HomeMy WebLinkAboutadams-street_0018 FORM B - BUILDING
Assessor's Nwnber USGS Quad Area(s) Form Number
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION 10063000081 Boston N. 701
MASSACHUSETTS ARCHIVES BUILDING
220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD Town Lexington
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125 Place (neighborhood or village)
Address 18 Adams St.
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11 Historic Name Charles C. Doe House
-Uses: Present Residential
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Date of Construction 1903
Source Schoenhut letter
Style/Form Craftsman
Architect/Builder Willard D. Brown
Exterior Material:
Foundation Fieldstone
to Wall/Trim Wood Shingle
Roof Asphalt Shingle
Outbuildings/Secondary Structures Attached garage
Major Alterations(with dates)
Condition Good
I Moved M no ❑ yes Date
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Acreage 0.75 A.
❑
Im Setting On a heavily trafficked residential street in a
neighborhood of 19th-and early 20th-century houses with
av STREET later 20th-century infill
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Recorded by Nancy S. Seasholes
Organization Lexington Historical Commission
Date(month/year) January 1998
Follow Massachusetts Historical Commission Survey Manual instructions for completing this form.
BUILDING FORM
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION ❑ see continuation sheet
Describe architectural features. Evaluate the characteristics of this building in terms of other buildings within the community.
18 Adams St. is one of the earliest examples of Willard Brown's work as well as one of the well-preserved high-style Craftsman
houses in Lexington. The house is essentially rectangular in plan with many projecting bays, 2'/2 stories, and has a side-gabled
roof with a tall side chimney and a ridge chimney. It is on a fieldstone foundation, clad with wood shingles, and has an asphalt
shingle roof. The main entry is on the north side and the windows are 8/1 or 6/1 double hung sash. In addition to its massing,this
house has many details that emphasize its relationship to 20 Adams St. (MHC#702; see Historical Narrative),most notably the
modillions under a pent roof in the front gable, a similar feature in both houses. Other similarities are the facing side entrances,
the numerous cross-gabled bays,the curved exposed rafter ends, and the curved fascia boards. The molded rafters under the front
entry roof at this house are similar to, but slightly different from,those under the front entry roof and front oriel at 20 Adams St.
In addition,the shape of the lights in the front door of this house echoes that of the cut-out between the paired porch posts at 20
Adams St. Distinctive features of this house include its second story walls which flare outward at the base and have a molding
underneath, a first-floor bow window in the cross gable on the north side, a small balcony on this same side, a hip-roofed bay
window on the front, diamond-paned windows in the bay to the right of the entry, and an attached rear garage with a deck on top.
HISTORICAL NARRATIVE ❑ see continuation sheet
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.
This house was designed in 1902-1903 by Lexington architect Willard D. Brown (see 8 Adams St., MHC 4697) for Charles C.
Doe. Doe and his brother Freeman(see 20 Adams St., MHC #702)wanted similar houses facing each other on Adams St. but
with separate driveways and a fence between them. Brown reportedly tried to dissuade them from building so close together,
facing each other and the fence, but they prevailed and the result is this house and the one at 20 Adams St.
Charles C. Doe is listed in the 1908-09 Lexington Directory as an "agent and trustee"with an office at 6 Beacon St., Boston.
BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES ❑ see continuation sheet
Lexington Directory, 1908-09.
Schoenhut, Sarah Emily Brown to Anne A. Grady, 13 March 1984. In possession of Anne A. Grady, Lexington, MA.
❑ Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. If checked,you must attach a completed National
Register Criteria Statement form.
INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Town Property Address
Lexington 18 Adams St.
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No.
MASSACHUSETTS ARCHIVES BUILDING
701
220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125
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D O O
INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Town Property Address
Lexington 18 Adams St.
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No.
MASSACHUSETTS ARCHIVES BUILDING
220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD 701
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125
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