ARCIiITECI'URAL SIGNIFICANCE (Describe important architectural features and
<br /> evaluate in terms of ,other buildings within the community.)
<br /> The Garrity House is a transitional Federal/Greek Revival vernacular
<br /> structure . A simplified Greek Revival frontispiece is the only exterior
<br /> ornamentation. Picturesque massing, the use of skived clapboards , and
<br /> the survival of old sash, shutters, and a substantial amount of early
<br /> hand-blown glass contribute to the historical character of the building.
<br /> The reduced scale of the building as compared to other structures ,
<br /> historical and contemporary, in the vicinity and its proximity to the
<br /> street (unusual for Lexington) , are other factors, in its visual appeal.
<br /> HISTORICAL, SIGNIFICANCE (Explain the role owners played in local or state (e ont. )
<br /> history and how the building relates to the development of.the community.)
<br /> The Garrity House was constructed in the 1830s by Col. John Parkhurst
<br /> Merriam who incorporated one of more earlier outbuildings into the
<br /> structure . The Garrity House , the adjacent carriage house (built c.1810) ,
<br /> and the Buckman Tavern are the last surviving structures of what was
<br /> in the 19th century a prosperous twelve-building farm complex known as
<br /> the Meriam Farm. Purchased with the tavern and the land comprising
<br /> Buckman Park in 1913 from the Meriam Family by the Town of Lexington,
<br /> the Garrity House was , until 1957, the home of Mr. Jack Garrity,
<br /> Lexington;'s Park Commissioner. From 1958 until 1978 , the building
<br /> housed the local chapter of the American Red Cross .
<br /> The Garrity House is , in its simplicity and picturesque massing,
<br /> r=-= �__n _give of many farm buildings constructed in Lexington i n the
<br /> 18t-h and 19th centuries . Few of such modest scale survive today.
<br /> Because of its prominent location next to the Battle Green, the Garrity
<br /> House is an effective reminder of Lexington' s past as a simple farming
<br /> c o=unity.
<br /> During the time that the Normal School was operating across the street after 1939
<br /> four female students kept house here while attending classes.
<br /> BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES (name of publication, author, date and publisher)
<br /> Anbinder, Eleanor, et al. . Renort on the Garrity House , Lexington,
<br /> Mass . Architectural and Social History, Existing Conditions ,
<br /> and Recommendations for Restoration and Reuse, 1981 . Boston
<br /> University course paper.
<br /> Brown, Willard D. The Story of Buckman Tavern. Lexington Historical
<br /> Society, Lexington, MA , 1967 .
<br /> Carroll, Orville W. . The Garrity House , An Architectural Analysis ,
<br /> July 27, 1981 . ReAort to Garrity House Committee .
<br /> Kinch, William B. . Memorandum of June 2, 1981 to the Garrity House
<br /> Committee on Examination of the Garrity House , May 2, 1981 .
<br /> Lriffing, Abbie Stetson. Letters to Dr. Tilton, December 19, 1913,
<br /> December 28 , 191 and January 5 , 1914, (Lexington Historical
<br /> Society Archives.
<br /> Hudson, Charles . History of the Town of Lexington. Middlesex County,
<br /> Massachusetts , from its First Settlement to 1868, Vol. I .
<br /> The Riverside Press , Cambridge , MA , 1913- (cont. )
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