HomeMy WebLinkAboutmassachusetts-avenue_1628-1632 FORM B - BUILDING In Area no. Form no.
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION A 9
Office of the Secretary, State House, Boston
Lexington
hss 1628 - 32 Mass. Avenue
j LE c cs IS t, DD u12(e Us'�
%nt use Business
IN
ss shops - The Toad Stool'
- ;nt owner
Met iption:
Y
94001000 RX,
s -
- _ urce 40 U IMG_0 �H»y' t
—� Queen Anne
4. Map. Draw sketch of building location Architect
in relation to nearest cross streets and
other buildings. Indicate north. Exterior wall fabric Clapboard -shingle
Outbuildings (describe)
Other features Two entrances, 1 facing__
driveway between 1620 & 1632, one facing
Wallis Court. Fieldstone foundation; (over)
AI/ 4 r ,€ d Altered Date
-- , Lj
Moved Date
5. Lot size:
- One acre or less x Over one acre
Approximate frontage 75'
Approximate distance of building from street
15'
O NOT WRITE IN THIS SPACE 6. Recorded by E. W. Reinhardt
USGS Quadrant
Organization Lexington Historical Commission
HC Photo no.
Date 10/14/75
(over)
qM-9-75-8061465 (20M-2476)
7. Original owner (if known)
Original use
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 Transportation
9. Historical significance (include explanation of themes checked above)
Descrip; symmetrical double house; each entrance has porch with turned posts, balusters
between posts, dentil course at cornice; 2 two story bay windows face street, clapboard
at first floor level , cornice at each bay with dentil course, band of cut shingles
(7 courses) separated second from first floor. Dentil course at roof eave line, roof
projects. Center dormer in high hip roof faces street. Next to entrance on each side,
projecting two story rectangular bay with cross gabled roof pediment, shingle at peak of \
gable, dentil course around eave line under projecting roof. Ste- Vt C&#"e- # 36( 1
/1 3(-V Co
t )/
The house formerly on this site has been moved to Cottage Street and
made into two houses -- both face the railroad tracks. In 1853 this Cottage
Street house was owned by William Stevens, a Boston merchant (1853 map) .
Stevens had several daughters, one of whom, Hannah, married George D. Robinson.
Robinson was born and reared in Lexington and was elected Governor of the
Commonwealth in 1883.
Like the building at 1644 Massachusetts Avenue, the present structure
was a two-family house for many years until the area was zoned for business.
In the part now occupied by the "Toad Stool" shop, Dr. Harold Crumb had
his office during the 1940s and 1950s, before moving to Muzzey Street.
S. Lawrence Whipple, 1984
10. Bibliography and/or references (such as local histories, deeds, assessor's records,
early maps, etc.)
INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Town Property Address
LEXINGTON 1628-32 MASS. AVE.
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No.
MASSACHUSETTS ARCHIVES BUILDING
220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD 9
BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02125
HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:
The Lexington Minute-man of April 1, 1887 includes an apparent mention to the construction of this double house as well
as that at 1644 Mass. Ave. (see#14):
We understand Mr. Lewis Hunt is intending to erect two double houses this spring to occupy sites on the Stevens
estate on Main street,recently purchased by him.
Lewis Hunt(1843-1893)was a prosperous local hardware merchant who became a resident of Lexington in 1884. He
owned considerable real estate in town and built the Hunt's Block at 1777-1793 Mass. Ave. in 1892 (razed in 1966).
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Hudson, Charles. History of the Town of Lexington,revised and continued to 1912 by the Lexington Historical Society,
Vol. 2,p. 316. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1913.
Lexington Minute-Man,April 1, 1887.
Supplement prepared by:
Lisa Mausolf
March 2009