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BUILDING FORM (38 Somerset Road) <br /> ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION <br /> Describe architectural features. Evaluate the characteristics of the building in terms of other buildings within the <br /> community. <br /> This house which architect William Greeley built for his own use in 1913 is a good example of a building trend which was <br /> widely seen in Lexington in the early 20th century;the house is vaguely Colonial Revival in feeling but lacking any specific <br /> stylistic accuracy. Fronted by a circular drive and shaded by two mature maple trees, the 2 1/2-story brick house is capped <br /> by a side-gabled green wood shingle roof with a modillion-like cornice decorating the lateral eaves. The brick is laid in a <br /> common bond with brick corner quoins and additional quoining accenting the front entrance. A band of rowlock brick wraps <br /> around the building at the watertable level. Centered on the three-bay facade,the recessed entrance is framed by two concrete <br /> Doric columns with a flat arch brick lintel above the wide entrance. Inside the recess,the door is set to one side with a 2/2 <br /> window adjacent. On either side of the entrance is a set of three 6/6 windows with a flat arch brick lintel. Above the entrance <br /> is a multi-paned rectangular oriel window supported by four corbels. On either side is a set of three 6/6 windows which <br /> extend to the cornice. Three pedimented dormers with 6/6 windows rise from the front roof slope. <br /> The north side of the house is spanned by a two-story sunporch resting on a concrete foundation. Fenestration on the first <br /> floor consists of longer, single-pane casements with sliders set above panels on the second floor. Projecting from the south <br /> side of the house is a single-story bay window and a variety of 6/6 openings including a segmentally-arched attic window. A <br /> shallow two-story ell is located to the rear. A garage set underneath a rear deck was added in 1972. <br /> 1 <br /> HISTORICAL NARRATIVE <br /> Describe the history of the building. Explain its associations with local(or state) istory. Include uses of the building and <br /> the role(s) the owners/occupants played within the community. <br /> M-Rc �b'� <br /> This land was originally part of the 400-acre Francis B. Hayes estate which extended from Adams and cock Streets to <br /> Woburn Street(the house known as Oakmount or The Castle was built in 1884 and demolished in 1941). This portion of the <br /> Hayes estate was laid out in houselots in 1909. <br /> This house was constructed about 1913 by architect William Roger Greeley for his own use on lot 36 of the Hayes <br /> subdivision. Greeley and his wife Marjory married in 1907 and before living here, lived at 16 Oakland Street. In 1912 the <br /> Greeleys were assessed for lots 35 and 36. In 1913 Greeley's house on Somerset Road was valued at$10,000. At the time <br /> Greeley's offices were located at 120 Boylston Street in Boston(later 9 Park Street). In 1925 Greeley became a third <br /> member in the firm of Kilham, Greeley and Hopkins. Greeley's best known local commission was the design of Cary <br /> Memorial Hall (MHC #6), a collaboration with Willard Brown built in 1927. Other local residences designed by Greeley <br /> include 39 Locust Avenue (MHC#518), constructed in 1919, and 16 Belfry Terrace (MHC #1029), constructed in 1935. <br /> The Greeleys continued to own the Somerset Road property until 1925. In 1925 Greeley bought 1948 Mass. Ave. (MHC <br /> 464). Later owners of 38 Somerset Road included Marion and A. Edward Rowse (1925-1950s) and Louis and Kathryn <br /> Mead(1960-1983). The present owners purchased the house in 1983. <br /> BIV <br /> UILIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES <br /> G feley, Roland to Anne Grady, 24 Feb. 1984. Correspondence in possession of Anne A. Grady, Lexington, Mass. <br /> Lexington 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 />