When first built, The Chatham House, named for Walter Chatham, the original architect of the house, received much attention for its marked departure from the surrounding houses of the then nascent Town of Seaside. Mr. Chatham had originally designed the house for himself and his family to use as a beach house. Mr. Chatham took the code and responded with a design that reflected the spirit of the code and in doing so managed to adapt a regional type that later became known as the "dog trot house" in local parlance. For a long time after the architect sold the house, it remained in tact though a little rough around the edges. The new owner after a few years of enjoying the house as originally designed decided it was time to make adjustments to the house such that it would function in a manner more in keeping with his needs. The first phase of the project called for adding a bathroom and bedroom to an area that had once been used primarily for public functions. The vocabulary of the existing house was used in order to make the addition seamless- as if it had always been a part of the original house.
