HomeMy WebLinkAboutfollen-road_0052 FORM B -BUILDING
Assessor's number USGS Quad Area(s) Form Number
22/141 Boston N. 1051
Town Lexington
Place (neighborhood or village)
Address 52 Follen Road
Historic Name Aiden&Doris Ripley House
Y
` Uses: Present Residential
Original Residential/Studio
Date of Construction 1932
Source Lexington Valuation Lists
Style/Form Early 20th C. Eclectic
Architect/Builder unknown
Exterior Material:
It
Foundation fieldstone
Wall/Trim live edge siding, wood
bo Roof asphalt shingle
Outbuildings/Secondary Structures
E �
/ \ none
M +
..� Major Alterations (with dates) date? -dormer on east
,00 \ side
C"47
Condition good
r Moved ® no ❑ yes Date
. o
e Acreage 23,160 SF
Recorded by Lisa Mausolf Setting end of long driveway leading uphill from Follen
Organization Lexington Historical Commission Road, surrounded by woods
Date (month/year) July 2000
Follow Massachusetts Historical Commission Survey Manual instructions for completing this form.
BUILDING FORM (52 Follen Road)
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION
Describe architectural features. Evaluate the characteristics of the building in terms of other buildings within the
community.
Constructed in 1932, the Ripley House is a simple but eclectic 1 1/2-story,gable-roofed dwelling which features a fieldstone
first floor with the upper level sheathed in live edge siding. The house is set above Follen Road and surrounded by woods.
The northern portion of the house served as a studio for the original owner, artist Aiden Ripley, with northern light coming in
through a large multi-paned window on the north gable end. Below the studio there is a single-car garage with an arched
opening filled with vertical board double doors with large iron hinges.
Extending to the south of the studio and garage, the main house block is rectangular in plan (18' x 32')and slightly more
narrow than the studio. The main entrance is located on the east elevation and is fronted by a large concrete stoop. The
entrance contains a vertical plank door. Fenestration includes a multi-light picture window and metal casement units. A
clapboarded shed dormer has been added on the east slope of the gable roof.
HIITORICAL NARRATIVE
Deyribe 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 constructed in 1932 for Aiden and Doris Ripley who purchased the lot(Lot 27 in the Follen Heights
subdivision) in June of 1932. The Ripleys were first assessed in 1933 for a house valued at$7,000 and a 23,160 square foot
lot. Aiden Lassell Ripley(1896-1969)was a well-known Lexington artist who had a studio in the house. He studied at the
Museum of Fine Arts School in Boston and lived in Lexington most of his life. Ripley was best known for his hunting and
fishing scenes, was an ardent conservationist and a member of Lexington's Planning Board and Board of Appeals. His
paintings are included in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Chicago Art Institute. His 1950 mural,
"The Four Seasons"was installed in the Cary Library in 1977.
The property was sold by Doris Ripley to Joseph Kilbridge in 1973. Gail Hubbell owned the property from 1980 until 1996
when it was purchased Ly the present owner.
BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES
Fearnside, Joyce C. Guide to the Cary Memorial Art Works. Cary Memorial Library, 1991,
Lexington Assessors Records.
Lexington Directories, various dates.
Lexington Valuation Lists, various dates.
Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. If checked,you must attached a completed
National Register Criteria Statement form.