HomeMy WebLinkAboutmeriam-street_0060 AREA FORIM N0.
FORM B - BUILDING I 388
A
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION
294 WASHINGTON STREET, BOSTON, MA 02108
)wn Lexington
' `` ldress 60 Eeriam Street
3 storic Nagle Haves Carriage House
, ``j. �e: Present residence
Original
carriage house
�. _ ..
,V _ _ - DESCRIPTION:
to 1883-1884
Source Lexington I_inute Asan, Nov. 16, 168.
SKETCH MAP
Show property's location in relation Style ichardsonian/Chateauesaue
to nearest cross streets and/or
geographical features. Indicate Architect
all buildings between inventoried
property and nearest intersection. Exterior wall fabric multi-colored granite
Indicate north.
'+ Outbuildings
Major alterations (with dates) converted
to residence (1941) ; remodeled and half-
UA
tir_bered addition removed (1962)
,P
Moved Date
% Approx. acreage 1.0 A. (42880 eta`
f
Recorded by Anne Grade Setting on the northern sl.one of Granny
Organization Lexington Historical Conunission Ilill; a residential street in which a few
Date .,"arch, 1984 turn of the twentieth century houses are
interspersed with more recent houses.
(Staple additional sheets here)
MW
I
ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE (Describe important architectural features and
Ievaluate in terms of other buildings within the community.)
This house is all that remains of. Lexington's most splendid estate, the
Hayes property, also called The Castle or Oakmont. As the carriage house, it
Istood east of the 32-room main house (demolished in 1941) in the 400-acre
estate which was landscaped with exotic and costly plants (some of the rhodo-
dendronsare still evident on this lot) . Constructed, like the mansion, of
multi-colored granite including stones with pink and orange tones as well as
grey, some of which were imported from maine, the carriage house echoes
(see Continuation Sheet)
I HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE (Explain the role owners played in local or state
history and how the building relates to the development of the community.)
Francis B. Hayes was a lawyer who was particularly successful in advising
railroad companies and was instrumental in the construction of several railroad
lines in the west. He was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives
in 1873 and the State Senate the next year. He was responsible for the passage
of a bill "reducing the hours of labor in the factories and shops for women and
children to ten hours per day, and other legislation to _protect them in
manufacturing establishments. from overwork and abuse" -(Hurd 1890 , Volume 1:636) .
.Haves came to Lexington in 1861 as a summer resident. He gradually
amassed acreage until he owned all of Granny Hill' and land extending from it
to Hancock and Grant streets. In 1883-1884 he built the largest dwelling ever
to be built in Lexington for his permanent residence (the architect has not
been identified) .
Haves was an avid horticulturist and embellished his estate with rare
plants. Many of the rhododendrons he planted are still seen from Vieriam Street,
Oakmont Circle, and Castle Road. Haves was president of the Alassachusetts
Horticultural Society for several years before his death in 1884 and the roses,
azaleas and such that he exhibited regularly won prizes. Hayes and his
descendants opened the grounds of his estate to the public and there are many
references in the local paper to what was blooming there.
Most of the estate was divided up for house lots by 1900. Hallie Blake,
who was prominent in town affairs, was the last resident of The Castle before
its demolition en 1q41-
BIBLIOGRAPHY
q41.BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES (name of publication, author, date and publisher)
Hurd, D. Hamilton, ed., History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Vol. I (Phila-
delphia: J.W. Lewis & Co., 1890)
Kelley, Beverly Allison. Lexington, A Century of Photographs, p. 37. Boston:
Lexington Historical Society, 1980.
"Scenes from Old Lexington." Lexington Minute Iran, August 6, 1953.
I MT _ '7 Ye
INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Commmity: Form No:
MASSA01USETTS HISTORICAL CaIINUSSION Lexington 388
Office of the Secretary, Boston
Property Name: 50 Meriam Street
Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below.
ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
features of the main house in its high hip roof, bowed end, and expansive
entry.
A half-timbered pavilion was added in 1941 when the house was converted
to a dwelling. The current owners removed the pavilion, restored the entry to
its original configuration, and remodeled the interior in 1982 under the
direction of James Freeman, architect, of Boston. The owners spent four years
collecting stones buried in the area when the main house was demolished, before
commencing the restoration. On the interior, they raised the ceiling to expose
a huge central tie beam, perhaps 15 feet square, and secured the iron bolts.
'Staple to Inventory form at bottom