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INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET LEXINGTON 56 MERIAM STREET MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD,BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02125 �H 2145 ❑ Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. If checked,you must attach a completed National Register Criteria Statement form. Use as much space as necessary to complete the following entries, allowing text to flow onto additional continuation sheets. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION: Describe architectural features. Evaluate the characteristics of this building in terms of other buildings within the community. 56 Meriam Street occupies a steep hillside site, well below street level. Thickly wooded, the site is accessed by a paved driveway that runs at an angle from Meriam Street, to the south of the building. The house is a long rectangular shape set on an east/west axis, perpendicular to the road. An open carport is attached to the east end of the building. The building is not easily visible from the street, especially when trees are in leaf. The building consists of a main level accessed from the driveway and a lower level that is mostly exposed because of the slope of the hill. The foundation appears to be poured concrete. The majority of the building appears to be enclosed by a butterfly roof; a jog in the center of the facade extends upward to a shed roof with clerestory windows on its north side. A wide chimney rises from the middle of the house, on the exterior of the shed-roofed projection. Walls are clad with vertical boarding. Visible windows include large picture windows and casement sash in varied configurations. The entrance is located in a small recessed porch at the corner of the house adjacent to the carport, with a single-leaf door on each of the two adjacent walls. Slender metal lally columns (presently painted red) support the flat roof of the open carport on the east end of the building. A brick patio joins the driveway to the entrance porch. Well preserved and well maintained, 56 Meriam Street is an excellent example of mid-century modern architecture in Lexington. It is notable for the integration of building and site, its wooded setting, open carport and entrance porch, variety of roof shapes, and period siding and fenestration. HISTORICAL NARRATIVE Discuss the history of the building. Explain its associations with local(or state)history. Include uses of the building, and the role(s) the owners/occupants played within the community. At the turn of the 20th century, this area was part of the Hayes estate, which was gradually subdivided and developed with houses in the 20th century. The area bordered by Meriam Street, Hayes Avenue, Castle Road, and Franklin Road was the location of Francis B. Hayes's Victorian mansion, "Oakmount", which was demolished in 1941. The assessors' records for this house show a construction date of 1956, which is consistent with the historical records. This address does not exist in the List of Persons through 1955. The first known occupants were John M. Buchanan, an MIT professor, and his wife Elsa N. in 1960. The Buchanans lived here at least through 1965. John Buchanan (1917-2007)was eminent nationwide as a teacher and researcher in the fields of biology and biochemistry. He joined the faculty at MIT in 1953 and also served as director of the university's new Division of Biochemistry; he retired from MIT in 1988. Further research is recommended to identify the architect for this house. BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES Historic maps and atlases: Walling 1853; Beers 1875; Walker 1889; Stadly 1898; Walker 1906; Sanborn 1908, 1918, 1927, 1935, 1935/1950. Lexington Directories: 1899, 1908-09, 1922, 1934, 1936. Lexington Comprehensive Cultural Resources Survey, Period Summaries. http://historicsurvey.Iexingtonma.gov/index.htm Accessed Jul 23, 2015. Continuation sheet I