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INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET LEXINGTON 6 AUGUSTUS ROAD MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD,BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02125 2185 ❑ Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. If checked,you must attach a completed National Register Criteria Statement form. Use as much space as necessary to complete the following entries, allowing text to flow onto additional continuation sheets. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION: Describe architectural features. Evaluate the characteristics of this building in terms of other buildings within the community. 6 Augustus Road faces the side of an L-shaped lot that slopes up to the left and the back. The building is one-story on its uphill, back elevation and two stories at its front fagade, which faces the right side of the parcel. The large, roughly 38 by 44 foot structure is rectangular, with an inset, enclosed porch at the back right corner. A rocky outcropping occupies much of the street edge, while lawn areas are adjacent to the front and back elevations. Six closely spaced, mature evergreen trees form a diagonal line between the house and a paved parking area at the right side of the lot. The building rises 2 '/2 stories from a granite rubble foundation to a side gable roof. Walls are clad with wood shingles. Windows typically have 6/6 sash and flat casings without molding. The five bay facade has a center entrance with a single-leaf door and simple braced hood; windows are asymmetrically placed and of varied heights. The left (street) elevation is asymmetrically composed, with no windows on the lower level, five windows across the upper floor (three 6/6 and two 4/4), and one narrow 2/2 window and paired 6/6 sash in the peak. The back elevation (facing the left side of the lot) has three windows and a gabled dormer with paired windows in the main block, near the street, and an enclosed sunroom at the far corner of the building. 6 Augustus Road is a vernacular, locally unique building; its form is reminiscent of barn construction. The house is notable for being built into a slope, its simple massing and informal fenestration, and the striking diagonal line of trees across the fagade. HISTORICAL NARRATIVE Discuss the history of the building. Explain its associations with local(or state)history. Include uses of the building, and the role(s)the owners/occupants played within the community. 6 Augustus Road represents Lexington's transition from an agricultural economy to a residential suburb in the early 20th century. Assessors' records for this house show a construction date of 1915, which has not been confirmed. Augustus Street appears in the town directories only between 1955 and 1965, when the land appears to have been subdivided for the present mid-20th century suburban homes that now dominate the street. In 1898, the land appears to have been part of a large estate belonging to F. O. Vaille, whose house was in this general vicinity. Augustus Road extends between present-day 58 and 64 Reed Street, and this property appears to have been known as 62 Reed Street in the early 20th century. By 1922, the property at 62 Reed Street was occupied by Perley Tibbetts, a builder, and his wife Lillian. By 1935, property in this vicinity(listed as 64 Reed)was occupied by Henry J. Wollrath, a florist with Wollrath & Sons, Inc., which also had a Reed Street address. By 1945, Wollrath was living at what was identified as 60 Reed Street; Fred Trimhold, another florist, and his wife Frances were identified at 62 Reed Street. By 1955, different families are identified at these two addresses, including Charles R. Alexander, a salesman, and his wife Dorothy at#62. By 1965, Alexander, still a salesman, is listed as living at the present-day address of 6 Augustus Road. Deed research and additional research on Wollrath & Sons is merited to trace the history of this property more exactly. Given the form and vernacular design of this building, and its proximity to the ca. 1930 Dutch Colonial house and garage next door at 4 Augustus Road, it is possible that 6 Augustus Road was constructed as a barn or other outbuilding related to 4 Augustus and/or the Wollrath florist business. Local historian Sam Doran notes that the building was the original site of the Agricultural Extension Service's Market Gardening Branch. Contact Senator Mike Barrett for further information. Continuation sheet 2