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BUILDING FORM (40 Prospect Hill Road) <br /> ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION <br /> Describe architectural features. Evaluate the characteristics of the building in terms of other buildings within the <br /> community. <br /> The house at 40 Prospect Hill Road is a large and unusual early 20th century 2 1/2-story, side-gabled dwelling with a brick <br /> exterior, rubble foundation and a green tile roof(the house was reroofed in 1984). The brick is laid in a bond alternating a <br /> course of stretchers with a course of headers. A band of three soldier bricks separates the first and second stories. The side- <br /> gabled building displays overhanging eaves with large curved brackets with pyramidal tops supporting the notched ends of <br /> the raking. Centered on the three-bay facade and fronted by brick steps with boulder sidewalls, the main entrance is sheltered <br /> by a shed hood resting on large braces. The single-panel door is flanked by 2 x 4-light sidelights. On either side of the <br /> entrance is a set of casement window consisting of four 2 x 4-light panels. The second story facade consists of a central set <br /> of casement windows consisting of four 2 x 3-lights with a set of three 2 x 4-light windows on either side. A central gable <br /> wall dormer breaks through the roof above the entrance. <br /> On the left end of the house there is a single-story stone-walled extension lit by multi-paned panels set above a paneled wall <br /> balustrade. On the other end of the house, closer to the road,there is a brick single-story extension fronted by a boulder wall <br /> enclosing a small patio. The overhang of the roof at the entrance is supported by a notched brace. Remaining windows <br /> consist primarily of casement windows. There is a gable wall dormer on the rear elevation, set above a curved first floor <br /> projection. <br /> Seton a spacious 53,428 SF lot, the house is setback from the road and fronted by a circular drive. <br /> a <br /> HISTORICAL NARRATIVE <br /> Describe the history of the building. Explain its associations with local (or state) history. Include uses of the building and <br /> the role(s) the owners/occupants played within the community. <br /> "Fair Oaks"was developed into house lots in 1912. This house was one of the first in the subdivision and was constructed in <br /> 1914 for Fred and Katherine Lord of Everett. Valuation records indicate that in 1913 the Lords owned only the lot. In 1914 <br /> they were assessed for an unfinished house valued at$15,000;the following year the assessment had climbed to$25,000 <br /> marking the completion of construction. Mr. Lord was a produce dealer. The Lords continued to occupy the house into the <br /> 1940s. Later owners included the Clements family who sold the property to Ervin and Sylvia Blake in 1958. <br /> The original layout of the"Fair Oaks"development was the work of Arthur E. Horton, a landscape architect who had worked <br /> for the Metropolitan Park Commission in Boston, for much of this time under the direction of Charles Eliot. The street layout <br /> which was finally accepted by the town in 1924 was apparently a revised layout. Although an overview of the Fair Oaks <br /> subdivision is provided in Area Farm Y, additional research needs to be done to determine the sequence of construction in the <br /> neighborhood and any commonalties which may exist. <br /> BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES <br /> L", gton Assessors Records. <br /> Lexington Directories, various dates. <br /> Lexington Valuation Lists, various dates. <br /> Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. If checked, you must attached a completed <br /> National Register Criteria Statement form. <br />