- 1580
许国相府的平面布局为“凹”字形，是徽州民居三合院的典型代表。建于明万历初。阁老府为一大建筑群，门外有石狮、牌坊，内有大厅、花园、藏书楼等。此为书房。它的木架制作是典型的明代样式：楼下较矮，房间临天井开窗，方格窗扇，装有带望柱、净瓶荷叶的窗栏；楼上较高敞，柱端、梁头都雕有生动的卷云、奔浪，脊桁下的垫木雕成花带。椽上铺望砖，再盖瓦。临天井通间用方格窗扇。因为明朝人把楼上当作主要生活场所，所以注重楼上的装饰。
The floor plan of the Xuguo Mansion is in the shape of a “concave” character, which is a typical example of the Sanheyuan (three-sided courtyard) layout of Huizhou residential houses. Built in the early Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, the Grand Secretary’s Mansion was a large architectural complex. Outside the gate, there were stone lions and memorial archways, while inside, there were grand halls, gardens, and libraries, among other structures. This particular section served as a study. The wooden framework of the building is typical of the Ming Dynasty style: The lower floor is relatively low, with rooms opening onto a sky well through square lattice windows, which are equipped with window bars featuring balustrades and lotus leaf patterns. The upper floor is more spacious, with columns and beams carved with lively cloud and wave patterns, and the pad wood under the ridge beam is carved into floral bands. Above the rafters, there are ridge tiles, followed by the roof tiles. The entire space facing the sky well is fitted with square lattice windows. Since the Ming people considered the upper floor as the main living area, they paid particular attention to its decoration.
