Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum

New Bedford, United States

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

Wheelchair access: Accessible
Phone: +1-508-997-1401

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Heritage registerNational Register of Historic Places↗

The Rotch–Jones–Duff House and Garden Museum at 396 County Street in New Bedford, Massachusetts, is a Greek Revival mansion built by architect Richard Upjohn in 1834 for William Rotch Jr., marking Upjohn's first house commission. The property sits on land Rotch inherited from his father and reflects the wealth generated by New Bedford's nineteenth-century dominance of the whaling industry, a legacy shared by the three families—Rotch, Jones, and Duff—whose names the museum now bears. Rotch commissioned an ornamental garden in the rear that subsequent owners substantially enlarged. After remaining in private hands for over a century, the house was purchased by local preservationists in 1981 and converted into a historic museum. Designated a National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, it is part of the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park and today serves to educate visitors about both whaling history and environmental conservation through its gardens and educational programs.

Architect

Richard Upjohn

Movement

Greek Revival architecture

Built: 1983
Type: house
Heritage: National Register of Historic Places listed place, National Register of Historic Places contributing property
Place: New Bedford, United States

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Location

41.63028, -70.92833