HomeMy WebLinkAboutsomerset-road_0043 FORM B - BUILDING
Assessor's number USGS Quad Area(s) Form Number
56/97 Boston N. 1131
It Town Lexington
Place (neighborhood or village) Upper Meriam Hill
~ Address 43 Somerset Road
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yrs•, xn,. Historic Name Clarence and Edith Shannon House
v (Shannon-Marek House)
Uses: Present Residential
Original Residential
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Date of Construction 1913
Source Lexington Valuation Lists
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Style/Form Craftsman/Colonial Revival
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Architect/Builder unknown
Exterior Material:
Foundation stone
' Wall/Trim stucco/wood
Roof asphalt shingle
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z ROAD Outbuildings/Secondary Structures
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none
1 Major Alterations (with dates)
2,
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Condition good
Z / Moved Z no ❑ yes Date
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Acreage 19,977 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 foam.
BUILDING FORM (43 Somerset Road)
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION
Describe architectural features. Evaluate the characteristics of the building in terms of other buildings within the
community.
Combining elements of the Colonial Revival and Craftsman styles,43 Somerset Road is a two-story, 3 x 2 bay dwelling
sheathed in stucco. The house rests on a rubble foundation and is capped by an asphalt-shingled, hip roof with overhanging
eaves. Fronted by a brick stoop and entrance porch,the center entrance contains a varnished wooden door with two vertical
panels and two upper bullseye glass panes. The entrance is flanked by full sidelights and capped by a semi-elliptical fan with
keystone. The open gable porch displays sections of entablature, supported by Roman Doric columns, echoed by pilasters.
On one side of the entrance is a tripartite window consisting of a central 6/1 window flanked by two 4/1 sash with a pair of
6/1 windows on the other side. The upstairs of the facade is punctuated by three individual 6/1 windows. A wood-shingled
shed dormer with exposed rafters rises from the front roof slope and contains four 2 x 3-light casement panels. Two stucco
chimneys rise from the east and west roof slopes.
The west elevation is spanned by a single-story, flat-roofed sunporch. The single-pane windows rest on a stucco base and are
separated by recessed panel pilasters. A deck spans the rear elevation.
The house is setback from the street and a brick walk leads to the front door. A large maple tree shades the front yard.
HIJTORICAL 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. vee 60 WIe.J'0'W S1
MdC,f 3'e
This land was originally part of the 400-acre Francis B. Hayes estate which extended from Adams andcock 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 1912.
This house was constructed in 1913 for Dr. Clarence Shannon, a dentist, and his wife Edith. The 1913 Valuation list
indicates that Clarence Shannon of 454 Mass. Ave. paid taxes on just the lot but the following year was assessed for a house
valued at$8,000. The Shannons remained in the house until about 1925. The house was acquired by Leroy and Mildred
Marek about 1930 and they continued to own the property until 1984. The present owners purchased the property in 1993.
BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES
Lexington Assessors Records.
1&)cington 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.