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HomeMy WebLinkAboutsomerset-road_0038 FORM B - BUILDING Assessor's number USGS Quad Area(s) Form Number 56/112 Boston N. 1125 Massachusetts Historical Commission Town Lexington - Place (neighborhood or village) Upper Meriam Hill 1 Address 38 Somerset Road Historic Name William and Marjory Greeley House F } Uses: Present Residential n : f Original Residential I Date of Construction 1912-1913 x Source Lexington Valuation Lists Style/Form Colonial Revival �. Architect/Builder William R. Greeley , Exterior Material: Foundation brick 4 Wall/Trim brick Roof wood shingle Outbuildings/Secondary Structures IVRo Y. none 260�: Major Alterations (with dates) 1972 -garage under o deck Condition good 28 —_ ��ROAp Moved ® no ❑ yes Date Acreage 31,000 SF Recorded by Lisa Mausolf Setting early 20th century residential neighborhood Organization Lexington Historical Commission Date (month/year) May 2000 Follow Massachusetts Historical Commission Survey Manual instructions for completing this form. BUILDING FORM (38 Somerset Road) ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION Describe architectural features. Evaluate the characteristics of the building in terms of other buildings within the community. This house which architect William Greeley built for his own use in 1913 is a good example of a building trend which was widely seen in Lexington in the early 20th century;the house is vaguely Colonial Revival in feeling but lacking any specific stylistic accuracy. Fronted by a circular drive and shaded by two mature maple trees, the 2 1/2-story brick house is capped by a side-gabled green wood shingle roof with a modillion-like cornice decorating the lateral eaves. The brick is laid in a common bond with brick corner quoins and additional quoining accenting the front entrance. A band of rowlock brick wraps around the building at the watertable level. Centered on the three-bay facade,the recessed entrance is framed by two concrete Doric columns with a flat arch brick lintel above the wide entrance. Inside the recess,the door is set to one side with a 2/2 window adjacent. On either side of the entrance is a set of three 6/6 windows with a flat arch brick lintel. Above the entrance is a multi-paned rectangular oriel window supported by four corbels. On either side is a set of three 6/6 windows which extend to the cornice. Three pedimented dormers with 6/6 windows rise from the front roof slope. The north side of the house is spanned by a two-story sunporch resting on a concrete foundation. Fenestration on the first floor consists of longer, single-pane casements with sliders set above panels on the second floor. Projecting from the south side of the house is a single-story bay window and a variety of 6/6 openings including a segmentally-arched attic window. A shallow two-story ell is located to the rear. A garage set underneath a rear deck was added in 1972. 1 HISTORICAL NARRATIVE Describe the history of the building. Explain its associations with local(or state) istory. Include uses of the building and the role(s) the owners/occupants played within the community. M-Rc �b'� This land was originally part of the 400-acre Francis B. Hayes estate which extended from Adams and cock Streets to Woburn Street(the house known as Oakmount or The Castle was built in 1884 and demolished in 1941). This portion of the Hayes estate was laid out in houselots in 1909. This house was constructed about 1913 by architect William Roger Greeley for his own use on lot 36 of the Hayes subdivision. Greeley and his wife Marjory married in 1907 and before living here, lived at 16 Oakland Street. In 1912 the Greeleys were assessed for lots 35 and 36. In 1913 Greeley's house on Somerset Road was valued at$10,000. At the time Greeley's offices were located at 120 Boylston Street in Boston(later 9 Park Street). In 1925 Greeley became a third member in the firm of Kilham, Greeley and Hopkins. Greeley's best known local commission was the design of Cary Memorial Hall (MHC #6), a collaboration with Willard Brown built in 1927. Other local residences designed by Greeley include 39 Locust Avenue (MHC#518), constructed in 1919, and 16 Belfry Terrace (MHC #1029), constructed in 1935. The Greeleys continued to own the Somerset Road property until 1925. In 1925 Greeley bought 1948 Mass. Ave. (MHC 464). Later owners of 38 Somerset Road included Marion and A. Edward Rowse (1925-1950s) and Louis and Kathryn Mead(1960-1983). The present owners purchased the house in 1983. BIV UILIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES G feley, Roland to Anne Grady, 24 Feb. 1984. Correspondence in possession of Anne A. Grady, Lexington, Mass. Lexington Assessors Records. Lexington Directories, various dates. Lexington 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.