HomeMy WebLinkAboutoakmount-circle_0008 FORM B -BUILDING
Assessor's number USGS Quad Area(s) Form Number
55/18 Boston N. 1105,1106
Massachusetts Historical Commission
Town Lexington
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Place (neighborhood or village) Upper Meriam Hill
Address 8 Oakmount Circle
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Historic Name Sherburne &Mary Prescott House
Uses: Present Residential
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Original Residential
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,,�( 0 r Date of Construction 1922
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Source Lexington Valuation Lists
Style/Form Colonial Revival
ff � €E'er Architect/Builder Haven&Hoyt(Lewis Sise), Boston
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Exterior Material:
Foundation not visible
Wall/Trim brick
Roof slate
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r t• _ `,� Outbuildings/Secondary Structures
garage/gardeners cottage (1923) -MHC #1106
inground swimming pool
310, // �_!!! `/' Major Alterations (with dates) 1988 -tore down maid's
/
porch, added to kitchen, screened porch converted to
sunporch
O.RT
uuRT � � A Condition good
Moved ® no ❑ yes Date
Acreage 47,380 SF
Recorded by Lisa Mausolf Setting early 20th century residential neighborhood
Organization Lexington Historical Commission
Date (month/year) June 2000
Follow Massachusetts Historical Commission Survey Manual instructions for completing this form.
BUILDING FORM (8 Oakmount Circle)
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION
Describe architectural features. Evaluate the characteristics of the building in terms of other buildings within the
community.
Constructed in 1922, 8 Oakmount Circle (MHC#1105) is a brick Colonial Revival dwelling which displays considerable
latitude in its adaptation of historical precedent. The 2 1/2-story, five bay-wide, side gabled dwelling is constructed of brick
laid in a Flemish bond with a row of soldier brick serving as a watertable. The center entrance contains a six-panel door
flanked by partial sidelights and capped by a semi-elliptical fanlight filled with tracery with a recessed panel outer surround.
The single-bay entrance porch is supported by Roman Doric columns with a cluster of three at each of the two front corners,
echoed by paired pilasters adjacent to the door. On either side of the entrance is a narrow 4/1 window with a flat arch brick
lintel. Further to the right there is a 8/8 window with a 6/6 sash on the opposite side. The upper level of the facade has four
6/6 windows, all flanked by louvered blinds. Deviating from the pattern,the fourth bay contains two narrow 4/4 windows
with a panel below. Rising from the front roof slope are three pedimented dormers containing casement windows. There is a
brick chimney with concrete cap rising from the rear slope and an exterior brick chimney on the south elevation. On the south
side,the old single-story screened porch has been replaced by a glazed sunporch lit by casement windows.
A paved driveway extends to the north of the house. To the north of the driveway, facing the main house is a single-story
garage/gardener's cottage(MHC#1106). The garage is stuccoed with a large, double-wide garage door facing the house. A
pent roof extends below the gable. Attached to the east end of the garage is a gardener's cottage set above a brick foundation.
Fenestration includes an arched door and 3 x 3-light and 6/6 windows. An inground pool is located in the back yard.
HISTORICAL NARRATIVE
Describe 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 property comprises lots 133-135 of the Oakmount Park subdivision which was laid out in 1903. Town Valuation
Records indicate that in 1922 Mary Prescott paid taxes on just a lot but by the following year she was assessed for a house
valued at$25,000. The first mention of a garage appears on the 1924 valuation. The present owners, Stephen and Louise
Berry,have copies of the original drawings for the house which indicate it was designed by Lewis Sise of the Boston
architectural firm of Haven and Hoyt. Directories indicate that Mary Presoctt's husband, Sherburne,was a Christian Science
practitioner. By 1950 the house was occupied by Ann and Harrison Biggi who sold the property to Kenneth and Eleanor Fox
in 1963. Peter and Linea Gabriel purchased the property in 1973 and sold it to the present owners in 1988.
BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES
Information from Louise Berry, June 2000.
Lexington Assessors Records.
Lex:' gton Directories, various dates.
Lexpngton 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.
INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Town Property Address
Lexington 8 Oakmount Circle
Massachusetts Historical Commission Area(s) Form No.
Massachusetts Archives Building
220 Morrissey Boulevard 1105,1106
Boston, Massachusetts 02125
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