Historic Buildings of Massachusetts

Luke Sweetser House (1835)

by Dan/December 13, 2011/Amherst, Greek Revival, Houses

About 1835, house designer and builder Robert Cutler constructed the house at 81 Lessey Street in Amherst for Luke Sweetser. As described in The History of the Town of Amherst, Massachusetts, Vol. I (1896):

Leonard Dwight and H. Wright Strong conducted a general store in Amherst prior to 1812; in April of that year, the partnership was dissolved and a new one formed by Strong and Elijah Dwight. H. Wright Strong was in business in 1815; his store stood on the site now occupied by Adams’ drug-store. In 1824, Luke Sweetser, who had been for three years in Mr. Strong’s employ, bought out the business, continuing it under his own name until March, 1830, when his brother, J. A. Sweetser, became associated with him under the firm name of L. & J. A. Sweetser. A few years later, J. A. Sweetser severed his connection with the firm and William Cutler and Luke Sweetser formed a partnership under the firm name of Sweetser & Cutler. In 1848, George Cutler became a member of the concern, the name being changed to Sweetser, Cutler & Co. Mr. Sweetser retired from the business in 1857, and the Cutler brothers continued it under the firm name of W. & G. Cutler. The firm of Geo. Cutler & Co. was formed in 1870 and continued in business until 1884, when it was succeeded by the present firm of Jackson & Cutler.

Sweetser, who after his retirement from business focused on farming, died in 1882 and his house became the Oak Grove School for girls. After 1903, it was the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house and was remodeled by architect Karl S. Putnam in 1929 with a monumental columned Greek Revival portico. When Amherst College abolished fraternities in 1984, the house became a dormitory called Marsh House, named for Eli Marsh, a professor of Physical Education and member of Phi Gamma Delta.

12 State Street, Marblehead (1747)

by Dan/December 12, 2011/Colonial, Commercial, Houses, Marblehead

According to the sign on the house at 12 State Street in Marblehead, the structure was built in 1747 by Captain Alexander Watts. From 1776 to 1803, it was owned by John Adams, fisherman and mariner, who also kept a shop in the building. The shop was continued until 1842 by his daughters, Mary and Miriam. From 1845 to 1891, the building was a restaurant, operated by John Fisher. In 1910, J.O.J. Frost, noted Marblehead folk artist, opened a bakery in the building, which has continued to house various businesses over the years. It was restored in 1988.

Grace Church, Salem (1926)

by Dan/December 11, 2011/Churches, Gothic, Salem

In 1858, a group of parishioners from St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Salem established Grace Church, which would be constructed at 385 Essex Street later that year. The parishioners wanted to found a second Episcopal Church in Salem that would be closer to their homes in the western part of the city. By 1924, the original wooden Gothic building of Grace Church was deemed no longer adequate. It was structurally unsound–one could stand against the wall and shake the whole building. In 1926, a new church was built on the same site. Initial plans for a Georgian Revival structure were eventually changed and the completed church was designed by architect Philip Horton Smith in the Gothic Revival style. Three years later, the church was connected to an adjacent Federal-style residence, Burrell House, which is used as a parish house.

Burrill House (1806)

by Dan/December 10, 2011/Federal, Houses, Salem

Burrill House, on Essex Street in Salem, was built around 1806 as a residence. Known as the Ebenezer Smith House, it is unusual for its period in Salem in having brick end walls. In 1926, the house was acquired by the neighboring Grace Church for use as a parish house. Three years later, it was remodeled and physically connected to the church by architect Woldemar H. Ritter.

Dodge-Shreve House (1817)

by Dan/December 9, 2011December 9, 2011/Federal, Houses, Salem

One of Chestnut Street in Salem‘s most celebrated architectural achievements is the Dodge-Shreve House. Sometimes dated to 1817, but also to 1822-1825, the house, at 29 Chestnut Street, was built for merchant Pickering Dodge by master builder David Lord. It is similar in size and layout to the nearby Pickman-Shreve-Little House, but is a later example of the Federal-style with a greater variety of decorative details. The Dodge-Shreve House has been owned by the Phillips, Peirce, Allen, Cabot and Shreve families.

Ichabod Tucker House (1800)

by Dan/December 8, 2011/Greek Revival, Houses, Salem

Although the earliest part of the house dates to 1800 (making it the second residence to be built on the street), the Greek Revival facade of 28 Chestnut Street in Salem was constructed during a remodeling in 1846. The house was built for Ichabod Tucker, clerk of the courts of Salem, and was later occupied by the Cole and Wilson families.

Sprague-Peabody-Silsbee House (1807)

by Dan/December 7, 2011/Federal, Houses, Salem

Upper Essex Street in Salem’s most impressive three-story brick Federal-style house is the Sprague-Peabody-Silsbee House at 380 Essex Street. It was built about 1807 by Joseph Sprague, Jr.; was sold to Joseph Peabody in 1822 and occupied by his son Francis; and was owned by the Silsbee family from 1840 to 1901. The house, which has been enlarged and remodeled over the years, has interior carving attributed to Samuel McIntire.