Category: Greek Revival

Pillsbury House (1843)

by Dan//Danvers, Greek Revival, Houses

The house at 18 Park Street in Danvers was built in 1843 for Elias Putnam, a shoe manufacturer and first president of the Danvers Village Bank. After his death in 1847, his daughter lived on in the house. It was later purchased by Harvey Hughes Pillsbury, who operated a harness factory in town. In 1901, a corporation was formed to establish the “Danvers Home for the Aged.” In 1905, Harvey Pillsbury’s will provided an endowment and left his residence on Park Street to the Home, which was a favorite cause of his wife Clara. Over the years, the Home’s policy changed from providing full care for residents to operating as a boarding house, which by the start of the current century was empty for several years. Eventually, the Pillsbury Foundation successfully appealed to the courts to sell the house, with the proceeds going into the Foundation to support various programs for the elderly. Structural changes to the house in the twentieth century have included the addition of a front porch with an attached belvedere/gazebo.

Danvers Town Hall (1855)

by Dan//Danvers, Greek Revival, Public Buildings

The Greek Revival Town Hall of Danvers was built in 1855, the same year South Danvers, now Peabody, broke away to become a separate town. The building, which originally contained the town’s high school as well as town offices, went through major expansions and renovations in the 1880s, 1899, and late 1940s. The the most recent renovation, in 2009-2010, has focused repairing the exterior and replacing mechanical systems. While this work was being done, the roof was damaged by a 3-alarm fire, sparked when wood sheathing was ignited from a contractor’s soldering of copper flashing.

Payson-Fettyplace House (1845)

by Dan//Greek Revival, Houses, Salem

The Payson-Fettyplace House, at 16 Winter Street in Salem, was built around 1845 for Edward H. Payson. In a book published in 1886, it’s explained that Payson, “at the age of eighty, is still cashier of the First National (formerly the Commercial) Bank, to which office he was elected in 1826.” From 1850 to 1911, the house was home to the Fettyplace family. The house is now a Bed & breakfast named the Amelia Payson House in honor of Edward’s wife.

West Granville Congregational Church (1778)

by Dan//Churches, Gothic, Granville, Greek Revival

In 1778, residents of West Granville volunteered many hours and much labor to construct a Congregational church. The long distance required to travel to the meeting house in Granville Center had led the people of West Granville to decide to form their own parish, which was officially established in 1781 as the Granville’s Second Congregational Church. Around 1845, the church was remodeled so that it has a transitional Greek Revival/Gothic Revival exterior.

Flagg School, Southborough (1859)

by Dan//Greek Revival, Schools, Southborough

In 1859, the Town of Southborough built five school houses in different parts of town, with the District 5 School house being located at the intersection of Flagg and Deerfoot Roads. In 1894, with the school house at Southborough Centre having fallen into disrepair, the District 5 school house was moved (and extended by ten feet) to replace it. After a new High School was built in 1906, the old school house, now known as the Flagg School, became home to the Southborough Fire Department until 1928. It later served the town’s Tree Department and then the Water Department. In 1998, the building was leased to the Southborough Historical Society, which renovated it. In 2000, it was dedicated as the Southborough Historical Museum.