Lizzie’s Houseplans?
Says the auction title: Lizzy Borden Mansion. Orig. Blueprints. One of a Kind. Only $3000! Not an auspicious start to a very expensive offering when they get the spelling of the main character’s name wrong! Lots of errors in the listing too. See if you can spot them.
Up for auction is a piece of American History and perhaps the end to a 100 year old mystery?
The images in this auction are photos of a one of a kind set of blueprints that Lizzy Borden requested of a prominent architectual firm for the design of a victorian mansion that she wanted to have built for her and her sister. There are eight blueprints to this set. They were designed by the very fashionable architectual firm of ANGELL and SWIFT Architects of Providence, Rhode Island. The design depicts a very elaborate (even for victorian times) mansion that Lizzy Borden wanted built with her fathers money. These are authentic documents and gauranteed to be the only set in existence. The title block says: “Plans for the Residence of Misses Borden Fall River, Mass. Angell and Swift Architects, Providence, R.I..”
The real intrigue here is that this design was contracted before the murder of her parents. Had they been available for admission as evidence in her court trial, she might not have been acquitted. How do I know this? These blueprints were given to me by a friend of my mother. His Grandfather was a contracter in Fall River, Mass.. and was asked to quote on this design. The story that goes with these documents is that when Lizzy Borden approached her father with the plans he absolutely refused her the money. He had a reputation as playing his bank account very close to his vest.
We cannot specifically identify the exact date that these documents were drawn up (as they are not dated), but the contractor who originally handled them for quote claims they were before the parents were murdered. According to the many books written about this sensational trial, when it was over Lizzy had paid off so many Lawyers and judges (and jury members) that she had little money left to build such a grand home. She settled for something much more modest in the area.
These documents have been examined by Sotheby’s and the Lizzy Borden Museum in Fall River, Mass.. They are claimed to be authentic. Sotheby’s quoted a verbal auction estimate of $5-6,000 dollars. ANGELL and SWIFT Architects designed some of the most prominent homes on the East Side of Providence and can be gooogled on the internet.
There are eight 19″ x 26″ blueprints in this set. I only photographed seven. The missing one is the Second Story Plan. This is a tremendous collectors opportunity. Think about it; had these documents been admitted as evidence for motive would you acquit her?
Final note: On the tombstone of the Borden family housekeeper it reads: “Secrets Never Known”.
Balderdash. Lizzie never paid off jurors or judges. Lizzie’s housekeeper (unnamed here) did not have this written on her tombstone.
And since there is NO DATE on these drawings, how are we to know “that this design was contracted before the murder of her parents”? Plus, if the seller had these appraised through Sotheby’s, then why are they not handling this auction? And last, but not least, Borden was a common name in the Fall River area. Don’t you think that these might have been made up for someone else?
No true provenance, no true date, no true connection, facts wrong in the auction listing, incorrect understanding of the case. All this adds up to trouble. Stay away!
June 26, 2006 at 2:28 am
A glance through this seller’s feedback is interesting.
defensive and almost profane in some of his replies to unhappy customers.