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INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET LEXINGTON 19 HANCOCK STREET MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD,BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02125 0 2133 HISTORY OF 19 HANCOCK STREET Jack Glassman AIA, 2009 The house at 19 Hancock Street was erected ca. 1921, following drawings prepared by "R. H. Hannaford, Arch't., 100 Boylston St., Boston." A resident of Wellesley, Ralph Herman Hannaford also designed the Wellesley Hills Branch Library (1928) and the Sprague School (1924). According to one historical account, the stone for the Sprague School's fagade was quarried directly from the site and the leadwork on the cupola was intended to resemble traditional English craftsmanship. At the library's main entrance hung a wrought iron lantern fabricated by noted craftsman Frank Koralewsky. 19 Hancock features distinctive iron lanterns flanking the entrance and candelabra sconces in the living room, but the suppliers and/or craftsmen are not known at this time. The exterior of the wood-frame house is clad with water-struck brick selected for its cottage-like picturesque effect. The roof of the original sections is clad with Ludowici "Imperial" clay tile, with copper valleys. The house was designed for Norman Locke Skene (1878-1932), a prominent naval architect, and nautical motifs are found throughout the house. A 1901 graduate of MIT's School of Naval Architecture, Mr. Skene would maintain an office in downtown Boston, designing and constructing yachts and power boats. A frequent contributor to The Rudder magazine, Mr. Skene is best known for his treatise Elements of Yacht Design, first published in 1904 and considered to be one of the most important yacht design books ever written. The book was reprinted several times until 1938, re-issued decades later as Skene's Elements of Yacht Design, and is back in print in a new edition edited by Maynard E. Bray, technical editor of Wooden Boat magazine. With its gently vaulted ceiling (suggesting the underside of a ship's deck) trimmed with carved rope molding and its exquisite fireplace surround, the living room remains the focal point of 19 Hancock Street. The painted nautical scene depicting both sailing and steam-powered ships is signed by "N" or "H" Skene; the signature is partly concealed by wood trim. Norman's younger brother Harold attended MIT's School of Architecture and may have had a role in the painting and other parts of the house. The hand-carved fruitwood panels flanking the fireplace and painting may be the work of master woodcarver Johannes Kirchmayer (1860-1930) or his studio. Recipient of a Bronze Medal from the Society of Arts and Crafts in Boston, Kirchmayer lived in Arlington Heights and did carving for a number of area homes. Kirchmayer's apprentice Arcangelo Cascieri, who would become a master sculptor in his own right and also Dean of the Boston Architectural Center, believed that the carving might be the hand of his old master Kirchmayer. The foliate carving features thistle, a traditional Scottish motif, and is crowned with a beautifully carved rendition of the Clan Skene coat of arms. The massive oak front door features a wrought-iron thumb latch and mail slot, and a three-part stained-glass light depicting a Viking ship scene. Viking themes were occasionally found in Pre-Raphaelite art, one of the inspirations of the English Arts & Crafts movement. The story is passed down that Mr. Skene built kayaks of his own design in the northeast bedroom. Skene contributed plans and instructions for building "Walrus, Eskimo Kayak" and other vessels to The Rudder. In 1932, Norman Skene tragically drowned on Wakefield's Lake Quinnapowitt, while piloting one of his beloved kayaks. Original interior finishes include stained and varnished cottonwood paneling with wood battens, oak flooring (living room, den, bedrooms), and painted battened ceilings. Many of the steel casement windows were subsequently fitted with "Rolscreen" coiling interior screens. Although a number of upstairs interior doors were replaced during the 1960s 70s, most of the original raised-panel doors were stored in the basement and will remain with the house. Many of the original glass doorknobs also survive. A rare "sit-down" bathtub occupies the small bathroom off the former master bedroom. The toilets here and in the other two bathrooms include commercial "flushometers," rather than tanks. The house is heated by an oil-fired boiler with an integral coil system for domestic hot water. A number of the original cast-iron radiators remain (some with original metal covers). Continuation sheet 4