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Home My WebLink Aboutmassachusetts-avenue_0735 Indj ✓ FORM B - BUILDING In Area no. Form no. MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, State House, Boston OCT 75 �nLev M � o ress nerg s sent use �T •� oT ._�Cil tf�I sent owner iVT cription: it source ' Cv✓hs 4. Map. Draw sketch of building location ArchitectGGI C ( 'S✓G , � 1 , in relation to nearest cross streets and _'.& other buildings. Indicate north. Exterior wall fabric Outbuildings (describe) Other features I tan. tvi'ds- Ar » fin Altered Date Moved Date 5. Lot size One acre or less V Over one acre Approximate frontage Approximate distance of building from street '1 O NOT WRITE IN THIS SPACE 6. Recorded by �n USGS Quadrant Organizatio .- D M!�/l HC Photo no. Date Rr^r; ' (over) PJAY 14 197b C 3M-2-75-R061465 INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET LEXINGTON 735 Mass. Ave. MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD,BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02125 216 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION: Describe architectural features. Evaluate the characteristics of this building in terms of other buildings within the community. Front fagade gable end to street. Fluted Doric columns, elaborately carved door surround. First floor windows with framed "skirt"to give appearance of greater length,quarter round windows in gable,recessed panels in wide cornerboards,one tall chimney right, one later at rear,front line, granite foundation,brick floor to entrance portico with cement foundation. Architect and master builder Isaac Melvin was clearly inspired by the pattern books of Asher Benjamin, specifically The Practice of Architecture which was published in 1833. On the Stone Building four Doric columns support a broad pediment inset with quarter circle windows which flank a smaller lunette in the peak of the gable. Contrary to Benjamin's design,the soffit is adorned with mutules. The center entrance is based on Plate XXVIII of The Practice of Architecture. The paneled door is flanked by two-thirds length sidelights,defined by narrow,fluted moldings. A shallow fanlight extends above the sidelights and door. The fluted pilasters flanking the door are decorated at the top with a variation on the Greek fret. The pilasters support a cap ornamented on a central panel with an anthemion. As shown in Benjamin's design, stylized honeysuckle vines fill the spandrels on either side of the fanlight. The design of the Stone Building and its introduction of Asher Benjamin's patternbooks had a major influence on architecture of the period in Lexington. Other Asher Benjamin-inspired doorways which survive in East Lexington include 627, 715, 782, 870, 884, and 1106 Massachusetts Avenue. HISTORICAL NARRATIVE 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. Originally built by Eli Robbins to give East villagers a place to speak freely. Apparently many felt inhibited in the First Parish Meetinghouse in Lexington Green. When the Town refused to build a new meeting house in the East Village,parish split. The Christian Association,as the new society called itself,met in the Stone Building from 1834 to 1840. During these years,R.W. Emerson,Bronson Alcott,John S. Dwight and Theodore Parker among others,addressed the society. Dr. Charles Follen was alled by the congregation in 1835 to preach, so it was under his auspices that the Transcendentalist ministers came to speak. He had resigned his place with the Second Church of Boston in 1832. The congregation moved to its own building,the Follen Church, designed by Charles Follen in 1840 (see Follen Church,MHC#633). [Note: Nov. 11, 1833 the General Court of Massachusetts established equality of religious sects and ended the authority over churches,a fact clearly related to the 1833 split with the First Parish Congregation.] Architect Isaac Melvin of Concord designed the building with a public meeting hall on the second floor and a public meeting hall on the second floor. John Colby was the contractor and Curtis Capell was the carpenter. In 1851 the building was conveyed to Abner Stone who lived there with his family. In 1891 Eli Robbins' granddaughter, Ellen Stone,offered the town the building for$2,000 with the stipulation that the building was to remain a meeting hall, library or similar educational use. In 1946 the building was renovated and the ell at the rear was removed. The building served as the East Lexington Branch Library until August 2007 when a water pipe burst, causing the building to be closed to the public. In 2009 plans are currently underway to utilize the building as a Lexington Heritage Center. Continuation sheet 1 INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET LEXINGTON 735 Mass.Ave. MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD,BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02125 216 ::] BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES Dobbs,Judy. National Register Nomination for The Stone Building, 1975. HKT Architects.Planning Report for the Stone Building, Prepared for the Town of Lexington,June 2008. Proceedings of the Lexington Historical Society,Vol. 11,Vol. 111. Reinhardt, Elizabeth W. and Anne A. Grady. "Asher Benjamin in East Lexington, Massachusetts", Old-Time New England, Winter-Spring 1977. Worthen, Edwin. A Calendar History of Lexington, pp. 57-59. Continuation sheet 2 INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET [Property nity: Form No: MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL CCWIISSION Lexington 216 Office of the Secretary, Boston Name:735 Massachusetts Ave. Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below. �`� �I�. — - = j = III III = R Staple to Inventory form at bottom rorm No. 10-300 (Rev. 10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE. INTERIOR FOR NPS USE ONLY NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES RECEIVED INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM BATE ENTE=RE U 'j SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES -- COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS NAME HISTORIC The Stone Building AND/OR COMMON The East Lexington Branch Library (Cary Memorial Library) LOCATION STREET& NUMBER 73S Massachusetts Avenue _NOT FOR PUBLICATION CITY.TOWN CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT Lexington — VICINITY OF . 'ri STATE CODE COUNTY CODE Mass ac-busefts 02S Mi ddl Psex 017 _ CLASSIFI CATION CATEGORY OWNERSHIP STATUS PRESENT USE _DISTRICT x–PUBLIC X–OCCUPIED _AGRICULTURE –MUSEUM x-BUILDING(S) _PRIVATE –UNOCCUPIED –COMMERCIAL –PARK _STRUCTURE __BOTH –WORK IN PROGRESS X_EDUCATIONAL –PRIVATE RESIDEN( –SITE PUBLIC ACQUISITION ACCESSIBLE –ENTERTAINMENT _RELIGIOUS –OBJECT _IN PROCESS X–YES: RESTRICTED _GOVERNMENT --SCIENTIFIC _BEING CONSIDERED _YES:UNRESTRICTED –INDUSTRIAL _TRANSPORTATION _NO –MILITARY –OTHER OWNER OF PROPERTY NAME Town of Lexington STREET&NUMBER Lexington Town Hall CITY,TOWN STATE Lexington VICINITY OF Massachusetts 02173 LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION COURTHOUSE. REGISTRY OF DEEDS,ETC. South Middlesex Registry of Deeds STREET&NUMBER 208 Cambridge Street CITY,TOWN STATE Cambridge Massachusetts 02138 WM REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS TITLE Inventory of the Historic Assets of the Commonwealth Historic American Buildings Survey, (MASS-60S) DATE 1967 (Mass,) ; 1941 (HMS) XFEDERAL XSTATE _COUNTY –LOCAL DEPOSITORY FOR Massachusetts Historical Commission SURVEY RECORDS Wasb`i1 Rton. .IX., CITY,TOWN STATE Boston Massachusetts 02108 DESCRIPTION CONDITION CHECK ONE CHECK ONE -EXCELLENT _DETERIORATED _UNALTERED X-ORIGINAL SITE GOOD -RUINS X ALTERED _MOVED DATE _FAIR -UNEXPOSED DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL(IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE The Stone Building (Cary Wmorial Library) faces onto Massachusetts Avenue (formerly Main Street) , one of the principal roads in East Lexington. It is set back from the road approximately thirty feet and is surrounded by a cir- cular driveway, The Stone wilding was designed in 1833 by architect Isaac Melvin of Concord and is said to be his first work, The contractor was John Colby and the car- penter was Curtis Capell. The building is an impressive example of the Greek Revival style. The two-story structure is five bays wide and five bays deep. Its tetrastyle portico is supported by massive fluted Doric columns, and its front pediment contains two quarter-circle windows with finely wrought radiating sash. A series of guttae at the eaves adds further ornament to the pediment. The main focus of the front facade, and the highlight of the entire building, is the central entrance. The doorway is surmounted by a fanlight and flanked by sidelights. The entrance is further enhanced by Greek fretwork and other detail derived from anthemion and palmette motifs, The second floor window above the doorway echoes the sidelights and Greek detail below. Heavy pilasters add emphasis at either corner of the front facade. The Stone Building is sheathed with white clapboards, and the dark green shuttered windows have six over six lights, Three brick chimneys rise from the ridge roof. The exterior of the building is basically unaltered from its original appearance. Inside the downstairs floor has been adapted for library purposes, although the upstairs meeting room remains much the same as when it was used for religious and political- gatherings, SIGNIFICANCE PERIOD AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE-- CHECK AND JUSTIFY BELOW _PREHISTORIC -ARCHEOLUGY-PREHISTORIC -COMMUNITY PLANNING _LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE _RELIGION _1400-1499 __ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC -CONSERVATION _LAW -SCIENCE _1500-1599 _AGRICULTURE --ECONOMICS X-LITERATURE _SCULPTURE -1600-1699 X-ARCHITECTURE x_EDUCATION -MILITARY -SOCIAUHUMANITARIAN _1700-1799 -ART -ENGINEERING _MUSIC -THEATER X1800-1899 COMMERCE -EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT _PHILOSOPHY _TRANSPORTATION -1900- _COMMUNICATIONS -INDUSTRY -POLITICS/GOVERNMENT _OTHER(SPECIFY) _INVENTION SPECIFIC DATES 1833 BUILDER/ARCHITECT Isaac Melvin STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The Stone Building is significant as one of the early centers of free-thinking and discussion for religious, philosophical and cultural groups in the East Village of Lexington. The building is also the most elaborate Greek Revival structure in East Lexington today. In 1832 Eli Robbins, a wealthy merchant and public spirited citizen of Lexington, saw the need for a public building in the town where lectures, preaching, and other meetings could be held and particularly where freedom of speech, including the current anti-slavery point of view, might be allowed. In the spring of 1833 Robbins engaged Mr, Isaac Melvin of Concord to design a suitable building located in the "East Village" of Lexington about two miles along the main road from the Battle Green. In the same year citizens of the East Village petitioned the Town Meeting -to provide a church and a minister in their awn part of town. When no help was given they formed the 'Religious Society of-the East Village" and in 1835 they began meeting in the building which Eli Robbins had commissioned. The pastor of the new religious- society was the Reverend Charles Follen who had been forced to flee his native Germany because of his radical political activities. In America he became an ardent abolitionist before such views were acceptable in New England, and as a result he lost his position as professor of German at Har- vard College" In order to give full expression to his religious , moral, and pol- itical opinions, Foden turned to the ministry" After six months of preaching to the Religious Society of the East Village, Follen was called to Watertown, and he sent as his replacement Ralph Waldo Emerson who preached in the hall about two years. Emerson was succeeded by other noted men such as the Reverend ,john Pierpont, the Reverend Theodore Parker, and the Reverend San-iel J, May, The building was also used as a gathering place for a number of other groups. Amos, Bronson Alcott held conversation meetings there, and Henry Thoreau was said to have considered it as a home for his private school. In 1851 the building was sold to Abner Stone who lived there with his family until his death in 1872, After the death of the widow Stone, her daughter, Miss Ellen A. Stone, offered the town the large house for use as a library. As an expression of its gratitude, the town voted to call the building the " Stone Building". It has been used ever since as a library and is today the East Lexington Branch Library CCary Memorial Library) . MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES Piper, Dr. Fred Smith. "Architectural Yesterdays in Lexington," 'Proceedings of the Lexington Historical -Society, 'Vol, IV, Lexington, Mass. 1912. Smith, A. Bradford. "History of--t1ie Stone-Building;" -Proceedings -of the Lexington Historical Society, 'Vol. 11, Lexington, Mass. 1900. MGEOGRAPHICAL DATA ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY 37 UTM REFERENCES A J lt 91 ! 118141210619016QQ 131 , 1 1 1 I 1 , Ljl , l 1 1 1 1 I ZONE EASTING NORTHING (ZONE (EASTING NORTHING C� I I I I I I I I I I I I I I J D l 1 S 1 1 1 1 1 t t 1 I ! 1 1 I I 1 I VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES STATE CODE COUNTY CODE STATE CODE COUNTY CODE FORM PREPARED BY NAME/TITLE Judy, Dobbs, National Register Editor ORGANIZATION DATE Massachusetts Historical Commission November 24, 1975 STREET&NUMBER TELEPHONE 294 Washington Street 617-727-8470 CITY OR TOWN STATE Boston Massachusetts 02108 STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER CERTIFICATION THE EVALUATED SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS PROPERTY WITHIN THE STATE IS_ NATIONAL_ STATE LOCAL K. As the designated State Historic Preservation Officer for the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-665), 1 hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service. STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER SIGNATURE 3"da///acc� TITLE DATE FOR NPS USE ONLY I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS PROPERTY IS INCLUDED IN T14E NATIONAL REGISTER DATE DIRECTOR,OFFICE OF ARCHEOLOGY AND HISTORICPRESERVATION ATTEST_ DATE KEEPER Of THE NATIONAL REGISTER GPO 888-445