The Missing Cupola
When one looks at the Octagon House they may notice how incomplete it appears. There seems to be the need for a third and final tier atop the suddenly flat roof. The framing in the attic suggests that there was at one time a cupola atop the Octagon House. The mystery is: What happened to it? Donald Quinn, the son of the owner William Quinn, offers some insight to the subject. He recounts that the destruction of the cupola happened sometime in the 1930's when Donald was only seven or eight. Apparently one day William decided that the cupola, for reasons unknown, would be taken down and not replaced. After demolishing the Cupola, Donald remembers that his father was impressed with the view he had created. Today all that remains is an empty space on top of the house surrounded by a wooden frame. The loss of the cupola drastically takes away from the antebellum style of the house, and thanks to the installation of the overpass, William's "nice view" was destroyed. The mystery of the cupola is not so much a question of where it went, but why.
When one looks at the Octagon House they may notice how incomplete it appears. There seems to be the need for a third and final tier atop the suddenly flat roof. The framing in the attic suggests that there was at one time a cupola atop the Octagon House. The mystery is: What happened to it? Donald Quinn, the son of the owner William Quinn, offers some insight to the subject. He recounts that the destruction of the cupola happened sometime in the 1930's when Donald was only seven or eight. Apparently one day William decided that the cupola, for reasons unknown, would be taken down and not replaced. After demolishing the Cupola, Donald remembers that his father was impressed with the view he had created. Today all that remains is an empty space on top of the house surrounded by a wooden frame. The loss of the cupola drastically takes away from the antebellum style of the house, and thanks to the installation of the overpass, William's "nice view" was destroyed. The mystery of the cupola is not so much a question of where it went, but why.
Works Cited:
Quinn, Donald. A Home For History: Cupola. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print
*Pictures were taken by Olivia Will, courtesy of Ms. Jane Lang and the Neenah Historical Society.