The Bell Mansion located at 429 State St. (formerly 416 Crescent St.) was built in 1830. The mansard style that you see today was added by Walter Allen in 1880. This style also called the Second Empire Style, was immensely popular in the the Northeast and Midwest during the 1860s and 1870s. It began in France during the reign of Napoleon III and is based on the designs of Francois Mansart. The mansard roof with its usable attic space is the key element of this design. Also note the eaves with brackets and columned porches.
As with many homes built during this period, the kitchen and laundry were located in the basement with the primary living space on the first and second floors.
A number of notable city residents have lived in this home. Walter Bicker Allen, was a prominent businessman in Ogdensburg. He was born in 1824 the son of E. B. Allen and Harriet Seymour Allen at Sault Ste. Marie. His father E.B. Allen was an early resident of Ogdensburg. In 1861 he married Helen Egert; they had three children. Mr. Allen was involved in shipping and owned a hardware store. He served as a city alderman beginning in 1868, and was a trustee of the Presbyterian Church. He died in 1884 and is buried in the Ogdensburg Cemetery.
The Bell Mansion is named after another notable resident, Willard Bell. Dr. Bell married Harriet Allen, daughter of Walter Allen and assumed ownership of the home in 1905. Dr. Bell was a specialist in the treatment of eye, ear, nose and throat ailments, who practiced in Ogdensburg until his death in 1920. He was born in 1857 the son of George and Ellen Howe Bell. His brother Charles was a partner in Bill Bell and Co. Flour Mill. Dr. Bell married Harriet Seymour Allen in 1884. She was born in Ogdensburg in 1863. The couple had two sons, Walter Allen Bell, who owned a lumber business and George Allen Bell who moved to Bangor, Maine. Mrs. Bell died in 1952.
In recent years the Bell Mansion has not only been a private home, but has also housed a bridal shop.
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