Italian Renaissance Architecture

Brookline Village Fire Station // 1908

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

Built in 1908 from plans by the architectural firm of Freeman, Funk and Wilcox, the Brookline Village Fire Station is a massive, red brick structure with white sandstone trim and a copper cornice. Located on Washington Street in Brookline Village, the station stands out for its high-style Italian Renaissance style, notable for the use of brackets and off-center hose-drying tower with arched openings. The station replaced an earlier hose house, and was built before the fire department shifted to fire trucks, but was adapted later for larger fire apparatus. The station is one of the finest in the Boston area, and the Town of Brookline have done a great job preserving this significant structure.

Henry Block // 1873

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

Mid-late 19th century commercial blocks provide human-scaled density, high quality design, and often contain intimate storefronts providing reasonable rent to local businesses. The Henry Block in Westborough, Massachusetts, is one great example of a historic commercial building that checks all of these boxes. The brick building was constructed in 1873 by its namesake, Samuel Gates Henry (1813-1877), a pharmacist and dentist who rented space in an earlier building on the site. When a fire destroyed the old structure, Samuel Henry had this block erected on the site and leased out spaces in the building to other businesses and tenants in the floors above. The block is Italianate/Italian Renaissance Revival in style with the typical round arched windows and bracketed cornice. The granite storefronts even retain some of the original cast-iron supports.

Somerville Central Library // 1914

Buildings of New England3 Comments

The Central Library of Somerville, Massachusetts, is a landmark example of the Renaissance Revival architectural style for civic purposes and showcases the prosperity and growth of the city in the early 20th century. The building was the second library constructed on Central Hill,  with the city’s first library built on west side of Central Hill, near City Hill, and was designed by local architect George F. Loring in the Romanesque style. By the early 20th century, the old library was becoming outgrown and planning began for a new, larger library. A site at the eastern edge of Central Hill Park was selected, and following a $123,000 gift from the Andrew Carnegie foundation for funding a new library, the new library became a reality. Architect Edward L. Tilton, was hired to furnish designs for the building. Tilton was likely selected as his experience with modern libraries was a highlight in his works. The two-story Italian Renaissance Revival style building is built of blonde brick with limestone and terra cotta trim. The building is capped by a shallow hipped roof of green tiles. A character-defining feature of the building is the large, second-story round arched windows along with the string course between floors, decorated by alternating wreath, book, and animal skull medallions. 

John Endicott Peabody House – Ivy Street School // 1910

Buildings of New England1 Comment

This stately mansion is located at 200 Ivy Street in the Cottage Farm neighborhood of Brookline and was built in 1910 for Martha and John Endicott Peabody. Designed in a Renaissance/Colonial Revival style by architect John Worthington Ames, the house has since been converted to institutional use, but retains much of its original character. John Endicott Peabody (1853-1921) was a businessman and later got involved with the arts in Boston. The building was acquired for institutional use beginning in the 1950’s and was occupied as the St. Dominic’s Institute and has been owned by the Massachusetts Association for the Blind since 1976, and today is occupied by the organization’s Ivy Street School, a special education residential and day high school for neurodivergent youth to help prepare pupils for adulthood with the tools they need to achieve their greatest independence. The brick house is covered in stucco and features an elaborate stone door surround, symmetrical facade, and massive chimneys.

Assumption Roman Catholic Church // 1922

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

As Chicopee developed into one of the major industrial cities in Western Massachusetts, immigrant groups moved there, finding work at some of the major manufacturing companies. Irish and Polish churches were built and French and French Canadian residents too built their own church, where they could gather and worship in their native language. A wood-frame church was first built in the 1870s and used until it was destroyed by fire in 1912. It took a decade for the congregation to gather enough funds to purchase a new lot and build a new church, but patience was a virtue as their church is a stunner! The cornerstone for the church was laid in 1922 and the building was designed by local architect, George P. Dion, and constructed at the cost of $200,000. The building was dedicated in 1925 and is one of the finest, and most unique churches in the state. Italian Renaissance Revival in style, the church stands out for its 85-foot-tall campanile and cast-stone high-relief in the pediment at the facade. It is believed that within the relief, that depicts the figure of Mary surrounded by Cherubs, depicting the “Assumption of the Virgin,” George P. Dion used the likeness of his granddaughter as a face of one of the cherubs. The congregation moved out of the building but has been recently mortgaged to a new church, Iglesia Cristiana Casa De Paz y Restauración, showcasing the ever-changing demographics that keep our cities vibrant and stewards that do right by our collective history and buildings.

Poland Springs Bottling Plant & Spring House // 1907

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

The Poland Springs Bottling Plant and Spring House contribute to the rich history of what was once a major American spa resort. In as early as 1797, Jabez Ricker founded a hostelry at the springs on his property in Poland, Maine, and later claimed that drinking the water saved him from a serious illness, a claim that was expanded by other members of his family for generations. In 1876, Hiram Ricker, Jabez’s grandson, opened the Poland Spring House, a “watering place” or spa, acclaimed for its health-giving environment. While the grand hotel burned in 1975, the bottling plant and spring house designed and built in 1907, still remains on the grounds. In 1903 Hiram Ricker’s son, Edward P. Ricker, wrote to architect Harry C. Wilkinson, a native of Poland, Maine, to solicit a design for his proposed bottling plant and Spring House to allow visitors to drink the natural spring water. His idea of bottling the spring waters for transport and sale, which would eventually be the main catalyst for Poland Spring water today! The extravagant Italian Renaissance Revival style buildings sit side-by-side and are of a high-style despite the relatively utilitarian purpose of the facility. Both structures are very well-preserved and are operated as museums, to learn more about the history of the spring water and resort here.

Old Killingly High School // 1908

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

The Old Killingly High School is located in a densely built residential neighborhood east of downtown Danielson, a village of Killingly, Connecticut. The building has served the community for well over 100 years, but through various uses. The school was built in 1908 and enlarged with side wings in 1927. It was considered state of the art for its time, with fireproof construction, wide hallways, and large bands of windows to maximize lighting of the classrooms. Clearly showcasing the village’s wealth and hope for future prosperity. The school was even designed by Hartwell, Richardson & Driver, a leading architectural firm based in Boston, Massachusetts. The building served as the community’s high school until 1965, and as its junior high school 1966–90 until it was converted to a community center and police station for the town. The Renaissance Revival style building is a gem and while tucked away off the main street, it shines through some great maintenance and restoration from the town.

Old Nantasket Beach Police Station // c.1930

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

The area of Nantasket Beach in Hull in the late 19th century was a hotbed of taverns, thievery, and brothels. To counter this trend of unsavory uses, the Metropolitan Park Commission (MPC) of Greater Boston acquired about 25 acres of land at Nantasket, which included roughly one mile of shoreline extending north from Atlantic Hill in 1900. The initial appropriations provided for only minimal facilities, such as a bathhouse and a few incidental buildings, one of which was a waiting room for those arriving or departing from the new railroad station (since demolished) at the beach. The MPC hired the Olmsted Brothers landscape architects to design the paths and landscaping for the new park, and they worked with architects Stickney & Austin who designed many of the early buildings here. This stucco structure was built around 1930 and served as MPC offices and a police station until 1992. The building has been vacant since 1992, but a recent push to convert the nearly 100 year old structure into the Nantasket Center for the Arts is slowly materializing. Fingers crossed to see this building preserved and used for the arts!

Sacred Heart Church, Newton // 1899

Buildings of New England1 Comment

Built in the Italian Renaissance Revival style by architects Rand & Taylor, the Sacred Heart Church in Newton Centre of 1899 reflects much of the lesser-known history of the affluent suburb of Boston. As Newton’s population nearly doubled between 1870 (12,800) and 1890 (24,000), many Irish Catholic residents who worked in the mills and factories of the Upper and Lower Falls areas of town began to move to the suburbs, taking jobs at households of the affluent class in Newton Centre, as cooks, maids, gardeners and more. Residents of Newton Centre wanted a Catholic Church closer to their homes and work, so they established their own congregation in 1890. As the congregation grew, it was obvious that a new church in Newton Centre would be needed to provide services there. Ground broke on the church by 1891, but it took nearly 10 years until the building was completed. Architect Bertram Taylor of the firm Rand & Taylor, and resident of Newton Centre, is credited with designing the large edifice, which is dominated by twin hipped-roof bell towers. The interior of the church has some of the most elaborate plaster work in the Boston area and stained glass windows lining the walls. Early Pastors of Sacred Heart included two who went on to important posts: Francis C. Spellman (1933-39) became Archbishop of New York; and Richard J. Cushing (1939-44) became Archbishop of Boston.

Charlesgate Stables // 1892

Buildings of New EnglandLeave a comment

Buildings not built for people, but for horses! This handsome masonry building sits at the heavily trafficked corner of Newbury Street at Massachusetts Avenue in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston. It may get overlooked by some, but when you are not attempting to avoid shoppers on Newbury and cars and bicycles speeding along Mass. Ave., you’ll notice the amazing brickwork and details found on the former Charlesgate Stables. The building was constructed in 1892 as a five-story plus basement brick livery stable for owners Charles Kenney and Eugene L. Clark. Their permit called for storage of over 200 horses and other goods. The architectural firm of Peabody and Stearns designed the building to fit well within the surrounding area which is dominated by large, ornate townhouses and institutions. Inside the building horses were led up ramps to second floor stables leaving the first floor for carriage storage. This layout made it very difficult to save horses when fires occurred. The Renaissance Revival style building with contrasting brick was purchased by the Maxwell-Briscoe Trust after owners Eugene Clark died in 1907 and Charles Kenney died in 1909. The trustees were manufacturers of the Maxwell automobile, and they converted the former stable into an auto salesroom and garage, to keep up with the shift from horses to automobile. The building today has been converted to commercial use with retail on the ground floor and offices above.