Brookline Real Estate

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.

Amos Lawrence Rowhouses // 1876

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Amos A. Lawrence (1814-1886), a wealthy Boston merchant, owned land holdings in the present-day Longwood neighborhood of Brookline, just over the Muddy River from Boston, and developed the area into a wealthy and high-quality suburb. Lots were laid and Lawrence hired civil engineer, Ernest Bowditch, to plat for multiple sets of distinctive rowhouses surrounding a small green mall, which was later named Monmouth Court. Once the property was laid out, Amos Lawrence hired the Boston architects, J. Pickering Putnam and George T. Tilden, to design rowhouses for rental income. George Tilden was previously employed at the firm of Ware & Van Brunt, a firm that mastered and popularized the panel brick style in the Boston area in the 1870s and 1880s, and he clearly built upon this expertise for the rows for Amos Lawrence in Brookline. All four rows of houses are distinctive, yet compliment each other stylistically with projecting bays. intricate brickwork, complex rooflines with dormers, and applied ornament. This row at 10-18 Monmouth Court was from the designs of partner, J. Pickering Putnam and was highlighted in an architectural publication soon after completion. The row exhibits a slate mansard roof disrupted by dormers with trusses, lancet arch and trefoil motifs, polychromatic brick and pent roof entrances all stepping out to the private courtyard.

Adolph and Marion Ehrlich House // 1906

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The Adolph and Marion Ehrlich House on Beech Road in Brookline’s Longwood neighborhood is a stunning blend of Arts and Crafts and Tudor Revival styles, popular in early 20th century Boston suburbs. The house was designed by the firm of Andrews, Jaques and Rantoul, for Adolph Ehrlich (1868-1952) and Marion Ratchesky Ehrlich (1877-1966). Adolph was born in Boston and at the age of 11, began work in the textile business. He climbed the ranks and became a partner in a clothing company before becoming a director of the Jordan Marsh Department Store Company from 1925 until his death in 1952. His wife Marion was heavily involved in social causes until her death, including the Louisa May Alcott Club, a settlement house in Boston for young, predominantly immigrant girls.

Gahm House // 1907

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Located in the Longwood neighborhood of Brookline, Massachusetts, the Gahm House stands out not only for its size, but stunning details and architectural design. This house was designed in 1907 by the architectural firm of Hartwell, Richardson & Driver, one of the premier firms of the region at the time, who blended Arts and Crafts with Tudor Revival styles with a notable front entry. Joseph and Mary Gahm hired the firm to design their new home the same year the firm designed a bottling plant (no longer extant) in South Boston for Mr. Gahm’s business. Joseph Gahm was a native of Wurtemberg, Germany, who emigrated to Boston in 1854 and initially worked as a tailor. In the early 1860s, Gahm opened a restaurant in Charlestown, by the late 1860s he added a small bottling operation to this business. The bottling business soon expanded to such an extent that he was able to give up the restaurant business and open a large bottling plant in 1888. He eventually moved operations to South Boston where there was more room for transportation and shipping capabilities. Their stuccoed house in Brookline is especially notable for the well preserved carvings at the entrance, which include: faces, floral details, lions, and owls perched atop the newel posts. What do you think of this beauty?

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. 

Harrison Gardner House // c.1873

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The Harrison Gardner House on Colchester Street in the Longwood section of Brookline is a stunning late Victorian residence that was “modernized” in 1887 to its current configuration. Harrison Gardner (1841-1899) was a Civil War veteran who arrived back in Boston becoming a wealthy dry goods wholesaler, later investing in Massachusetts mills. On January 20, 1871, Harrison was a founder and treasurer of the Boston Red Stockings of the new National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NABBP). The team’s name  changed multiple times, eventually landing on the Boston Braves, which would later move to Atlanta to become the Atlanta Braves in the MLB. With increased wealth and status, Harrison Gardner in 1887, hired the prestigious architectural firm of Hartwell and Richardson, to update his Brookline residence with additions and renovations in the Queen Anne and Shingle styles. Years after his death in 1899, Harrison’s widow, Laura Perkins Harrison, moved out of the large Longwood home and into a new, Arts and Crafts style stucco residence on Amory Street, designed by William Gibbons Rantoul.

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.

Amory-Boit House // 1865

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Built in 1865, the Amory-Boit House on Colchester Street in Brookline‘s exclusive Longwood neighborhood, is a stunning Second Empire style home with connections to prominent local families. The residence has a one-story stone base which meets the slate mansard roof providing two-and-a-half stories above which are crowned by iron cresting at the peak of the roof. The property was one of the early homes built in the area, developed by David Sears, one of the wealthiest property owners in Boston, who recognized the potential for development of this marshy area of Brookline due to its close proximity to the city. 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 rented to friends and family with the other as his primary country house. This home was later sold to real estate and insurance businessman and author Robert Apthorp Boit (1846-1919). Robert Boit published the novel, Eustis in 1884 and his family history, Chronicles of the Boit Family and Their Descendants, in 1915. The home and its neighbor had been undergoing renovations for a while and are located within a local historic district.

Max Katz House // 1947

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Built in 1947, the Max Katz House on Kent Street in Brookline, Massachusetts, is one of the area’s best examples of Mid-Century Modern residential architecture. The main block of the house has an angle roof line with its facade dominated by a massive stone chimney. The residence was designed by architect Samuel Glaser, one of the earliest practitioners of Modern architecture in the Boston area, for Max Katz (1895-1996). Katz was born in Lithuania and came to Boston with his mother when he was nine years old. He founded the Merchant Tire Company in 1922 and was also one of the original organizers of Brandeis University. He and his wife, Augusta, lived in this Modern home for much of their lives. The Katz residence retains much of its architectural integrity and is an excellent and well-preserved example of 1940s Modernism.