"The Makens Bemont House, also known as the Huguenot House, is a major historical landmark in East Hartford. Although it has been relocated and has had to have considerable interior reconstruction, it is one of few remaining 18th - century houses in the town. East Hartford for over 75 years has been undergoing intense commercial, industrial, and residential development, and what few historic buildings remain have mostly been altered beyond recognition or have had to be moved from their sites. The Bemont House is a typical small dwelling from the 18th century, and as such is an important part of the town's heritage, an importance recognized by the broad-based preservation effort which saved the house from destruction.
Built in 1761, the Bemont House exhibits many of the typical characteristics of its period: a central chimney plan, five-bay facade with the entrance in the center, and a heavily framed structure visible in the interior as protruding girts,, summer, and posts. The gambrel roof and hipped dormers are less common than the usual gable roof, but the gambrel shape is nevertheless a frequent variant found on small houses. The house incorporates many of the usual 18th century building practices: breaks in the molded cornice to form caps over the windows, beaded window frames, feather-edged wainscotting in the rear room, and beaded casings on the visible structural members.
At the same time, the house has several features which make it distinctive: Instead of a rubble underpinning, the Bemont House sits on brownstone blocks, a local stone used extensively in the Connecticut Valley but rarely found elsewhere in the 18th century. Brownstone also appears in the entrance steps and the walls of the fireplaces, two of which have a highly unusual trompe l'oiel effect imitating brick sides. The hipped roof dormers, with their rare vaulted interior, illustrate how even a small, relatively plain house often has unusual details that set it apart from its neighbors. Lastly, the Bemont House is noteworthy because of the size and number of closets included. Most 18th-century families stored their things in chests, on pegs, and in cupboards, but the Bemonts apparently preferred real closets, paying a price with the very narrow front stairway and small hall or porch.
The house was built in 1761 by Edmond Bemont and, sold four years later to his son Makens. Makens Bemont lived in the house till his death in 1826. He was a saddle-maker by trade, and is said to have supplied the Revolutionary army. Although he was an artisan, he accumulated considerable property in his lifetime, including many shares in the Hartford Bridge and in local banks. He held office as the tax collector for East Hartford, and was one of only a few citizens to own and use a carriage. This house, built at the start of his career, is small and unpretentious and probably is an accurate reflection of the social status of the 18th-century craftsman.
The house was moved in 1971 from its original location nearby. Facing imminent demolition, the house was saved by local citizens who arranged for its relocation at the entrance to a nearby park, a site which contributes to the house's public visibility. They also raised money to restore the house to a realistic 18th-century appearance. Interior paint, clapboards, woodwork and sash were all matched to remnants of the original, which in most cases were left in place. While much of the interior hardware, chimney stack, mantels, panelling, and kitchen fireplace are or shortly will be reconstructed, a great deal of authentic, original material remains, including some clapboards, molded window frames, interior beaded beam casings, floors, old doors, fireplaces, the front stairway, closets, and extensive wainscotting. This historical material makes the Makens Bemont House a valuable architectural resource for the people of East Hartford" - National Register Nomination