Monthly Archives: March 2010

Richard Salter Storrs Library (1932)

Posted on March 29, 2010 by Daniel

In 1907, Sarah Williams Storrs, who lived in the former home of her grandfather, Rev. Richard Salter Storrs in Longmeadow, left the house and $5000 to the town to establish a library in memory of her grandfather. The house contained the library into the 1930s, expanding to a second building to the rear in 1916. In 1932, through the efforts of the private nonprofit library corporation and the Town of Longmeadow, a new Richard Salter Storrs Library building was opened. The house, which had previously occupied the site of the new Library, was moved to a new location, just to the south. The Georgian Revival-style Library was restored and expanded in 1989.

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Emerson Hall, Harvard (1905)

Posted on March 28, 2010 by Daniel

Emerson Hall, located in Harvard Yard in Cambridge, is the home of the University’s Philosophy Department. Named for Ralph Waldo Emerson, the building was designed by Guy Lowell and was completed in 1905. The noted psychologist and philosopher, William James, taught in Emerson Hall when he was at Harvard. Over the entrance of the building is the Biblical inscription: “What is man that thou art mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:4).

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Weld Hall, Harvard (1872)

Posted on March 27, 2010 by Daniel

According to the Official guide to Harvard University of 1907:

Weld Hall, containing 53 suites of rooms, of which 22 are single and the rest double, was built in 1871-72, at a cost of about $87,000. It was given by William Fletcher Weld in memory of his brother, Stephen Minot Weld, of the Class of 1826, a benefactor of the College, a member of the Board of Overseers from 1858 until his death in 1867, and one of the first to conceive the idea of Memorial Hall. It contains a common-room for the general social use of its occupants.

Given as a gift around the same time as Matthews Hall, Weld Hall was designed in the English Queen Anne style by the firm of Ware & Van Brunt. The dorm is notable for its two towers with clerestory windows, lighting the stairs, although these were enclosed as a precaution against fire in 1962. Famous residents have included John F. Kennedy, Michael Crichton, Daniel Ellsberg, Christopher Durang, Ben Bernanke and Douglas Kenney.

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Grays Hall, Harvard (1863)

Posted on March 26, 2010 by Daniel

Grays Hall is a Harvard dormitory, built on the spot where Harvard’s earliest building, Old College, once stood. According to the Official guide to Harvard University of 1907:

Grays Hall, built in 1863 by the College, at a cost of nearly $40,000, is named for Francis Calley Gray, of the Class of 1809, a Fellow of the College from 1826 until 1836, John Chipman Gray, of the Class of 1811, a member of the Board of Overseers from 1847 until 1854, and William Gray, of the Class of 1829, a member of the Board of Overseers from 1866 until 1872, all three benefactors of the University.

This dorm was Harvard’s first building with water taps in the basement, freeing the residents from having to haul water in from pumps in Harvard Yard. Notable residents of Grays Hall have included: Norman Mailer, Frank Rich, Mo Rocca and Natalie Portman.

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The Captain David Burt House (1725)

Posted on March 25, 2010 by Daniel

Originally a center-chimney house, built in 1725, the Captain David Burt House is considered to be one of Longmeadow’s oldest houses. The center chimney was destroyed in a fire in the nineteenth century and replaced by a central staircase and two smaller chimneys. The side wings were also added later.

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Posted in Colonial, Houses, Longmeadow | 2 Comments

Quincy Market (1826)

Posted on March 24, 2010 by Daniel

Quincy Market, which stretches 365 feet and led to the opening of six new streets when it was built in 1824-1826, was Boston’s first major project after incorporating as a city in 1822. Named for mayor Josiah Quincy, the building greatly expanded on the market space already available to Boston citizens in the adjacent Faneuil Hall. Architect Alexander Parris planned a Greek Revival style structure, with columns and pediments at each end and a central copper dome. It was the first large-scale use of granite and glass with post-and-beam construction and, when originally built, the Market was right on the harbor’s edge. Two additional long warehouse buildings flank the main structure to the north and south. Quincy Market was restored between 1976 and 1978 to become part of the shopping and dining center called Faneuil Hall Marketplace (more…)

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Winthrop Building (1894)

Posted on March 23, 2010 by Daniel

The Winthrop Building, originally known as the Carter Building, was Boston’s first steel-frame office building and led the way to later skyscrapers. Designed by Clarence H. Blackall, it was built in 1894 facing Washington Street, with its long curving side following Spring Lane, where a spring provided water to the early English settlers. The building was constructed on the 1644 site of Governor John Winthrop‘s second house in Boston.

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