Francis Haley House

Front view of Francis Haley House
Photograph by Kathleen McKenney, courtesy of the City of Cumberland

Francis Haley House

The Francis Haley House is a good example of mid-19th-century middle-class domestic architecture, with Italianate elements, in Cumberland. Throughout various eras in American history, middle-class house builders across the country adapted elements from popular 19th-century architectural styles, such as the Italianate, Gothic and Victorian. These styles were applied with a more limited range of features to homes for the middle-class in a way that was less expensive, yet indicated the modernity of the house and its occupants. The Haley House is typical of this type of house form in Cumberland, and provides a contrast to the city's elaborate upper-class Italianate houses, such as those within the Washington Street Historic District.

The Haley House was built around 1870 for successful local brick manufacturer Francis Haley. Haley was active in the brick trade from the 1840s until his death in the early 1880s. In 1875, he was appointed a member of the committee for building a new city hall. Haley was partially responsible for the construction of the surrounding Rolling Mill neighborhood, where his extensive brick yards were located, along with industrial B&O Railroad operations for which the neighborhood was named. With the growth of the railroad, Rolling Mill rapidly expanded. The Haley House was one of the neighborhood's most elaborate homes. His appropriately brick house has been altered very little since Haley's occupancy, and is still comprised of two perpendicular rectangular blocks with low gabled roofs that are supported by brackets. The windows in the gable end feature rounded arches and the interior details are simple, yet massive. A portion of the original iron fence manufactured in Ohio, still separates the house from the street.

The Francis Haley House is located at 634 Maryland Ave. It is a private residence, and is not open to the public.

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