Kenneally House // 1913

While Salem, Massachusetts, is best-known for its Colonial and 19th century architecture, there are some great 20th century buildings that deserve attention. This is the Kenneally House at 3 Williams Street, just north of the Salem Common, a c.1913 Colonial Revival home with great curb appeal. The house was built for Maurice D. Kenneally, a teamster, who lived here with his wife, Mary, and son, Patrick. Symmetrically arranged, the house has a center entry , with sidelights and an elliptical fanlight. The front facade is dominated by a full-width first story porch on paired Doric columns and a gable roof with Palladian window.

John E. Calhoun House // c.1912

This site, in the heart of Cornwall village, was once occupied by an early 19th century Federal style residence, built by the wealthy Pierce family in town. The Pierces’ large home was acquired by John E. Calhoun (1859-1940), a successful New York businessman, who retreated to his father’s hometown for summers away from the city. In 1911, a fire destroyed the home, which was wood-frame construction. This event mobilized Mr. Calhoun, who was untrained but interested in architecture, to begin planning a new summer residence, but of fireproof construction. Calhoun is said to have designed (and funded) the town’s library just years before, and modeled his home in line with the Colonial-era residences in the village, just larger and of brick. From the 1950s through the 1990s, the house was occupied by the headmaster and administration of the local Marvelwood School, but was re-established as a private home, a use that remains today.

Harriet Bennett House // c.1912

While most houses I have featured in Cornwall date to the early-mid 19th century, there are some great examples of early 20th century Colonial Revival dwellings, built at the time the town became eyed as a wealthy retreat for city-folk. This Colonial Revival residence was built for Ms. Harriet Bennett (1841-1928), an ardent suffragist and an active member of the Connecticut Woman Suffrage Association. Harriet was married to William C. Bennett and after his death in 1898, she devoted the rest of her life to charitable causes and giving back to others. As a widow and in her seventies, Harriet oversaw construction of this house, which was completed by 1912, in that same year, established the Cornwall Equal Suffrage League, hosting many of its events and meetings from this house. The League’s activities mirrored the efforts of suffragists throughout the nation. The house remains a well-preserved example of a house in the Colonial Revival style in town.

Francis and Sarah Cranston House // c.1895

The Francis and Sarah Cranston House is located on Bowen Street in the College Hill section of Providence, Rhode Island. Built circa 1895 for Francis Augusta Cranston (1837-1909) and his wife, Sarah (Hill) Cranston, the house is one of the best residential examples of Colonial Revival architecture in the city. Francis was the son of Barzillai Cranston, a descendant of Gov. Samuel Cranston, who held office from 1698 to 1727, being elected to office 30 times; serving as governor longer than any other individual in the history of Rhode Island. Francis worked as cashier of the Old National Bank of Providence for over fifty years and built this residence to settle into retirement. The residence is unique for its high-sloping hipped roof with two layers of dormers, corner quoins, Palladian window, and Ionic portico. I could not locate the architect, but if anyone knows, I’d love to give them their deserved credit!

Bigelow-Stuntzner House // 1896

The Bigelow-Stuntzner House is a large, Colonial Revival style dwelling located on a side street in Norwood Center. The house was completed in 1896 for Waldo H. Bigelow (1856-1926), a lumber dealer with offices in Boston. Mr. Bigelow clearly used the best lumber for his own residence here in Norwood, and his Colonial Revival style house stands out for its gambrel gable which exhibits a modified Palladian window with diamond-shaped panes and a key stone arch. The central entrance is sheltered by a portico supported by Tuscan columns. In 1919, the house was sold to Guido Stuntzner (1876-1964), a German immigrant who arrived in the U.S. in 1887 and went on to become a successful Norwood businessman. The Stuntzer’s lived in the home through at least the 1960s.

James Roope House // 1916

The only historic brick residence located in the charming Salem Willows neighborhood of Salem, Massachusetts is this stately Colonial Revival house at the corner of Bay View and Juniper avenues. The brick dwelling was constructed in 1916 for James Roope, President and Treasurer of the Salem Lumber Company. Designed by Boston architect, Gordon Robb, it is two stories high, with a shallow hipped roof. The central entry has leaded sidelights and a pedimented porch with trellises at the sides.

Wightman-Pope House // 1910

In 1910, Ralph Linder Pope (1887-1966) graduated from MIT and later became Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Northwestern Leather Co., Boston. He married Elizabeth S. Wightman two years earlier and her father, George Wightman, purchased a house lot near his own 1902 mansion in the Longwood section of Brookline, Massachusetts and had this brick residence built in 1910 for the new couple. Mr. Wightman commissioned the famed architectural firm of Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge to design his daughter’s home in the Colonial Revival style.

Sarah Bennett Matchett House // 1905

In 1905, Sarah A. Bennett Matchett (1833-1910), a widow, purchased a desirable house lot in the Longwood section of Brookline, Massachusetts. She inherited a large fortune upon the passing of her husband, William F. Matchett (1832-1901), who was the long time treasurer of the Boston and Roxbury Mill Corporation. The couple had no children, but she watched over her nieces and nephews following her brother’s death. Ms. Matchett hired architects Arthur Everett and Samuel Mead to design a large Colonial Revival style home on the lot, which was then built in 1905. Upon her death in 1910, she willed each of her four nieces and nephews $25,000 (roughly $800,000 (a piece) adjusted for inflation to today. She also willed $200,000 to Harvard College and funds to Massachusetts General Hospital and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. After her death, her Brookline residence was inherited by her eldest niece, Helen Maud (Bennett) Richardson and has been lovingly maintained over 110 years later!

Benjamin Green House // 1927

Located on Beech Road overlooking the “village common” of Longwood Mall, this 1920s Georgian Revival mansion showcases the curb appeal and perfect siting of suburban houses of the period . The home was built in 1927 for Benjamin Green, a real estate dealer and his family. The Green’s hired architect Harry Morton Ramsay, a noted area architect who specialized in suburban single-family homes of this period, to design the Georgian Revival style home. The brick residence features a symmetrical facade, half-round portico with Corinthian columns, round arched first floor and dormer windows, and decorative brickwork.

George G. Quincy House // 1909

If you love Colonial Revival style homes, the Longwood neighborhood in Brookline is a must-visit area to stroll around! This house is tucked away in the neighborhood and was a treat to stumble upon. This large home was designed by the underappreciated architect, James Templeton Kelley for a George G. Quincy. The Colonial Revival style dwelling is actually built of wood with a brick veneer and has an open pedimented entry with fanlight and transom surround. The round-headed windows on the first floor are especially notable.

Pope-Gardner-Robbins House // c.1870

Historians date the bones of this house in the Longwood section of Brookline, Massachusetts to the 1870s (or earlier), but its present appearance is definitely from the early 20th century. This is the Pope-Gardner-Robbins House on Colchester Street, a lovely span of stucco-sided homes in one of my favorite neighborhoods in the Boston area. An early (1874) map of the area shows this was the home of T. B. Pope, and later purchased by Harrison and Laura Gardner, husband and wife. Harrison Gardner was a founder (and served as treasurer) of the Boston Red Stockings of the new National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NABBP). The Red Stockings eventually became the Boston Braves baseball team and are now the Atlanta Braves. The multi-lot property was likely rented by Gardner for supplemental income and was eventually sold to Annette R. Robbins, who seemingly had this home renovated in the 1920s and others nearby built or renovated as well. The house is today an excellent (and fairly uncommon) example of a Colonial Revival style house with stucco siding.

Butterfield Mansion – Derby Line Village Inn // 1903

Once described in a local history book as: “The largest, most glamorous home ever built in this [Derby Line] village”, the Butterfield Mansion is one of Northern Vermont’s best early 20th century houses. The house was built between 1901-1903 for Gen. Franklin G. Butterfield (1842-1916) who before this, received the country’s highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor, for his action at Salem Heights, Virginia on May 4, 1863 during the American Civil War. He would eventually move to Derby, Vermont, where he established the Butterfield Company, who specialized manufacturing axle cutters. Butterfield hired architects, James T. Ball and Gilbert H. Smith of Boston, who also designed the Haskell Free Library and Opera House in town that same year, to design his Colonial Revival mansion and intact carriage house. Today, the Butterfield Mansion is known as the Derby Line Village Inn.

Edgar-Wolfe-Moore House // 1864

At the head of Touro Park, this large home has stood since it was built in 1864 for Daniel Edgar of New York, who made it his summer home for eight seasons. It was designed by noted local architect, George Champlin Mason in the Italianate style and included a broad veranda, brackets, and other intricate details. In 1872, Edgar sold the property to Catherine Lorillard Wolfe, who occupied the house until 1883 when her property “Vinland” was completed on Ochre Point Avenue. In 1948, the house was purchased by Cornelius C. Moore, who remodeled the exterior in 1949-1950, removing its Italianate trim and replacing it with Neo-Federal detail we see today. The house was most-recently in use as the Touro Park Inn, but was recently purchased and is a single-family home.

Pinderhughes House // c.1916

As much of the streets north of Franklin Park were developed in the early 20th century, a mix of middle-class apartment buildings and stately single-family homes began to sprout up. Boston contractor Hugh Nawn hired architect Julius Adolphe Schweinfurth to design this house, seemingly on spec, as an income-producing venture. Schweinfurth was employed by the architectural firm of Peabody and Stearns and worked as chief designer there until 1895, when he opened his own practice. His design for Mr. Nawn was this stately Colonial Revival style mansion, similar to Nawn’s own home just across the street, which overlooked Franklin Park. After WWII, Roxbury’s population saw an increase in Black residents, who began to be pushed out of the South End due to increased cost of living. This home was purchased by Dr. Charles A. Pinderhughes (1919-1998), Chief of Psychiatry at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in West Roxbury who also taught at Boston University, Tufts, and Harvard. He was engaged in the local chapter of the NAACP and advocated for African American residents when Urban Renewal began to destroy much of the surrounding neighborhood by the Mayor and Boston Redevelopment Authority. The Pinderhughes House is a well-preserved architectural landmark that also has ties to a more recent and overlooked history of the neighborhood. I hope this house stays like this forever!

Ashe House // 1898

North Adams, like many formerly industrial towns and cities in New England has some amazing old Victorian and Colonial Revival houses built before the factories closed. Luckily for us, this town still has many unaltered residences, with some needing more love than others. This is the Ashe House, built in 1897-8 for Patrick J. Ashe and wife Katherine O’Brien. Classical details from many different styles make this house unique. An oval window dominates the traditional Greek facade which includes a pediment and side pilasters. A palladian window sits over the elliptical porch which is supported by columns. This one has so much potential!!