Old House Blog

John L. Sullivan House // c.1812

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This modified Federal style cottage in Abington, Massachusetts, is known locally as the last home of World Heavyweight Champion bare knuckle boxer, John L. Sullivan. John Sullivan (1858-1918) died in this house on February 2, 1918, of heart disease, but left behind a legacy that will last forever. The house was originally constructed around 1812 for Jacob Cobb, a Deacon of a local church and after successive ownership, the house was purchased by boxer John Sullivan, to celebrate his retirement. As a professional fighter Sullivan was nicknamed The Boston Strongboy, and was one of the first great American boxers and was the last world champion bare-knuckle boxer. He had a record of 47 wins, 1 loss and 2 draws, with 38 wins by knockout in his career. Sullivan’s blustering personality and fabled strength gained him a great following, and he would be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame as part of its original class. As champion he earned more than $1 million but squandered it. A hard drinker during his ring career, he later became an advocate of prohibition and delivered many lectures on the subject. His brick Federal house in Abington was modernized by him, adding the dormer and full-length front porch supported by rubblestone columns.

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.

Paul and Caroline Hunt House // 1905

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Paul Hunt, the son of famous painter, William Morris Hunt, and the nephew of famed architect Richard Morris Hunt, built this house in Brookline, Massachusetts for $15,000 for him and his wife, Caroline. Paul had been involved in real estate development in Bar Harbor, Maine, where his mother had a summer cottage, and while not an architect himself, he was very interested in design and took a keen interest in developing estates with the family funds. While developing property in the summer enclave of Bar Harbor, Maine, Paul met the Bar Harbor architect, Milton W. Stratton, and the two collaborated in the construction of houses there and two adjacent homes in Brookline. The two-story house is wood frame construction with a stucco finish on the exterior. Spanish Colonial Revival in style, the roof is hipped with terra cotta tile, as is the roof of the verandah which extends across the facade. In 1911, Paul Hunt worked with architect William Ewing Harding to add the two-story wing on the side of the house, which is built over the driveway, creating a really unique (though not as functional) design element. 

Moseley-Widger House // 1906

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One of the many houses in the Cottage Farm-adjacent neighborhoods of Brookline, Massachusetts, is this great blending of the Tudor Revival and Arts and Crafts styles of architecture, which dominated residential architecture in the Boston suburbs in the early 20th century. This residence was built in 1906 for Mr. Frank Moseley and his wife, Martha Hawes Moseley from plans by architect Robert C. Coit. Covered in stucco siding and half timbering, the charming house evokes the countryside of England, right here in Brookline. After WWI, the house was owned by Ms. Lizzie Widger, a water color artist and member of Copley Society of Boston, and her husband, Samuel Widger, a cotton broker. The Moseley-Widger House looks as it did 120 years ago and is in a great state of preservation, thanks to generations of loving stewards.

Edward and Lillian Norton House // 1905

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Edward Russell Norton (1871-1960) and his wife, Lillian (1870-1968) got married in 1904 and immediately began planning their dream home. They purchased a building lot on Powell Street in Brookline, Massachusetts, and hired architect, Robert Coit, to furnish plans for the new home which was completed by the next year. The house blends Arts and Crafts and Tudor Revival styles with a pleasing design and architecturally appropriate paint scheme.

John R. Perry House // 1904

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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.

Captain John Clark House // 1802

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The Captain John Clark House in Canterbury, Connecticut, is one of the finest examples of the Federal style of architecture in New England, and has remained in a fine state of preservation since its construction in the early 19th century. The house was built by 1802 for John Clark (1731-1834), who purchased an earlier home on the site from and had it either taken down or enlarged to its present appearance. The mansion is symmetrical with five bays, central entry and twin chimneys projecting through the hipped roof. The central bay is a showstopper with its triangular pediment at the roofline containing a fanlight, Palladian window at the second floor, and main entrance with its own pediment, sidelights, fanlight transom, all framed by two-story columns. The house’s south facade is equally beautiful with its own Palladian window and entrance.

Dr. Andrew Harris House // c.1820

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This house is located across from the iconic Prudence Crandall House in Canterbury, Connecticut, and is another excellent example of a high-style Federal home in the town’s main village. Built in circa 1820, this residence was the home of Dr. Andrew Harris (1787-1840), one of two physicians in Canterbury in the early 19th century. After Dr. Harris’ death, the property was owned by Hiram and Nancy Waldo, who altered the house with the addition of a Victorian observatory at the rear, two-over-two sash windows, and an entry porch with paired door entrance.

Levally-Crandall House // c.1820

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This attractive Federal-style Cape house is located in Canterbury, Connecticut, and is one of the very finest such houses of its type in the state. The house was built by William Levally, a successful millowner in town who married Patience Horton just prior. William died unexpectedly in 1841, and the property was inherited by Patience, who then married Hezekiah Crandall, also a millowner, who was also the brother of Prudence Crandall, the teacher who operated the famous African American girls boarding school in Canterbury Center in the 1830s. Hezekiah and his sister later migrated to Kansas, after essentially being pushed out of town. The Levally-Crandall House stands out for its proportions, exterior moldings, and ornate entry with pilasters, sidelights, and a molded, keyed arched transom. The house has been lovingly preserved by the successive owners, who clearly take pride in owning such a piece of history.

David Nevins House // c.1746

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This house across from the Town Green in Canterbury, Connecticut, is believed to have been built by David Nevins, Sr. (1729-1758), a merchant who settled in Canterbury from Nova Scotia, Canada. Nevins tragically died in 1758 when overseeing the reconstruction of a bridge spanning the nearby Quinebaug River. It is said that while standing on a cross-beam, giving directions to the workmen, David Nevins lost his balance and fell into the river and was swept away and drowned. The property remained in the Nevins Family until 1842, upon which, it served as a parsonage for the Congregational Church, just across the street. The clapboard exterior, small-pane sash, center-chimney plan, and five-bay facade of this house give it architectural significance as a representative example of 18th-century Connecticut architecture. The stately Georgian doorway with swan’s neck pediment was installed by a local house restorer based upon physical evidence uncovered during the house’s restoration (and removal of Victorian-era porch) and while may be conjectural, it enhances the already beautiful old home.