Sun 7 Mar 2010
The original Tremont Theatre, on Tremont Street in Boston, was designed in the Greek Revival style by architect Isaiah Rogers and opened in 1827. Many famous actors, orators and singers appeared there over the years. In 1843, the building was purchased by the Free Church Baptists, Boston’s first integrated church, who renamed it the Tremont Temple Baptist Church. Thereafter, it was used as a church, although public events were often held there as well. The church burned and was rebuilt several times. The current building on the site was built in 1896, designed by Clarence Blackall. The church has a large sanctuary on the second floor, which was also used for a time as an auditorium. Originally, there were shops on the ground floor and commercial offices on the upper floors. Revenue from rents and auditorium rentals allowed the Church to provide free seats to all worshipers.
Sat 27 Feb 2010
The Italianate-style former parsonage of Longmeadow’s Congregational Church was built in 1857 on the site where the home of the town’s first minister, Rev. Stephen Williams, once stood. Ministers resided in the house until 1917 and it was then used for church school classes and as housing for church caretakers. The building was moved to its current site on Longmeadow Street in 1921 to make way for the construction of Longmeadow’s Community House.
Fri 26 Feb 2010
Ebenezer Bliss built his house in Longmeadow in 1720, the year after his marriage to Sarah Colton. It was next owned by his son, Ebeneezer, and then by his grandson, Gad Bliss. The house was much expanded in the mid-nineteenth century, with the newer rooms being in the front, facing Longmeadow Green.
Thu 25 Feb 2010
Elihu Colton was a Yale educated lawyer who had served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War. He was a delegate to the Massachusetts Convention of 1788, which ratified the U.S. Constitution. His house in Longmeadow was built in 1765, possibly for Henry or Jacob Colton. It is known as the Jacob Colton House. Two gravestones were discovered along the south property line in the 1960s, one marked “N. C.” and the other “Ebeneezer Colton.”
Fri 12 Feb 2010
The White-Lincoln House is a 1792 hipped-roof building at 812 Longmeadow Street in Longmeadow. In the 1950s, it was the residence of Foster Furcolo, who was governor of Massachusetts from 1957 to 1961.
Tue 2 Feb 2010
Founded in 1870, the Signet Society is an artistic and literary club at Harvard University. After initially utilizing space on University property, the Society moved off campus to 46 Dunster Street in Cambridge. In 1902, the 1820 Federal-style house was remodeled by Cram, Goodhue and Ferguson, a firm more usually associated with the Gothic style. The centerpiece of the remodeling is a two story pavilion displaying a heraldic crest of the Signet arms by Pierre LaRose.
Sun 31 Jan 2010
Built in 1860, Saint Michael’s Cathedral, on State Street in Springfield, is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield. The Cathedral was designed by the prominent church architect, Patrick Keely. The interior has many examples of Keely’s ornate plasterwork. The Cathedral was expanded in 1996 with the addition of a new wing called the Bishop Marshall Center.
