The Armour-Stiner (Octagon) House is one of the most distinctive homes in the world. It’s the only known fully domed, eight-sided residence, and the only house modeled after Donato Bramante’s 1502 Tempietto in Rome. The Tempietto, with its elegant, circular form inspired by ancient temples, reflected America’s 19th-century fascination with classical architecture.
Octagonal houses became popular in America in the 19th century, following the release of “The Octagon House, A Home for All” by Orson Squire Fowler, a phrenologist, sexologist, and amateur architect. In 1872, Joseph Stiner, a tea merchant from New York City, bought a simpler version of the house and transformed it into the whimsical, ornate structure we see today. Stiner, intending to use it as a summer retreat, added a dome and a veranda, creating a visually striking, temple-like home that delighted visitors.
Over the years, the house attracted imaginative owners. In the 1930s, it was home to Aleko Lilius, a Finnish writer and explorer who had lived with a female pirate off the coast of China. One of the most famous residents was Carl Carmer, an author, poet, and historian who lived in the house from 1940 until his death in 1976. Carmer left behind stories of a resident ghost, and the house features in several of his works.
After Carmer’s death, the National Trust for Historic Preservation acquired the house. In need of repair, it became the first property the Trust sold to a private citizen, in 1978, to Joseph Pell Lombardi, a preservation architect specializing in historic restoration. Under the guidance of his son, Michael Hall Lombardi, extensive restoration work was carried out throughout the house, including in the Egyptian Revival Room, the basement, the kitchen, the greenhouse, and the studio.
Today, the house and its grounds have been restored to their 1872 appearance. The interior decor and 1870s furnishings are the finest example of the American neo-Roman style from that era. Michael Hall Lombardi has also reinstated the only remaining domestic Egyptian Revival room with its original 19th-century furnishings and decorations. The house has received numerous awards and has been the subject of many articles.
