Dr. J. Porter House

The Dr. J. Porter House stands in what is now a rural-suburban area south of Southington center, on the east side of Belleview Avenue just east of its junction with Meriden Avenue. It is a 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, with a side-gable roof, central chimney, and clapboarded exterior. It has a five-bay front facade, with the second floor projecting slightly beyond the first. The main entrance is at the center, flanked by sidelight windows and sheltered by a Greek Revival portico. The portico has fluted Doric columns rising to a plain entablature and a low-pitch hip roof. The interior retains a number of original features, including wide floorboards in some of its rooms, and four fireplaces, including one with a beehive oven. Also preserved is the original front staircase, a traditional colonial winding stair set in the front vestibule.^[2]

The house is estimated to have been built about 1728. It was purchased in 1754 by Dr. Joshua Porter at the time of his marriage; Porter was described as one of the town's largest landowners, and as a prominent owner of slaves. The Greek Revival portico is a 19th-century alteration.^[2]

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Southington, Connecticut