A masterpiece of domestic architecture, the Stoughton House was Richardson's purest engagement with the American Shingle tradition. The thin envelope of wood and shingles covers the roof and wraps an open interior plan focused on the living hall behind the conical stair tower. Richardson emphasized simple solid-void relationships, best seen in the central horizontal band of windows surmounting the inset porch. It was built for the mother of Harvard historian John Fiske. In 1900 Fiske commissioned Richardson's successor firm to add a wing for his library on the west end. Set behind a brick wall that unfortunately limits views of the main elevation, the house has been beautifully restored.