INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET TOWN ADDRESS
<br /> LEXINGTON 5 GOODWIN RD.
<br /> MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No.
<br /> 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD,BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02125
<br /> H� 2119
<br /> ❑ Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
<br /> If checked,you must attach a completed National Register Criteria Statement.form.
<br /> Use as much space as necessary to complete the following entries, allowing text to flow onto additional continuation sheets.
<br /> ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION:
<br /> Describe architectural features. Evaluate the characteristics of this building in terms of other buildings within the community.
<br /> This substantial house of 1921, two stories in height under a hip roof, is a quintessential Willard Brown Colonial Revival design.
<br /> The windows, sized and placed to accommodate the use of rooms within, often without regard to symmetry; the low hip roof; the
<br /> broad eaves with exposed and shaped rafter feet (derived, apparently, from Japanese architecture); the portico; the single-story
<br /> side appendages often including a porch as here; and the horizontal massing of the building are frequently repeated in Brown's
<br /> houses. The Howard and Bertha Nichols House at 29 Hayes Avenue and the Robert Hold House at 11 Bennington Rd. are
<br /> particularly close in design to the Calder House.
<br /> The Calder House sits on a foundation faced with brick. The brick veneer of the house is laid in English bond, with a soldier
<br /> course below the first floor. Window lintels are composed of stretcher bricks. Windows on the facade, six panes over one,
<br /> include a triple window at the left of the entry, with a double window above, a double window over the portico, a large compass
<br /> headed window placed between the floors at the right of the entry, no doubt lighting a stairway, and single windows at the
<br /> southwest end of the building. A three-sided, single story bay window is placed in front of the porch the southwest side of the
<br /> building. The low hip roof is gently flared at the eaves. The rafter feet are shaped into a curve at their ends. Unusual dormers
<br /> with arched heads and casement windows are found on the roof, two on the facade and one on the southwest side. There is a
<br /> single-story entry on the northeast side with a three-sided end bay under a hip roof and an open porch on the southwest side.
<br /> Two chimneys pierce the slate roof, one servicing the northeast range of rooms, and the other near the southwest end wall.
<br /> On the portico slim Tuscan columns and pilasters next to house support side entablatures above. The entablatures, in turn, are
<br /> surmounted by a pedimented roof with modillions at the eaves. Above the paneled door is a semi circular louvered fan.
<br /> A garage approached by a paved driveway, built after 1935, is found on the west rear side of the building. The lot, which slopes
<br /> up toward the house, includes a semicircular brick walk across the facade.
<br /> The Calder House is one of a group of houses, many architect-designed and generally in Colonial Revival or Craftsman styles,
<br /> that were built in parts of Lexington, such as Merriam Hill, Munroe Hill and Winthrop Road, that saw upscale development in the
<br /> early 20th century. Local architect, Willard Brown (1871-1943), was responsible for the design of a number of these residences
<br /> in the early 20th century (including 19 documented by his daughter), as well as a few well-regarded public buildings (the Munroe
<br /> and Parker Schools, and Cary Memorial Library). His buildings are among the most creative and interesting structures of the
<br /> period in Lexington. They often combine allusions to several styles at once and may include features of the Shingle, Queen
<br /> Anne, Italian Villa, Arts and Crafts, or even the Prairie style, though they are most frequently categorized as Craftsman or
<br /> Colonial Revival. Many are characterized by low hip roofs with broad eaves. Exterior finish materials used included stucco, brick,
<br /> shingles, or clapboards. Sixteen houses designed by Brown are included in the immediate Merriam Hill area
<br /> The firm of Custance Bros., prolific local builders in Lexington throughout most of the 20th century, built this house, according to
<br /> Robert Custance.
<br /> HISTORICAL NARRATIVE
<br /> Discuss the history of the building. Explain its associations with local(or state)history. Include uses of the building, and the role(s) the
<br /> owners/occupants played within the community.
<br /> John Calder, a consulting engineer and widower, acquired the land, Lot 2 of the Colonial Park subdivision originally laid out in
<br /> 1897 for the estate of Matthew H. Merriam, from Alice H. Locke in 1920. The house was completed the following year. Prior to
<br /> Continuation sheet I
<br />
|