Colonial Revival – Page 3 – Historic Buildings of Massachusetts

Salem Athenaeum (1907)

by Dan/April 16, 2014April 16, 2014/Colonial Revival, Libraries, Salem

The Salem Athenaeum is a private library established in 1810 with the merger of two earlier organizations: the Social Library, founded in 1760, and the Salem Philosophical Library, founded in 1781. The Athenaeum’s first permanent building was Plummer Hall, built in 1856-1857. The building was sold in 1905 to the Essex Institute, now the Peabody Essex Museum. The Athenaeum moved to its current building at 337 Essex Street, built in 1906-1907. The Colonial Revival Building was designed by architect William G. Rantoul. It closely resembles Homewood, a residence built in 1801 and now on the campus of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

Reuben Whitcomb House & Store (1825)

by Dan/April 1, 2014/Colonial Revival, Commercial, Federal, Harvard, Houses

The house at 11 Fairbank Street in Harvard was built between 1823 and 1831 by Reuben Whitcomb, who used it as both a residence (the south section) and a store (the north section). Whitcomb’s widow sold the building in 1865 to Alfred Farwell, who continued its use as a residence/store. For some years, the store section had been used by Gale and Dickson, owners of the town’s General Store, first for storing grain and then as a roller skating rink! In 1895, W.P. Farwell converted the former store area into a two-family residence. In 1946, Rachel and John McTigue bought the house from Gertrude Farwell Sawyer and restored the building to become the Harvard Inn, which had eight rooms for guests, three dining rooms and two sitting rooms. The Inn was converted to apartments in 1953 and from 1993 to 2012 served as affordable housing for the elderly.

Clarke/Benjamin Block (1884)

by Dan/March 2, 2014March 2, 2014/Colonial Revival, Commercial, Stockbridge

The Clarke Block in Stockbridge was built in 1884 by druggist William B. Clarke. It replaced an earlier drug store that had stood in front of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. When the old store burned down, the area where it stood was converted into a front yard for the church. Clarke built his new store on a lot east of the church. In addition to the store, the building housed the town’s post office. The building was later called the Benjamin Block for Eugene Benjamin, who ran the store and lived next door. In 1923, he moved the building to its present location, at 31 Main Street. It was soon after stuccoed and remodeled in the Colonial Revival style. Its original roof and many of its stylistic features, such as a Stick Style gable screen, modillions, and a hooded stained glass window, were replaced. Retained from the earlier facade are the angled second floor front bay windows and a stained glass segmental-arched window on the west side.

Alfred White House (1902)

by Dan/January 5, 2014January 5, 2014/Colonial Revival, Houses, Queen Anne, Springfield

The Queen Anne/Colonial Revival house at 60 Fairfield Street in Springfield was built in 1904 for Alfred White.

Captain William Saunders House (1805)

by Dan/December 4, 2013December 4, 2013/Colonial Revival, Federal, Houses, Salem

The house at 39 Chestnut Street in Salem was built in 1805 for Captain Thomas Saunders. It was the first of the great brick Federal-style houses to be constructed on a street famed for its architecture. In 1893 the house was remodeled in the Colonial Revival style by architect Arthur Little for owner William G. Barker. The central bay window on the second floor above the original entryway was added at that time.

W. F. Clark House (1902)

by Dan/September 14, 2013September 21, 2013/Colonial Revival, Houses, Queen Anne, Springfield

The W. F. Clark House, at 14 Fairfield Street in Springfield, is an eclectic late Queen Anne house (built 1901-1902) that has Dutch Colonial-style gables and Colonial Revival Palladian windows. The house bears a strong resemblance to the Henry Dwight Bradburn House in Hartford, Connecticut.

Corcoran School (1900)

by Dan/September 10, 2013September 10, 2013/Clinton, Colonial Revival, Queen Anne, Schools

The Corcoran School, at 40 Walnut Street in Clinton, opened in 1900 as a public grammar school. It is the third school to occupy the southwest corner of Walnut and Church Streets since 1846: the original wooden schoolhouse on the site was replaced by a high school, built in 1854, which became a grammar school in the 1880s and stood until it was taken down in 1899 in preparation for building the current structure. Designed by Boston architect Charles J. Bateman, the school was originally called the New Grammar School or School House #10, until 1918 when it was officially named in honor of John W. Corcoran, a former member of the school committee. Closed as a school in 1981, the building was rehabilitated in the 1990s to become the Corcoran House, an assisted living facility. The building has two notable facades, as seen in the images above and below.