Massachusetts Architecture

Ludo Poole House // 1829

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Rockland, Massachusetts, was first populated by European settlers in 1673 as the northeastern region of the town of Abington. The town separated and incorporated as Rockland in 1874, due, in part, to issues on how the town spent its tax dollars on schools. The town name was likely selected due to the rocky soil found there, which was better-suited for mulls and industry than for farming. The Ludo Poole House, seen here, was built in 1829 at the corner of Union and Exchange streets, at an intersection which became known as ‘Poole’s Corner’. The house was built for Mr. Ludo Poole (1803-1870) and his new wife, Mary Josselyn Poole, who would raise eight children here. The property was inherited by the couple’s eldest son, Ludo Augustus Poole, who worked at a local shoe manufacturer and served in the American Civil War. The property remained in the Poole family until 1951. The property was owned in the late 20th century by John Burrows, who renovated the interior thoughtfully to blend original Federal-period elements with English Arts and Crafts style.

Frederick Sears Cottage // 1851

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The Frederick Sears Cottage in the Cottage Farm neighborhood of Brookline, Massachusetts, is significant as one of the major surviving examples of Gothic Revival domestic architecture in the Boston area. In 1849, wealthy Bostonian, David Sears (1787-1871) laid out parks and squares in the Cottage Farm neighborhood, and built houses for himself and his children. His own house, erected in 1843, was the oldest, soon followed by houses for his four daughters, Ellen d’Hautville, Harriet Crowninshield, Anna Amory, Grace Rives, and son, Frederick. The Frederick Sears Cottage is the only surviving Sears residence in the Cottage Farm neighborhood. Frederick Sears‘ cottage was built in 1851, though he did not occupy the house long, as just three years after he and his wife married in 1852 to move into this home, Marian died. The house was inherited by Frederick Sears Jr. , and was acquired by Boston University in 1960, who began to expand into this neighborhood. They maintain the significant property very well. The Sears Cottage is an excellent example of the Gothic Revival style in stone with scalloped vergeboards, quatrefoil motifs, corner quoins, and projecting entry. The house is constructed of Roxbury Puddingstone and is said to have been designed by George Minot Dexter.

John Endicott Peabody House – Ivy Street School // 1910

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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.

Arnold Shoe Factory // 1875

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Moses Noyes Arnold (1844-1919) was born in Abington, Massachusetts and began making shoes in his free time, a task that would make him his fortune later as an adult. After serving in the Civil War and mustering out in 1863, he began a shoe-making business from his father’s property before renting a small factory space in town to increase operations. His company continued to grow and it was decided that Arnold would build his own factory in town. In 1875, Moses N. Arnold began the building of the main wing of the present brick shoe factory near the railroad station in North Abington. As the M. N. Arnold Shoe Company grew, five additions were made until it attained its present capacity of 3,000 pairs of shoes daily. The company weathered the collapse of the stock market in 1929 but the economic instability took its toll on the company, leading the company to sell in 1931 to the Stetson Shoe Company of South Weymouth. This factory was sold at auction and later in 1943, was purchased by The Abington Company which manufactured, installed, and serviced vacuum cleaning systems for textile factories. The handsome brick, Italianate style factory remains in a great state of preservation, and showcases the type of factories built all over New England following the Civil War. 

Peerless-Capitol Theater // 1894

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Located across from the North Abington Depot, this structure was constructed in 1894 as a leather harness and saddle shop by local businessman, Henry Crossley. The expensive building of cut granite and brick seemed to have overextended Mr. Crossley’s means, as he would soon-after file for bankruptcy. The building would remain as commercial use until 1915, when the property was purchased by the Peerless Amusement Company for use as a 300-seat theater. By the 1930s, the building became known as the Capitol Theater, and was listed to seat 230 customers on the main floor and 70 in the balcony. Due to the more rural nature of the cinema, it closed in the mid-20th century, and suffered from neglect for decades until it was restored and is currently housing apartments. 

Island Grove Park Memorial Arch // 1912

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The Abington Memorial Arch and Bridge at Island Grove Park was dedicated on June 10, 1912 as part of the town’s bicentennial observances. The Grove had been a popular meeting place for the Massachusetts Anti-slavery Society, with William Lloyd Garrison, Wendell Phillips, Abby Kelley Foster, and Lucy Stone among the many prominent reformers who spoke there. Abington resident and Civil War veteran, Capt. Moses Arnold, donated a large marker in 1909 to commemorate the abolitionist meetings at Island Grove, this act led the local GAR Post to begin planning a Civil War Memorial Bridge and Arch for the community. The 17-acre park is comprised of a peninsula jutting into Island Grove Pond, a 35-acre body of water which was created by impounding the Shumatuscacant River in c. 1700 for industry. The area has a significant history, first as an industrial site, then as an amusement park, before it became the wooded park it is now. The Memorial Arch and Bridge serves as the main entrance to the park, and was designed collectively by architect, J. Williams Beal, landscape architects, the Olmsted Brothers, and sculptor, Bela Pratt. The municipal park is a beloved local landmark and host to many events.

Dr. Gridley Thaxter House // 1798

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The Dr. Gridley Thaxter House on Washington Street in Abington, Massachusetts, is one of the most significant properties in the South Shore town, not only for its architecture, but also its owners. The house was built in 1798 for Dr. Gridley Thaxter (1756-1845), a ship’s surgeon in the Navy during the American Revolution. He married Sarah Lincoln (1761-1810), the daughter of Benjamin Lincoln of Hingham, a Major General in the Revolution and served from 1781 to 1783 as the first United States Secretary of War. Dr. Thaxter and his new bride acquired land in Abington, and moved there where he would serve as the town’s doctor. After his death, the property was inherited by Elizabeth Thaxter Hunt, the couple’s daughter, and her husband, Joseph Hunt. It was Elizabeth, who added the Italianate window hoods and a cupola (since removed) at the roof, “modernizing” the family homestead.

Orcutt-Ford Homestead // c.1751

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In about 1751, Emerson Orcutt (1713-1777) purchased land in North Abington, Massachusetts, and built a half cape for his family. In 1762, Orcutt sold some of the land to John Ford, who was later a Lieutenant in the Continental Army, and according to local tradition, Ford added the other half of this current Georgian Cape house, giving it the current configuration. Character defining architectural details include an entry surround with fluted pilasters, and dentil cornice band on the main facade, 12-over-12 sash windows, and the central chimney, which would have heated both sides of the house. The property remained in the Ford family for over 100 years, and has since been converted back to a single family residence. Today, the charming pre-Revolutionary cottage is one of the oldest extant houses in Abington.

First Congregational Church of Abington – Abington Masonic Hall // 1819

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The First Congregational Church of Abington, Massachusetts, was established in 1711. Besides the First Church, there were three additional churches founded in the town’s other villages: The Second Church in South Abington (now Whitman) Third Church of East Abington (now Rockland), and the Fourth Church at North Abington. This edifice was the third building of the congregation, and was built in 1819. The structure was only used as a church for 30 years until 1849, when the congregation built a new church nearby. This structure was sold and converted to a Masonic Hall and District Court for some years. Major changes to the building include the destruction of the steeple from the Gale of 1869, and in 1885, the present entryway was added, extending about 20 feet from the facade to provide a more adequate stairway to the second floor. Today, the building is used as a church for a local Brazilian congregation.

First Congregational Church of Abington // 1849

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Abington, Massachusetts was first settled by Europeans in 1668 and was officially incorporated in 1712. Its namesake was is said to have been set by Governor Joseph Dudley as a tribute to Anne Bertie Venables, Countess of Abingdon, wife of the second Earl of Abingdon, who helped Dudley secure the governorship of the Colony of Massachusetts from Queen Anne. Governor Dudley noted in its decree that, “the Town be named Abingdon”. A marginal note on the document gave the spelling as “Abington” with a “t”, which has served as the spelling ever-since. At the center of town, this handsome church is the fourth edifice of the Congregational Church Society in Abington, Massachusetts, and replaced the third church, which was occupied for just thirty years until 1849, when this Greek Revival structure was built. Located a stone’s throw from its former home, this church showcases the increase in membership and relative wealth of the congregation by the middle of the 19th century. The structure with its flushboard siding and bold Doric pilasters, features an arched center entrance and multi-stage tower containing a clock and enclosed belfry.