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BUILDING FORM (52 Follen Road) <br /> ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION <br /> Describe architectural features. Evaluate the characteristics of the building in terms of other buildings within the <br /> community. <br /> Constructed in 1932, the Ripley House is a simple but eclectic 1 1/2-story,gable-roofed dwelling which features a fieldstone <br /> first floor with the upper level sheathed in live edge siding. The house is set above Follen Road and surrounded by woods. <br /> The northern portion of the house served as a studio for the original owner, artist Aiden Ripley, with northern light coming in <br /> through a large multi-paned window on the north gable end. Below the studio there is a single-car garage with an arched <br /> opening filled with vertical board double doors with large iron hinges. <br /> Extending to the south of the studio and garage, the main house block is rectangular in plan (18' x 32')and slightly more <br /> narrow than the studio. The main entrance is located on the east elevation and is fronted by a large concrete stoop. The <br /> entrance contains a vertical plank door. Fenestration includes a multi-light picture window and metal casement units. A <br /> clapboarded shed dormer has been added on the east slope of the gable roof. <br /> HIITORICAL NARRATIVE <br /> Deyribe the history of the building. Explain its associations with local(or state) history. Include uses of the building and <br /> the role(s) the owners/occupants played within the community. <br /> This house was constructed in 1932 for Aiden and Doris Ripley who purchased the lot(Lot 27 in the Follen Heights <br /> subdivision) in June of 1932. The Ripleys were first assessed in 1933 for a house valued at$7,000 and a 23,160 square foot <br /> lot. Aiden Lassell Ripley(1896-1969)was a well-known Lexington artist who had a studio in the house. He studied at the <br /> Museum of Fine Arts School in Boston and lived in Lexington most of his life. Ripley was best known for his hunting and <br /> fishing scenes, was an ardent conservationist and a member of Lexington's Planning Board and Board of Appeals. His <br /> paintings are included in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Chicago Art Institute. His 1950 mural, <br /> "The Four Seasons"was installed in the Cary Library in 1977. <br /> The property was sold by Doris Ripley to Joseph Kilbridge in 1973. Gail Hubbell owned the property from 1980 until 1996 <br /> when it was purchased Ly the present owner. <br /> BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES <br /> Fearnside, Joyce C. Guide to the Cary Memorial Art Works. Cary Memorial Library, 1991, <br /> Lexington Assessors Records. <br /> Lexington Directories, various dates. <br /> Lexington Valuation Lists, various dates. <br /> Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. If checked,you must attached a completed <br /> National Register Criteria Statement form. <br />