At the time of completion, the Fay house represented the Greenes
most ambitious residential design since opening their office
in 1894. The decorative details suggest a debt to other architects
practicing in the same region, including Cornell-trained Frederick
Roehrig. The Greenes summoned from their experience as apprentices
in Boston the ability to design large stair halls in unpainted
wood (oak in this case), and the elaborate use of balconies
and porches pre-figures the classic Greene & Greene exterior
spaces of 1907-09.
