This lovely Colonial Revival style house on Powell Street in Brookline was built in 1904 for Charles H. Owens, Jr., an interior designer who just two years later, built another home next door that he would reside in with his own family. This house was rented to John R. Perry, who was also listed as a “decorator” in city directories and president of Perry, Lewis & Whitney, a design firm. The house (like its neighbor built two years later), was designed by the architectural firm of Loring and Phipps and was oriented southward to face the side yard. The Perry House features small projecting oriel windows, a broad gambrel roof, and an entrance portico supported by Tuscan columns.
By the end of the 19th century, Brookline’s connection to Boston via the streetcars opened the town up to suburban development unlike anything seen before. From this, Boston businessmen could move to the suburbs for more land and live in larger single-family homes while commuting to the city for work. This large house in the Cottage Farm neighborhood was built in 1899 on speculation and purchased by George and Annie Andrews, who two years later, built a stable on the adjacent lot. Architect Robert Coit, specialized in large suburban houses, primarily in the Boston-area suburbs, and showcased his design talents for this Tudor Revival home. Tudor Revival style ornament include the second story over-hangs supported on brackets, the diamond pane sash and casement windows, vergeboard with finials, and portico with steep gable.
Eclectic houses of the late 19th and early 20th centuries are my favorite as they showcase how architects of the time blend features and break the strict mold of academic styles. This example is found in the Cottage Farm neighborhood of Brookline and dates to 1905. Designed by relatively unknown architect, Alfred Lyman Darrow, who studied at MIT, before opening his own practice. The house was first owned by Hugh G. Brown, who founded the Brown’s News Company and the Hotel & Railroad News Company. The house exhibits half-timbering in the gable ends and decorative corbelled chimneys that derive from the Tudor Revival; the front porch parapet appears to derive from the Spanish Mission style; along with stucco siding and unique windows typical of the Arts and Crafts movement.
One of five houses built by developer Albert Jewell along Powell Street in the Cottage Farm neighborhood of Brookline, this residence stands out for its materiality and stately design. The house was designed by J. Williams Beal, an architect who trained at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and then worked for McKim, Mead & White before opening his own business. The house was first purchased from Mr. Jewell by Grace and Edwin Kramer, who worked as superintendent for R. H. White & Co., the large dry goods store in Boston. The next long-term owner was Harry B. Duane, a wealthy grocer. The Kramer-Duane House is unique for the stone veneer at its facade, gambrel roof covered in slate, and varied window styles including: bay windows, dormer windows, and an eyebrow dormer window at the roof.
This house at the corner of Freeman and Powell streets in the Cottage Farm area of Brookline, Massachusetts, was one of the first to be built on Sears family land in the years following the death of the family patriarch, David Sears. In 1871, Dennison Dean Dana (1827-1899) purchased land here from the Sears heirs and constructed this Italianate house with three-story square tower. Dana owned the house through the 1880s, and by 1893 it had been acquired by Albert L. Jewell, a real estate developer who added the large veranda and a two-story addition to the house, and would subdivide the property, developing fashionable houses along Powell Street to the south. The house (while clad in asbestos shingles since the 1960s) is an important early residence in the neighborhood which is today, dominated by late 19th and 20th century architecture.
Despite its name, this handsome mill structure, known as the Pawtucket Hair Cloth Mill, is actually located in Central Falls, Rhode Island. The building, located on Roosevelt Avenue on the banks of the Blackstone River, is a great example of a Civil War-era mill, built for one of the many wool and cloth companies in New England. Begun in a small factory across the street in 1856, this business became successful after the acquisition of patents for weaving haircloth (most of the raw material for which originally came from Russian horse markets) for upholstery, crinolines, and inner linings. The company is said to have once been the largest producer of haircloth in the world. The Italianate style mill stands pretty much as built, besides the tower that has lost its low pyramidal cap. The building was one of the first commissions by great Rhode Island architect, William Walker, who was just 34 at the time of designing this large, and complicated structure.
Built in 1889 at the same time as the Central Falls City Hall across Broad Street, this former fire station in Central Falls, Rhode Island, is a great example of late 19th century architecture for a civic use. The fire station was built in the dense Central Falls village, before it separated from Lincoln, creating their own city. The brick, Queen Anne style structure features a unique mansard roof which is broken by a series of pedimented dormers. The original arched doors have since been infilled, but maintain the original openings, awaiting a thoughtful restoration. The fire station was designed by Pawtucket-based architect, Albert Humes. Due to ever-growing fire trucks, the historic station was eventually deemed obsolete, and a new station was built elsewhere. Today, the former Broad Street Fire Station is occupied as the Morabeza Health Center.
Built adjacent to and two years after the construction of the Essex County Jail in historic Salem, Massachusetts, this 1813 brick Federal style house was originally the jailkeeper’s residence. It has been speculated that the house was built by Samuel Field Mclntire (1780-1819), son of preeminent Salem carver and master carpenter, Samuel Mclntire, although there is no conclusive evidence. The house displays a 5 x 2-bay massing and is capped by a hip roof with three, large brick chimneys and a center entry with elliptical fan light transom, sidelights, and shallow portico. The jail was in operation until 1991, and at that time was considered the oldest active penitentiary in the United States. Years prior, in 1984, several detainees had successfully sued the county for inadequate living conditions, leading to the closure of the building. A preservation restriction was established for the building and in 2009, the property was conveyed to a developer who converted the complex into 23 apartments, with 19 in the old jail, three in the old jail keeper’s residence, and one in a converted carriage house. The great preservation/adaptive reuse firm of Finegold Alexander Architects furnished the plans for the successful renovation that provided a new life for a once crumbling eyesore.
The former Essex County Jail is a large and significant building in Salem, Massachusetts, that has seen a recent rebirth thanks to the intersection of historic preservation and the demand for new housing in many New England communities. Constructed of large, Rockport granite blocks, the building was constructed in two phases—the section to the east was constructed in 1811-13 while the parallel west wing dates to 1884, with each of the construction dates inscribed at the top of the pediments on the south elevation. Completing the complex is the 1813 Jailer’s Residence which sits at the edge of the now enclosed courtyard. Those who were committed here were largely sentenced to short terms, many for the offense of drunkenness or petty theft. Inside, prisoners did all the labor, such as cooking, baking, firing the boilers, etc., with the female inmates making clothing for all inmates. The jail was in operation until 1991, and at that time was considered the oldest active penitentiary in the United States. Years prior, in 1984, several detainees had successfully sued the county for inadequate living conditions, leading to the closure of the building. A preservation restriction was established for the building and in 2009, the property was conveyed to a developer who converted the complex into 23 apartments, with 19 in the old jail, three in the old jail keeper’s residence, and one in a converted carriage house. The great preservation/adaptive reuse firm of Finegold Alexander Architects furnished the plans for the successful renovation that provided a new life for a once crumbling eyesore.
Bounded by three streets and overlooking the town Common, this stately house in Salem, Massachusetts, showcases a blending of Queen Anne and Colonial revival styles. Built in 1897 from plans by Boston architect, Alfred Fernald, the house was constructed by and for its first owner, Joseph Parsons, a Civil War veteran and house builder. The Parsons family continued to live in the house until Joseph’s death in 1915, after which his widow, Minnie, sold the property and moved to Florida. Dr. Ignatius Zielinski purchased the property in the 1920s and divided the house into a physician’s office and several residential units. Tragically, Dr. Zielinski died while serving his country during WWII, and the family would retain the property until 1987. The house is unique for its materiality with the first floor consisting of ashlar, rough-faced stonework with a wood-shingled second story, stained glass windows and a wrap-around porch.
One of the most recognizable buildings in Salem is the former East Church, now occupied by the Salem Witch Museum. The East Church was constructed between 1844 and 1846 for the oldest branch of the First Church of Salem, which originally organized in 1718. The stunning Gothic Revival church has been credited to architect Minard Lafever (1798-1854), a prominent New York architect known for his Gothic, Greek and other Exotic Revival style buildings. Constructed of brownstone, a material Lafever utilized for his New York City churches built at the same time, the East Church exhibited pointed arch stained glass windows, crenellation resembling battlements, and once featured two, four-stage octagonal towers, which were cut down in the 1920s to their current height. The church suffered from a massive fire in the early 20th century and the church eventually moved out in the 1950s. The building was occupied by the Salem Auto Museum until another fire in 1969. In 1972, the Salem Witch Museum moved in and completely updated the interior.
This brick, Federal style house, is located adjacent to the First Universalist Church of Salem amongst a sea of urban renewal-period housing, and is a reminder for Planners to think about the long-term implications in their work. This house was built in 1811 for Thomas Perkins, a local merchant whose brother was its first occupant. After successive ownership throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, in 1950, Bessie E. Monroe purchased the premises and moved into the home. When the city began urban renewal planning for the area in the 1960s, the building was occupied by Bessie Monroe, who at the time was an elderly woman. The Salem Redevelopment Authority acquired the house through eminent domain and the house was targeted for demolition. The Redevelopment Authority, concerned with how relocation would affect Bessie Monroe’s health, decided to take the property but allow Mrs. Monroe to live there until her death. This decision delayed the planned demolition of the building, even though all other targeted properties were demolished. Luckily, the renewal plan changed its focus from new construction to restoration of existing buildings between the time of the taking and Bessie Monroe’s death. The building was then sold to an owner interested in restoring the structure, now the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a testament to the benefits of preservation over short-sighted planning policy.
The First Universalist Church of Salem, Massachusetts, is a landmark example of a brick, Federal style church in New England. Tucked away within a network of Urban Renewal-era townhomes and backing up into a busy thoroughfare, the church is overlooked by many who pass behind its rear elevation, not knowing how special the building’s primary facade truly is! The church was constructed between 1808-1809 with early Church records showing that the interior carvings were done by Samuel McIntire, a Salem native, who was trained as a wood carver and later became an architect. It is unclear if any of McIntire’s work remains as numerous building modifications were completed throughout the 1800s; including a major exterior remodel in 1855 by architect Enoch Fuller, changing the appearance from Federal to Italianate. The church would again fall back to changing tastes in 1924, when they restored to an approximation of its original appearance by the office of R. Clipston Sturgis, a prominent Boston architect who specialized in Colonial Revival architecture. While the building’s significance is lessened by the urban renewal infill and streets surrounding it, the building remains one of the oldest in Salem and a significant architectural landmark in the city.
Overlooking the Salem Common, this 1818 Federal style dwelling has served as everything from a single-family home to a boarding house and ultimately an assisted living facility, showcasing that old buildings can always be repurposed into new uses. The home was built for Captain John Forrester, son of Simon Forrester, one of Salem’s most successful merchants. The Forrester House was purchased in the 1830s by George Peabody, who added the one-story ballroom wing. Peabody lived in the house until 1892 and the building later housed the Salem Club, a men’s social organization with over two-hundred well-connected members. In the 1920s, it became the Bertram Home for Aged Men, named after Captain John Bertram, who founded the organization in 1877 as a charitable residence providing housing and socialization space for aged men in Salem. The home had fallen into disrepair when it was closed in 1988, to reopen two years later as the first free-standing assisted living community for men and women in Massachusetts, today known as the Bertram House.
The White-Lord House at 31 North Washington Square in Salem, Massachusetts, is one of a row of stately brick, Federal style mansions built for wealthy 19th century merchants overlooking the bucolic Salem Common. This house was built in 1811 for merchant Stephen White by master mason Joshua Upham (1784-1858), adjacent to his brother’s mansionacross the street. It was later the home of merchant John W. Rogers from 1831 to 1844 and merchant Thomas P. Pingree from 1844 to 1858 before it was acquired by Nathaniel Lord in 1858 and members of the family continued to occupy the house for the next ninety years. George R. Lord (1817-1891) was a lawyer and assistant Clerk of the Courts. The exterior of the White-Lord House has changed little beyond the switch to the two-over-two sash windows sometime in the latter half of the 19th century.
Buildings of New England 
