harrington-road_0005 Enhanced Building Form

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INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET LEXINGTON 5 HARRINGTON ROAD MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125 Continuation sheet 2 B, AC LEX.55 A third phase of alterations is represented by the fireplace in the west parlor and a similar fireplace mantle that was once located in the east parlor. The mantles and the Minton tile hearths reflect the Aesthetic period, and so may date to as early as c. 1875. It is possible, however, that they may have been installed as late as 1907, when work on the east parlor chimney is documented to have occurred. Twentieth Century Alterations An early 20th century tobacco tin, containing a note reading “Fire Place built. Nov. 19 & 20, 1907/ by Charles W. Swan/ & / Michael J. Conlin / for/ George D. Harrington” was found during renovations to the first-floor fireplace in the southeast room in March 1984 undertaken by Frank Hannaford. The presence of early 19th century wallpaper on the south side of the chimney mass argues against a complete rebuilding of this feature in 1907, and so this note must refer to a renovation undertaken at that time. The corbelled chimney flue appears, in photos taken in 1984, to have been previously modified; that work may have been undertaken in 1907. The fireplace in the southwest room with its sculpted wood mantel and tiled hearth likely was installed at this time. The current owner indicated that work had been undertaken by a previous owner on the north wall of the house, as part of an expansion of the kitchen. This work probably occurred ca. 1910-1940. It was largely removed by subsequent work. The present owners undertook extensive work on the house from ca. 1985 and into the 1990s. This work included removal of a ca. 1830 wing from the back of the house and construction of a replacement wing, using some of the framing elements from the earlier structure. Fireplaces were restored, paneling for the face of the southeast fireplace on the first floor was constructed, and new kitchens were built, requiring some changes to the partitioning and the enclosure of the northwest chimney at the first-floor level. Porches The earliest available image of the exterior of the house dates to 1865. It shows the house in its present configuration, with two story wings at the east and west ends. The house did not have porches at that time, however. The entrance was approached via steps without railings, and the east wing had a shed-roofed vestibule sheltering the door there. The front of the west end of the house is not seen in the photograph. The main entry frontispiece appears to remain today as it is illustrated in this photograph, as well as one dated 1867. It probably dates to renovations undertaken in the house in the second quarter of the 19th century, ca. 1835-55. An undated photograph in the collection of the Lexington Historical Society, probably ca. 1890, shows a narrow, hipped roof front porch supported by two square posts at its outside corners. No porch is seen at the southwest corner of the house; the southeast corner is not visible in this view. A photo of the house dated 19 April 1910 is in the collection of the current owner. This photograph shows the narrow porch first documented in the ca. 1890 photo. The porch platform was wider than the sheltering roof, and probably represents the width it has today. The two porch posts roughly align with the pilasters forming part of the frontispiece of the door and sidelights. The side porches had been constructed in the years between ca. 1890 and 1910. The main porch and the side porches did not have railings when photographed in 1910. An exterior photograph in the owner’s collection, dating to ca. 1985, shows a much larger porch on the east wing that extended along a part of the brick east elevation. This extension was constructed sometime after 1910, and was removed at an unknown date after 1987 and previous to 2011. HISTORICAL NARRATIVE Researched and written by Kathryn Grover & Neil Larson The construction of the house at 5 Harrington Road is documented to 1794 based on a contract between Daniel Harrington and builder Jonathan Loring that has been preserved in the house. The house was built for Daniel Harrington’s son Levi Harrington (1760-1846) and his wife Rebekah Mulliken who he married ten years earlier. The new house was erected between Daniel Harrington’s house (not extant) and the First Parish Unitarian Church on the town common. The house was occupied for many decades thereafter by the families of Levi and Rebekah Harrington, their son Bowen (1803-69), and Bowen’s son George Dennis Harrington (1843-1929).