Overlooking Long Island Sound, the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion in Norfolk, Connecticut, was designed to showcase financier and railroad magnate LeGrand Lockwood’s wealth and status. A Norfolk native, Lockwood (1820–1872) purchased 30 acres in his hometown to build an opulent summer house for himself and his wife Anna Louisa Benedict (1823–1882).
Constructed between 1864 and 1868, the mansion was designed by the German-born and French-trained architect Detlef Lienau (1818–1887). A founding member of the American Institute of Architects, Lienau was credited for introducing the French Second Empire style (Napoleon III style) to America. The architectural characteristic associated with this style, which incorporates Victorian Gothic and Italianate elements, is the mansard roof (double sloping roof) with dormer windows. Second Empire architecture became so popular during America’s Civil War era that it was sometimes called the “General Grant style.”