Guy Lowell

Ames Gymnasium // 1902

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

Most people know about the philanthropic gifts of buildings from members of the Ames Family to the community of Easton; like the Ames Memorial Building, Ames Library, Unity Church, town offices, railroad station, and multiple schools, but less know about this charming early 20th century building, the Ames Gymnasium. Located on Barrows Street in North Easton Village, this building was constructed in 1902 at the behest of local philanthropist and suffragist, Anna C. Ames (1840-1917), as the Ames Gymnasium for use by the Oliver Ames High School named after her deceased husband, Oliver. Anna Ames financed the construction of the gymnasium building, which included a large central gymnasium, three small rooms at the rear for music instructors, and a larger room for band rehearsals. Ames also financed the electrification of the nearby high school, funded by her late husband. For the construction of the Gymnasium building, Anna Ames engaged the noted Boston architect, Guy Lowell (1870-1927), a specialist in the Colonial Revival style. After Anna’s death in 1917, her cousin, Mary Shreve Ames Frothingham and her husband Louis A. Frothingham, purchased the Gymnasium from Anna’s estate in 1921 to function as a headquarters for the Red Cross and the American Legion, converting it to a public hall. The building remains in use by the town for some committee meetings and events.

Wayside Estate – Easton Town Offices // 1912

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

One of the many grand estates built in Easton, Massachusetts, by members of the Ames Family, Wayside is the last constructed as the Gilded Age was coming to an end. Mary Shreve Ames (1867-1955) was the daughter of Frederick Lothrop Ames and the granddaughter of Oliver Ames Jr., President of the Union Pacific Railroad and great-grand-daughter of Oliver Ames Sr. who founded the Ames Shovel Works in Easton in 1803. In 1912, Mary hired Boston architect, Guy Lowell, to design her country estate in her ancestral home of Easton. The grand Georgian Revival style estate has two main elevations, a grand entrance accessed by a circular drive, and the street elevation, which is more restrained. Four years after completing Wayside, in 1916, at the age of forty-nine, Marry married Louis Adams Frothingham, a Harvard graduate who had served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as Speaker of the House before he was elected Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts in 1908 and re-elected in 1910. After Mary’s death in 1955, the Wayside Estate was placed on the market as the family sought an owner who could properly care for it. At the time, Easton’s Town Offices were overcrowded, and after discussions with the town officials, the Ames heirs donated Wayside and the surrounding property to the town with the restriction was that no building would be constructed from the front line of the house to Elm Street, obscuring its view. Wayside remains a great example of the Ames Family’s generosity and the impact that the wealthy family had on this small town.

Former Weeks Junior High School – Weeks House // 1931

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

Adaptive reuse projects will ALWAYS get love on here!

Originally constructed in 1931 as the Weeks Junior High School in Newton Centre, Newton, this architecturally significant school building is the finest local example of the Tudor Revival style in that use. The Weeks School was designed by Ralph Coolidge Henry and Henry Parsons Richmond, architects who were draftsmen for Guy Lowell, one of the greats, and the successors to his practice upon his death in 1927. The design for the Weeks School is of traditional brick and cast stone, with its main entrance through a large Gothic arch at the center of the building. Two wings extend parallel to the tower and then bend back at 45-degree angles, creating the distinctive U-shaped form, which provided ample natural light in all classrooms. After a consolidation of local schools in the mid-20th century, the Weeks School closed, but was beautifully rehabbed in 1984 into housing as the Weeks House. Today, the building is comprised of mixed income housing of about 75, one-, two- and three-bedroom units.

Cumberland County Courthouse // 1910

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

The Cumberland County Courthouse in Portland, Maine, designed by Guy Lowell, architect of Boston with local associate architect George Burnham was designed in 1906 and completed in 1910 and is the best in Classical Revival architecture. On the north and east sides is a three-story addition built between 1988 and 1991 by Terrien Architects Inc., showcases how Modern additions can be contextual and recessive, highlighting the historic buildings which they are attached to. What do you think of the original courthouse and its addition?

Unitarian Church of Barnstable // 1907

Buildings of New England3 Comments

Early in the 17th century, the Rev. John Lothrop and his followers left England for these shores seeking religious independence. They settled first in Scituate and a few years later came to Barnstable, arriving in 1639. They constructed their first meetinghouse in 1646 on Coggins Pond, about a mile west of this church. Lothrop’s second dwelling in Barnstable is the current Public Library in town (featured previously). In the early 19th century there was considerable theological debate in the “churches of the standing order” in New England. Many churches actually split over this debate, the traditionalists becoming Congregationalists and the liberals becoming Unitarians. The Eastern Parish in town was thus occupied by the Unitarians. In 1836 the original meeting house was removed and a new, larger one was constructed. It was destroyed by fire in 1905, and planning began for a new church. The present edifice was dedicated in 1907, and was designed by architect Guy Lowell, the architect of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the New York County Courthouse. His traditional, Classical designs were featured in publications all over the country. This church in the Classical Revival style is one of the finest on Cape Cod.

Hawthorn Hill Estate // 1903

Buildings of New England2 Comments

The only estate in Lancaster that can rival the Nathaniel Thayer Estate in size and grandeur is the OTHER Thayer estate, built for Bayard Thayer. Sitting on over 55 acres of forests and gentle rolling fields, Hawthorn Hill is one of the most impressive mansions in Central Massachusetts. The property is so secluded that I had to rely on real estate photos to share! The listings mention that there are over 40 bedrooms and 27 bathrooms… Bayard Thayer (1862-1916) is the grandson of Nathaniel Thayer, Unitarian minister of the First Church of Christ in Lancaster and son of Nathaniel Thayer, a banker. When his brother was willed the family estate (featured previously) after the death of their father, Bayard used the opportunity to build a modern estate high upon a hill in town. The mansion was built in 1903-1904 under the direction of Guy Lowell, a renowned Boston architect of the time. In 1907-1908, Little and Browne were commissioned for landscape alterations and in 1914-15, Ogden Codman Jr. was commissioned to renovate the interiors. Bayard died one year later, and the property remained in the family until around WWII. In 1953, the property was acquired by the Boston Cenacle Society, who added a massive dormitory addition to the building. Recent plans were unveiled to subdivide the land and build house lots on half the estate, which gives me mixed feelings.