7. The “Sophie’s Choice” House, 101 Rugby Rd
101 Rugby served as an exterior filming location for the Meryl Streep film Sophie’s Choice. In the movie, the home is a pink boarding house where Streep’s character lives. After its big-screen debut, the pink paint was replaced with grey and white, but the home retained its stunning character. The defining features of this home are its pointy, red roofline, high-walled porch, and fanciful, arched window lintels.
This Queen Anne-styled home was designed by John E. Nitchie in 1900. Nitchie also designed the C.O. Bigelow apothecary in Greenwich Village. It was built for Colonel Alexander S. Bacon, a descendant of the English philosopher, scientist, and lawyer, Sir Francis Bacon. Proud of his lineage, the colonel had the Bacon motto and coat of arms worked into one of the home’s thirty-five stained glass windows. The Bacon family maintained ownership of 1010 Rugby until the 1950s.
