Colonial Revival

Merrill Rowhouses // c.1896

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Around the turn of the 20th century, much of Brookline, Massachusetts, saw rapid development and suburbanization as the area streetcars and subway made Boston better-connected to adjacent communities. Developers eyed un- and under-developed lots near major corridors and stations to develop denser housing at varied success. In the Longwood neighborhood, Luther Merrill owned property along Beacon Street and in the more established wealthy neighborhood, where he sought to build. Taking cues from the surrounding context and precedence for rowhouse development, Merrill hired the local architectural firm of Ball and Dabney to furnish plans for a five-unit row. The firm designed the four-story building in the Colonial Revival style with its upper floor set back off the facade to give it the appearance of a three-story structure, to better fit with the surrounding character. The five privately owned rowhouses feature rounded bays and recessed paneled entrances, some surmounted by large swans neck pediments.

Eisemann Mansion // 1905

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Among the area’s best examples of a high-style Colonial Revival residence of the early 20th century, the Eisemann Mansion on Monmouth Street in Brookline’s Longwood neighborhood stands out not only for its scale and massing, but unique architectural details. The dwelling was built in 1905 for Selly and Albert Eisemann, both German-born Jews who immigrated to the United States and originally lived in New Mexico before moving to Brookline in their retirement. Albert was a retired wool merchant, and clearly made a name for himself out west, hiring local architect, James Templeton Kelley, to furnish plans for his large mansion in Longwood. With a boxy form and five bay facade (with six smaller windows at the third floor), the center-hall mansion is notable for its elaborate first-floor windows with individual cornices, recessed entry set between Ionic columns, and recessed niche balcony over the entry as a unique interpretation of a Palladian motif. 

McInnes-Morse House // 1901

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Located at the corner of Borland and Chatham streets in Brookline’s historic Longwood neighborhood, the McInnes-Morse House stands as one of the area’s finest and stately Colonial Revival style homes. The three-story residence contains a three-bay main block with two-story side wings and central entrance. A rusticated first floor is surmounted by clapboarded walls above with two-story fluted pilasters dividing the bays and a central Palladian window. The facade is further embellished with dentilled cornice and egg-and-dart mouldings. The residence was completed in 1901 for Edwin G. McInnes, a lawyer, and his wife, Mabel, who split their time between this home and a residence in Manchester-by-the-Sea. The second owners were Theresa J. Morse and her husband, Alan. Theresa worked full-time at the regional office of the War Labor Board in wage control, processing cases involving the metal trades and wartime industries. After the war, she became active in the League of Women Voters and was appointed to the Brookline Housing Authority, where she advocated for smaller-scale public housing integrated with social services. The residence remains well-preserved and commands this prominent corner across from the Longwood Mall. I could not locate the architect for the home, but would love to find out!

Amory-Richards House // 1865

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Built in 1865 along with its neighbor and later renovated in the Colonial Revival style, the Amory-Buckingham House on Colchester Street stands as an altered, yet historically significant residence in Brookline’s important Longwood neighborhood. A large lot on Colchester Street was purchased by Dr. Robert Amory (1842-1910), who in 1864, married Marianne Appleton Lawrence (1843–1882), daughter of Amos Adams Lawrence, a major developer of the nearby Cottage Farm neighborhood of Brookline. This stone cottage, one of two neighboring homes built at the same time for Dr. Amory was likely his main residence when not residing at his Boston townhouse or summer residence in Bar Harbor, Maine. The property was sold by the end of the 19th century to Edwin Buckingham and in 1902 to George L. Richards, who had the home expanded with an additional floor added with gambrel roof. A detached stable was also constructed around this time.

Lawrence School // 1929

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The Lawrence School in Brookline, Massachusetts, is a stunning example of a public school building built in the interwar period in the Colonial Revival architectural style. Constructed in 1929, the building replaced an earlier, Stick/Queen Anne style school designed by the firm of Peabody & Stearns. The school is named after Amos A. Lawrence (1814-1886) a prominent local landowner in Brookline. When the earlier school building was outgrown and deemed obsolete, planning began for a new, modern school building for the community. The new Lawrence School was designed by R. Clipston Sturgis a notable local architect who specialized in the Colonial Revival style, and opened in September 1930. The handsome brick building is in the form of a long rectangular block with two perpendicular wings at each end. At the center of the main block is the principal entrance with its columned portico on a projecting pavilion all in cast stone, a cheaper alternative that resembles limestone.

Blenheim Apartments // 1898

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As Brookline, Massachusetts, saw rapid development in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, developers redeveloped lots formerly occupied by single-family residences and built large, multi-family triple-deckers and apartments, specifically in neighborhoods in close proximity to train stations into Boston. This building, constructed in 1898 by local builder, John H. Pineo, for owner, Walter H. Whittemore as an investment property. The building contained six apartments as a double triple-decker with two units on each floors accessed by a central entry and stairwell. The building has been known as the Blenheim Apartments and blends Queen Anne and Colonial Revival styles into a single, eclectic composition. The large massing is broken up by both the undulating facades and roof with projecting bays, dormers and corner towers, along with the applied ornament of panels, dentils, corbels and broken pediment motifs. If all multi-family housing looked like this, people would not complain about density as much!

Second Unitarian Church of Brookline – Temple Sinai // 1916

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An excellent example of an early 20th century church designed in the Colonial Revival style, the former Second Unitarian Church of Brookline (now Temple Sinai), was built when much of the surrounding neighborhood was developed and as a result, is tucked away off main streets, creating a unique viewshed for passersby. Brookline’s second Unitarian Church was formed in 1896, with the congregation holding its first meetings at Sears Chapel in the Longwood neighborhood nearby. Decades later, the Second Unitarian Society was urged to find another place for its congregation as the Longwood church wanted full access of their building. The Unitarians purchased a lot of land adjacent to their Parish House in Coolidge Corner (no longer standing) and gathered funds to hire architect, Edwin J. Lewis Jr., who is said to have designed the new edifice as a contemporary take on Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia. The church features a monumental portico supported by four Ionic columns, round arched windows, and a center tower that (at the time) was surmounted by a golden dome, visible for miles. Since 1944, the former church has been home to Temple Sinai, a reform synagogue that was established in 1939. The Jewish congregation here has maintained the building making slight changes to meet its needs. 

Former Pleasant Street High School // 1910

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The former Pleasant Street High School in Sharon, Massachusetts, is an excellent example of early 20th century school architecture and adaptive reuse in a small Massachusetts town. The square, two-story, Colonial Revival style school building replaced an earlier school and was designed in 1910 by the firm of Adden & Parker. As with many communities, the school was outgrown and outdated after WWII and a new, consolidated high school was built in town. The former Pleasant Street school closed by 1981 and was subsequently converted to housing by the Sharon Housing Authority. The building is part of a local historic district, ensuring its preservation in perpetuity.

First Church of Christ Scientist, Sharon // 1928

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Located on North Main Street in Sharon, Massachusetts, the community’s Christian Science Church was built in 1928 and is a great example of a diminutive chapel designed in the Colonial Revival style. Before it was completed, the Sharon Christian Science Society had been meeting and holding Sunday services in rooms at the Town Hall and other churches until funding was secured for their own house of worship. Customary of all Christian Science churches, the Christian Scientist in Sharon needed to have the building completely free of debt before being dedicated. The church was designed by architect Prescott A. Hopkins, who was likely the first person to receive a master’s degree in architecture at MIT before moving to Atlanta to became the first head of the Architecture Department at Georgia Tech. The building features a large Palladianesque window at the facade and twin curved entry porches at the facade.

Former Sharon Public Library // 1914

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Built with funds donated by Andrew Carnegie as part of his push to expand access to libraries and books to millions of Americans, the former Sharon Public Library in Sharon, Massachusetts, stands as a great example of an early 20th century library built in the Colonial Revival style. Planning for a public library in the town of Sharon began in the 1870s when the town voted to appropriate money gained from charging dog licenses into a fund for a free public library. Additional funds were later added and a collection was set aside in the old Town Hall where the library occupied two rooms. By the 1910s, the circulation and use grew to a point that a new, purpose-built library was needed for the community, but funding was short and Sharon did not have any major benefactors to fund its library like so many other communities in New England at the time. As a result, an application is made to Andrew Carnegie for assistance. Months later, the sum of $10,000 was offered for the planning and construction of the library, costing the community nothing. Boston architect C. Howard Walker was selected to furnish plans for the Sharon Library, which was such a success that the building would be featured in numerous architectural publications after completion. The former Sharon Public Library remains one of a large number of Carnegie Libraries in New England and was subsequently expanded by rear additions in the late 20th century before a new library nearby was completed in 2025. It is not clear what will become of the 1914 library, but it remains in great condition and a lasting landmark on the town’s Main Street.