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HomeMy WebLinkAboutmassachusetts-avenue_1605 FORM B - BUILDING In Area no. Form no. MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION tp Office of the Secretary, State House, Boston rown Lexington kddress 1605 Massachusetts Ave. £ i - _ Jame Cary Memorial Hall Town Meetings resent use Man- y � -._ )escription: -= )ate 1927 Source cornerstone MW tyle Colonial Revival 4. Map. Draw sketch of building location Architect Willard D. Brown in relation to nearest cross streets and Kilham, Hopkins & Greeley other buildings. Indicate north. Exterior wall fabric red brick with whit€ wood trim. Granite foundation Outbuildings (describe) U y ` Other features Part of a 3-building complex including police station, Ji5�,Rc L �. and town office building. cont'd. Altered Date L LJ Moved Date 5. Lot size: One acre or less X Over one acre g 200' Approximate frontabe Approximate distance of building from street 100' 6. Recorded by Harriet White Organization MAPC Date 8/1/78 (over) 3717-77 Town of Lexington 7. Original owner (if known) Original use town meetinad Subsequent uses (if any) and dates 8. Themes (check as many as applicable) Aboriginal Conservation Recreation Agricultural Education Religion Architectural Exploration/ Science/ The Arts settlement invention Commerce Industry Social/ Communication Military humanitarian Community development Political X Transportation 9. Historical significance (include explanation of themes checked above) Building was gift of Susanna Cary and Elizabeth Cary Farnham to the town in memory of their father Isaac Harris Cary ( 1803-1881) , Interior plaque reads "Commemorates his interest in the early history of Lexington, his assistance to young men in improving their conditions in life and his desire to promote the intellectual and moral growth of this community which both father and daughyers loved." 10. Bibliography and/or references (such as local histories, deeds, assessor's records, early maps, etc.) INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Community: Form No: MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COWUSSION Lexington Office of the Secretary, Boston Property Name: Cary Memorial Hal Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below. Other features : 23,k story building with projecting central pavilion, on raised granite foundation. Numerous Colonial Revival motifs include : applied colossal Ionic pilasters, demi lune window in pavilion gable , niches, panel. round-headed windows with divided sash, keystone window and door lintels, Elaborate fanlight over main entrance, less elaborate fanlights above 2 subsidiary entrances. All 3 entrances have double doors. Parapet gable with plain panels. Clock on parapet ornamented with swags. Staple to Inventory form at bottom INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Town Property Address LEXINGTON 1605 MASS. AVE. MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. MASSACHUSETTS ARCHIVES BUILDING 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD 6 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125 HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: In the late 171h and 181h century this land was owned by the Estabrook family and was originally the site of the parsonage of Benjamin Estabrook, built by the town for its first minister c.1694. The parsonage was subsequently torn down c.1800. In April 1827,the "front lands" of the Estabrook estate was sold to Hammond A. Hosmer, an"innholder" from Boston. Worthen believes he might have been related to the Estabrook family. On May 25, 1847, Hosmer sold to Abijah W. Farrar the site of the Cary Memorial Building. The land was later the site of the so-called Shaw and Plumer houses which were torn down to make way for Cary Memorial Hall. Construction of the Isaac Harris Cary Memorial Hall was funded by the estates of Susanna E. Cary and her sister, Eliza Cary Farnham. The intention of the sisters' bequest was to erect a memorial to their father, Isaac Harris Cary. The Cary Educational Fund trustees were instructed to secure a site in Lexington and erect a fireproof building suitable for the safe storage and exhibition of relics. The building was to also contain a hall adapted for lectures and public meetings. The Old Town Hall, located at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Waltham Street, was torn down in 1928. It had been constructed in 1871 and designed by architect Gridley Bryant. Cary Memorial Hall was designed by the firm of Kilham, Hopkins & Greeley with Willard D. Brown serving as associate architect. James Stuart Smith served as chairman of the building committee. The contractor for the construction was awarded to John W. Duff, Inc. The cornerstone was laid on June 9, 1927; the building was completed and furnished and the grounds were graded by the fall of 1928. Dedication exercises were held on October 18, 1928. The total cost of the land, grading, building and furnishings was approximately $420,000. Inside, the Hall is graced with a proscenium stage, arched windows, Corinthian pilasters and other Colonial details. It includes seating for 780, with approximately half of the seating on the floor and half on the mezzanine level. Cary Hall was designed for perfect acoustics and the chairs and tables were made to order by a master craftsman from birds-eye maple using timbers from an ancient mill in New Hampshire. Cary Memorial Hall has provided the community with a year round site musical programming and popular events for more than eighty years. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Hudson, Charles. History of the Town of Lexington. Cambridge: The Riverside Press Co., 1913. Kelly, Beverly Allison. Lexington: A Century of Photographs. Lexington Historical Society, 1980. Worthen, Edwin B. A Calendar History of Lexington, Massachusetts, 1620-1946. Lexington: 1946. Worthen, Edwin B. Tracing the Past in Lexington, Massachusetts. New York: Vantage Press, Inc., 1998: 164-172. Supplement prepared by: Lisa Mausolf December 2009 INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Town Property Address LEXINGTON 1605 MASS. AVE. MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. MASSACHUSETTS ARCHIVES BUILDING 220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD 6 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125 t r;. V' t VIP y is g A �\ r ` y: a ✓`i �i P