lumberman.  Mrs. Jessie Kent was a Ransom.  The Alexander G. Kent plot in Sweeney Cemetery contains a number of Ransoms, including two Asa Ransoms.  Alexander's son, Alexander R. Kent, is buried in another plot in Sweeney Cemetery, but Alexander G. Kent is not in the cemetery.                

The house was designed by the firm in which Stanford White was later involved as an architect. White had designed Madison Square Garden and the New York Central terminal in New York City.  It is believed that his father may have designed this house.        

The house had several porches and balconies, Tiffany glass windows, an imposing wide hall and staircase with many landings and wall niches for statuary, many large rooms, and beautiful Victorian furniture and Oriental rugs.  There was an exquisite Tiffany leaded glass window which caught the morning sun and reflected a myriad of colors.            

Converted to many apartments over the years, the present owners hope to restore the home and convert it into a bed and breakfast.              

Mr. Kent attended the Chicago Columbian Exposition in 1892 and brought back many Oriental rugs from a Mr. Costigan, a rug dealer.  Mr.later married one of the Kent daughters.

The large grounds surrounding the house contained many beautiful trees and flowering shrubs.  The Kents built a treehouse in an old apple tree in the yard for their granddaughter.  The home's backyard extended through to Christiana Street.  On an 1875 map, it indicates that Grelman and Upson families lived on this extension of the Kent property.   Almost directly behind this home, at 103 Christiana, is a Victorian house which was originally Harry Clark’s home. Mr. Clark was Treasurer of State National Bank.