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INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET LEXINGTON 130 WALTHAM STREET MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD,BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02125 2283 The building is notable for its design by a woman architect. It was designed by architect and Arts and Crafts Society member Marjorie Pierce (1900-1999), who received her undergraduate architectural degree from MIT in 1922 and her MA a year later. She was active at MIT, was president of the MIT Women's Association and created the first fully endowed graduate fellowship in the MIT Department of Architecture. The original building measured 25 feet by 40 feet and was constructed at a cost of$15,000. Additions to the building were constructed in 1965 and in 1972, both built to the rear of the building because of a town easement where the parking lot was located. In addition to the studio space, the additions enabled the creation of a gallery, an administrative office and a library for the society. The library was funded by a trust fund of a member, the late Minnie Seaver, and bore her name for many years. The gallery is named for Phillip B. Parsons, a renowned painter who was a member of the Painters' Guild and taught at the Society. In 1984, the Gallery was renovated for the 50th Anniversary celebrations. In the early 1970s the Parsons Gallery was the only gallery in town. The Lexington Arts and Crafts Society currently has over 370 artists and members, ranging from full-time commercial artists to retired art teachers, artists who practice their craft as a hobby and work fulltime in other fields and young artisans. The membership is organized by guild, including the Painters, Ceramics (Potters), Woodworkers, Metalworkers, Basketry, Needle Arts (Needleworkers), Decorative Arts, Weavers, and Polymer Clay Guilds. BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES Allaback, Sarah, The First American Women Architects (p175, Univ Illinois Press, 2008) Lexington Arts and Crafts Society on line history at http://www.lacsma.org/About/HistoryofLACS/1954- 1960/tabid/415/Default.aspx Continuation sheet 2