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INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Town Property Address LEXINGTON 39 MEIRRETT RD MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. MASSACHUSETTS ARCHIVES BUILDING 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD 610 BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02125 Richard Gleason Tower House/Lexington Masonic Headquarters(Leg.610) (formerly part of National Heritage Museum(Lex,516)) HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The brick building once used as a Masonic headquarters was constructed in 1905 for Richard Gleason Tower(1857- 1921),youngest child of William Augustus Tower(1824-1904). On August 19, 1905,the Lexington Minute-Man reported that"Mr.Richard Tower's new house,on Middle Street,not far from his old home,is commenced, inasmuch as Mr.Bartlett Harrington will build the cellar and John Daley,with men, is making the necessary excavation". Tower's previous home had been destroyed by fire. A few months later,Richard Tower married Henrietta Lockwood(Minute- Man,Oct. 7, 1905). The Richard Tower House was designed by Boston architects Fehmer and Page(Carl Fehmer and Samuel F.Page). Carl Fehmer was born in Germany in 1835.He immigrated to the U.S.with his mother and siblings in 1852 and attended public school in Boston. He received training in the office of prominent Boston architect George Snell for eight years before beginning an architectural practice some time during the 1860s. He performed all of the architectural work for the Massachusetts General Hospital for 25 years and later designed a number of buildings for the McLean Hospital as well as a number of Back Bay houses and lesser numbers of residences in Brookline,Easton,and Weston. Fehmer was a charter member of the Boston Society of Architects. The firm of Fehmer and Page formed about 1890. Fehmer died in Boston in 1917. The mansion contains many of its original features, including a grand living room with fireplace.It is sited next to a wooded area on the western side with steep slopes and a retaining wall terraces the main entrance to the building from a parking lot near the property line to the adjoining museum. The Richard Tower House was substantially enlarged by the construction of a modern office addition in 2000. Designed by Flansburgh Architects,the addition consists of two 2-story wings on either side of a central entrance/atrium. The building has brick exterior walls and slate roofing;the interior of the south wing features premium wood finishes and a fully equipped conference room.The north wing was primarily used for classroom space and is more utilitarian in its design and materials. Taken together,the mansion and addition comprise 17,840 square feet of officelfunction space. The 10.3 acre complex also includes a 5,260 square foot two-level carriage house,built in 1901 and used primarily for storage. The lower level still contains its original horse stalls. Also on the property is a gambrel-roofed,wood frame home on Marrett Road,consisting of 3,494 square feet. The Tower property was purchased by the Scottish Rite Masons in April, 1968,for use as their regional headquarters; in 1973 the adjacent land was purchased,and in 1975 the National Heritage Museum was constructed on the site. The Town of Lexington purchased the Mansion and its modern addition,the Carriage House,and surrounding grounds(but not the Marrett Road house),totaling 9.94 acres,in March,2013,to be converted into a Community Center. The Community Center was purchased on December 5,2013 and formally opened to the public on October 17,2015. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Lexington Minute Man,Aug. 19, 1905; Oct. 7, 1905. Massachusetts Historical Commission,MACRIS database. www.bosarchitecture.com