31: John W Busiel House

The John W. Busiel house is one of the most significant domestic structures in Laconia. It is a local reminder of New England's preeminence for over a century in the American textile industry and of the Winnipesaukee River valley's chief contribution to the development of American technology.

The house is a French Second Empire frame residence consisting of a two-story plus mansard main block with a two-story wing extending to the east side. Busiel purchased the lot for $800 and built his home opposite Beacon Street where he had a view of his mill.

In 1905 the Roman Catholic Bishop of Manchester purchased the property from the Busiel estate.  It has been the rectory for St. Joseph Parish but today is a private residence. It has been meticulously maintained by both owners and is in an excellent state of preservation. Except for the moving and subsequent demolition of the barn and removal of the observatory or cupola, its integrity is remarkably intact. It is one of the city's finest basically unaltered historic residential properties, the oldest and about the last surviving example of post-bellum architecture which once lined both sides of that part of Church Street.