January 2009 – Page 2 – Historic Buildings of Massachusetts

First Parish in Concord (1901)

by Dan/January 11, 2009May 25, 2009/Churches, Concord, Greek Revival

Concord’s first church congregation was gathered in 1636 in Cambridge, with its first meetinghouse being constructed in Concord soon after (opposite the current church) on Lexington Road. This was replaced by the second meetinghouse, built between 1667 and 1673, and the third, built in 1711. This third church was rotated in 1741 to face the road, but burned down in 1900. It was therefore replaced by the current church, completed in 1901, which reproduced its predecessor as much as possible. During the ministry of Ezra Ripley (1778-1841), the congregation moved away from the traditional Puritan Calvinist doctrines and became Unitarian. Henry David Thoreau signed-off from membership in the church in 1841; his funeral services were later held there. Ralph Waldo Emerson affirmed his membership in 1865. Today, the First Parish in Concord is a Unitarian Universalist church.

20 Pinckney Street, Boston (1852)

by Dan/January 10, 2009June 29, 2013/Boston, Federal, Houses

The house at 20 Pinckney Street on Boston’s Beacon Hill is listed in some online sources as having been built in 1860, but it must have been built sometime before 1852, because from 1852 to 1855, it was the home of Bronson Alcott and his family. Louisa May Alcott’s room was on the house‘s third floor. While living here, Louisa’s first story was published, “The Rival Painters: a Tale of Rome” in 1852 and her first book, Flower Fables (1854). Later, after Louisa May Alcott became a successful writer, she lived in nearby Louisburg Square, looking after her father.

William Ellery Channing House (1835)

by Dan/January 9, 2009September 17, 2016/Boston, Greek Revival, Houses

Dr. William Ellery Channing was a leading Unitarian preacher and theologian, who was minister of the Federal Street Church in Boston from 1830-1842. Asher Benjamin designed the 1835 house at 83 Mount Vernon Street, on Boston’s Beacon Hill, where Channing and his family lived from 1835 until his death in 1842. Among the distinguished visitors at the house was Charles Dickens, who had breakfast with Channing in 1842. Dr. Channing’s nephew was William Ellery Channing, the Transcendentalist poet.

41-47 Mattoon Street, Springfield (1871)

by Dan/January 8, 2009/Houses, Second Empire, Springfield

Mattoon Street in Springfield was first developed in the years after the Civil War. It eventually became the only street in the city to be lined with row houses. Many of these were in the Second Empire style with mansard roofs, like the two homes (see above) at 41-43 (the Slater House is on the left), both built in 1871. Next door, at 45-47, are two more homes with the same design: the Calhoun House and the Hallet House (see below), built the same year. Continue reading “41-47 Mattoon Street, Springfield (1871)”

Court Square Building (1892)

by Dan/January 7, 2009September 3, 2010/Commercial, Renaissance Revival, Springfield

Springfield‘s Court Square Building, built in 1892 along Elm Street, facing Court Square, was designed by Springfield architect F.S. Newman, whose earlier Chicopee Bank Building is located just around the corner on Main Street. The building is constructed of buff colored brick with detailing in granite, brownstone and terra cotta. The commercial and office building was expended in 1900 with the addition of a sixth floor and the construction of a hotel, which was eventually converted to offices in 1920. Many of the offices in the building were utilized by lawyers, given the proximity of the County Courthouse and City Hall. The Court Square Theater was also a part of the original building, but this was torn down in 1957 and replaced with a parking lot. There are currently plans to restore the building as part of the Court Square Redevelopment Project.

Classical High School (1898)

by Dan/January 6, 2009/Neoclassical, Schools, Springfield

Springfield’s Central High School was built in 1897-1898 on State Street, on land formerly occupied by the county jail. It was adjacent to the older high school building of 1874, which then became the State Street Grammar School. The school was designed by the Boston architectural firm of Hartwell, Richardson and Driver. In 1922-1923, an addition for junior high school students was constructed on the western end of the building. In 1934, the name of the school was changed to Classical High School. The school closed in 1986 and was converted to become luxury condominiums.

Henry Alexander, Jr. House (1811)

by Dan/January 5, 2009January 21, 2020/Federal, Houses, Springfield

The Alexander House in Springfield was originally built at the corner of Elliott and State Streets in 1811 for James Byers. The design of the house has been attributed to Asher Benjamin and it was built by Simon Sanborn, Springfield’s master builder of the first half of the nineteenth century, who designed many of the city’s old mansions. In 1820, Byers sold the house to Colonel Israel E. Trask, who also owned a plantation in Mississippi. The artist, Chester Harding, briefly lived in the house from 1830 to 1832, as did the railroad superintendent General James Barnes, in 1839. After Trask’s death, in 1835, his family occupied the house until 1862, when it was sold to Henry Alexander, Jr. In that year, Alexander became mayor of Springfield and he resided in the house until his death in 1878. In 1874, he moved the house to a new location nearby on State Street. The house was acquired by the SPNEA (Historic New England) in 1939, and moved again in 2004 to Elliott Street to make way for the construction of a new federal courthouse. The house will be sold, with perpetual preservation restrictions to protect its architectural features.