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HomeMy WebLinkAboutarea-ana • • F rARAnox .o._ cc r4 G`1 rook a^a r Turni ill Mill . `Ti Pond 17 F Rr a v do 9^ FORM A - AREA Massachusetts Historical Commission 220 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, Massachusetts 02125 Assessor's Sheets USGS Quad Area Le tter Form Numbers in Area 86, 87, 89 Boston N.1421-1467I AN Town: Lexington Place (neighborhood or village): No rt h Lexington Name of Area: Upper Tu rning Mill Road Present Use: Residential Construction Dates or Period: 1957-1961 Overall Condition: good Major Intrusions and Alterations: none Acreage: approx. 35 acres Recorded by: Lisa Mausolf Organization: Lexington Histo ri cal Commission Date (month/year): August 2000 (5 1 te J Iles \ R / . X a \^6< ft d L AREA FORM ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION Describe architectural, structural and landscape features and evaluate in terms of other areas within the community. The Upper Turning Mill Road neighborhood is a development of forty-seven contemporary style houses constructed off Grove Street in North Lexington between 1957 and 1961. (An additional house at 67 Turning Mill Road was constructed in 1969 and is not included in this area form.) All but one of the houses (55 Turning Mill Road) are examples of the award- winning, split-level design known as the "Peacock Farm" house. The development includes houses on Dewey Road, Gould Road, Grimes Road and Turning Mill Road (north of the electrical transmission lines), as well as a single house on Grove Street. All of the roads are narrow, curvilinear, heavily wooded and follow the gently rolling hills of the terrain. The orientation of each house reflects the contours of its particular site with some of the houses set below the grade of the road and others set atop low hills or down long driveways. Variations in the siting of the buildings avoids the appearance of sameness and uniformity. Some of the houses face the road while others are set at an angle. All of the houses feature wooded settings which harmonize well with the houses' natural stained siding and simple design (although making photographing the houses difficult). The subdivision is bordered on the south by the 35-acre Paint Mine conservation property, which stretches from Grove Street to Turning Mill and Robinson Roads. The "Peacock Farm" houses are all capped by a distinctive low pitch, tar and gravel roof with one slope longer than the other. The broadly overhanging eaves display exposed beams. The houses are sheathed in stained vertical cedar siding. Fenestration consists of horizontal bands of windows which include single-pane glass as well as casement units in addition to clerestory windows which extend to the eaves. Separating the bands of windows on the upper level of the facade are plywood pals. Some of the lower level windows are covered by a wooden screen of horizontal lathing. As(originally constructed, the houses contained roughly 1,800 square feet, with an open plan layout which separates activities according to their noise level. The three-level interior is divided functionally with three bedrooms and bath on the top level, living room, dining room, kitchen and main entrance on the middle level and a playroom, utility room and/or garage (convertible to two additional bedrooms) on the lower level. Interior features include a distinctive fireplace wall separating the entrance hall and living room, sloping ceilings and exposed beams. From the exterior the brick chimney is visible through the clerestory window. The Upper Turning Mill Road neighborhood retains a high degree of integrity. In particular, the houses on Dewey Road and Gould Road have seen fewer large additions and the inherent design of the houses remains fully recognizable. Among the houses which have seen the construction of additional living space in the form of front additions are 10 Dewey, 8 Gould and 4 Grimes Road. Other houses with additions include 47, 49, 54, 57, 59 and 62 Turning Mill Road. In particular the additions at 49 Turning Mill Road and 54 Turning Mill Road largely obscure the original house form. A number of the houses including 3, 5, 11, 15 & 16 Dewey Road; 7 and 10 Gould Road; 5 Grimes Road; and 53, 60 & 61 Turning Mill Road appear to be virtually unchanged. Most of the original owners appear to have chosen lower level living space rather than a garage although 7 Dewey Road is one example of a house built with the integral lower level garage; the house at 51 Turning Mill Road is notable for a compatible (c.1960?) attached garage. Several houses including 20 Dewey Road and 2 Grimes Road and have separate detached carports. Other houses including 8 Dewey Road, 17 Dewey Road, 3 Gould Road, 56 Turning Mill Road and 58 Turning Mill Road have witnessed the addition of separate garage structures. Within the subdivision, the house at 55 Turning Mill Road was constructed in 1960 in the same genre, but was not built according to the "Peacock Farm" design. This contemporary, originally owned by John and Katherine Yeager, was designed by koger Small. Lexington has approximately ten developments of Contemporary style houses, including the Upper Turning Mill Road houses and these constitute some of Lexington's most significant architectural resources. See also Areas S, AK, AL, AM. Recommended as a National Register District. If checked, you must attach a completed National Register Criteria Statement form Town Property AddressINVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Lexington Upper Turning Mill Area(s) Form No. AN Massachusetts Historical Commission Massachusetts Archives Building 220 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, Massachusetts 02125 HISTORICAL NARRATIVE Explain historical development of the area. Discuss how this area relates to the historical development of the community. The Upper Turning Mill Road neighborhood is one of five areas in Lexington developed with a split-level dwelling which became known as the "Peacock Farm" house. Construction of the development was begun shortly after the construction of the original Peacock Farms development (Area S). The other developments constructed later include Rumford Road (Area AM; 1959); the Glen at Countryside (Area AK; 1960-1962); and The Grove off Burlington Street (Area AL; 1962-1964). Other communities featuring the same house design were built in Wayland and Newton. The Upper Turning Mill subdivision followed on the heels of the success of Peacock Farms which met national acclaim in 1956-7 including first prize in the national "Homes for Better Living" contest sponsored by the A.I.A., a First Award from House and Home magazine and exhibited in the National Association of Home Builders' Hall of Fame in Washington. The earliest houses in the Upper Turning Mill Road, including 5 Dewey Road and 7 Gould Road were constructed in 1957 with the last of the "Peacock Farms"-type houses in the neighborhood completed in 1961. As part of the original Peacock Farm development, Cambridge architect Walter Pierce was commissioned by developers Harmon White and Edward Green to design a house which would meet the needs of the young professional buyers they hoped to attract. The resulting design, known as "the Peacock Farm house" contained 1,825 sq. ft. including garage and sold for just over $20,000. For an extra $1,500 buyers had the option of adding two bedrooms and a bath in the basement garage space and a separate garage outside the house. Nearly all of the land on which the Upper Turning Mill Road contemporaries were built was originally part of what was known as Middle Ridge Section 2 (See Area I, Middle Ridge). The arrangement of the lots was originally laid out by Techbuilt on land which the company purchased from the Kenmore Realty Trust in 1955. When Techbuilt encountered financial difficulties in 1957 due in part to difficulty liquidating land parcels, the land was sold to Watts Realty. The land on which 2-17 Dewey Road were constructed was subdivided by Nicolo Anastasy of 187 Grove Street in 1954. This land was subsequently acquired by Watson Realty Trust. As was the case in the Rumford Road subdivision, The Grove, & Glen Estates, most of the houses were constructed by Benjamin Franklin Homes of Newton (also known as Lexland Construction Corporation). The houses were constructed between 1957 and 1961, on lots which are approximately 30,000 square feet. The three houses on Grimes Road were part of a separate subdivision known as Paint Rock, developed by Waymint Realty. The smaller subdivision was approved in 1959 and completed in 1960. The "Peacock Farm" house prototype was popular with young professional buyers and the Upper Turning Mill houses were no exception. Directories indicate that within the subdivision, the original households were all comprised of male breadwinners and their spouses who are listed as housewives. The typical resident was in his/her thirties. Nearly all moved to the neighborhood from other communities in Massachusetts, with lesser numbers moving from other states. Their occupations included physicians, engineers, scientists and other professionals. Of the forty-seven original homeowners, nineteen continue to occupy the dwellings today, forty years after their construction. The land on which this subdivision was constructed was part of 200 acres which Roger Shaw sold to William Simonds and Michael Brown in 1655 for 10 pounds. Simonds share of the land was expanded somewhat over the years and remained in the Simonds famil y for seven generations until the mid 1940s when the 237 acres of farm land was sold after the death of Franklin P. Simonds. The Paint Mine conservation area was established in 1960 after the town acquired 19.38 acres from Waymint Realty Trust and 16 acres from Donald K. Irwin. The name "Paint Mine" dates to the mid 19th century when the land was briefly explored and/or excavated for pigments. INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Town Property Address Lexington Upper Turning Mill Massachusetts Historical Commission Area(s) Form No. Massachusetts Archives Building 220 Morrissey Boulevard AN Boston, Massachusetts 02125 BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES Comprehensive Cultural Resources Survey of Lexington, Book 1, 1984 [Area S, Peacock Farm]. House and Home, October 1956, June 1957. Lexington Assessors records. Lexington Building Department Records. Lexington Planning Board records. Middlesex County Register of Deeds, Seney, Noel. "A Split-Level that Makes Sense", Better Homes and Gardens, May 1960. Sileo, Thomas P. "Find signs of spring in the Paint Mine area", Lexington Minute-man. Time, May 20, 1957. Town Property Address Lexington Uppr. Turning Mill Rd. Area(s) Form No. i INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Massachusetts Historical Commission Massachusetts Archives Building 220 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, Massachusetts 02125 DISTRICT DATA SHEET AREA AN UPPER TURNING MILL RD. Tax Map Resource Address Style Date MHC# 89/16 Leland & Sally Ha g er House*1 Dewey Rd.Contemporary 1958 1421 89/17 William Duckham House 2 Dewey Rd.Contemporary 1960 1422 89/15 Perry & Kathleen Miles House 3 Dewey Rd.Contemporary 1958 1423 89/18 Louis & Alice Howard House 4 Dewey Rd.Contemporary 1958 1424 89/14 Norman & Monique Doelling House 5 Dewey Rd.Contemporary 1957 1425 89/13 Raymond & Ruth Wexler House 7 Dewey Rd.Contemporary 1958 1426 89/41 Sumner & Nona Besse House 8 Dewey Rd.Contemporary 1959 1427 89/42 George & Arlene Kolovson House*10 Dewey Rd.Contemporary 1958 1428 89/47 Robert & Elizabeth Levine House*11 Dewey Rd.Contemporary 1958 1429 89/43 George & Laura Wallis House*14 Dewey Rd.Contemporary 1958 1430 89/46 Merton & Hilda Kahne House*15 Dewe y Rd.Contemporary 1958 1431 89/44 Donald & Claire Smith House*16 Dewe y Rd.Contemporary 1957 1432 89/45 Maynard & Sandra Tishman House 17 Dewey Rd.Contemporary 1958 1433 87/1A Neal & Jean Rubenstein House*18 Dewey Rd.Contemporary 1958 1434 87/3 John & Emily Frankovich House*19 Dewey Rd.Contemporary 1961 1435 87/2A Herman & Dorothy Yagoda House 20 Dewey Rd.Contemporary 1959 1436 89/51 David & Neva Reiner House*3 Gould Rd.Contemporary 1958 1437 89/12 Reuben & Adele Wisotzky House*4 Gould Rd.Contemporary 1958 1438 89/50 Kingston & Jean Howard House 5 Gould Rd.Contemporary 1958 1439 89/49 Judson & Selma Baron House*7 Gould Rd.Contemporary 1957 1440 89/19 Donald & Rosalyn Lyons House*8 Gould Rd.Contemporary 1958 1441 89/48 CC & Evelyn Wan g House*9 Gould Rd.Contemporary 1958 1442 89/20 Robert & Diana Kerley House 10 Gould Rd.Contemporary 1959 1443 86/20A Philip & Sheila Barach House 2 Grimes Rd.Contemporary 1960 1444 86/21 John & Vir g inia Nolan House*4 Grimes Rd.Contemporary 1959 1445 86/22 Ernest & Hilda Low House 5 Grimes Rd.Contemporary 1960 1446 Gerald & Doris Jankowitz House 186 Grove Street Contemporary 1960 1447 86/18A Paul & Diane Goldstein House 45 Turnin g Mill Rd.Contemporary 1960 1448 86/16 Seymour & Frances GoldbergHouse 46 Turnin g Mill Rd.Contemporary 1960 1449 89/31 John & Mary Rule House 47 Turning Mill Rd.Contemporary 1958 1450 86/17 Peter & Pearl Fritsch House 48 Turnin g Mill Rd.Contemporary 1959 1451 89/30 Bertell & Alice Koed House 49 Turning Mill Rd.Contemporary 1959 1452 89/33 Elmer & Frakye Jones House 50 Turning Mill Rd.Contemporary 1960 1453 89/29 William & Alice Roat House 51 Turnin g Mill Rd.Contemporary 1961 1454 89/34 Lester & Eva Arond House*52 Turning Mill Rd.Contemporary 1961 1455 89/28 George & Lorraine deHahn House 53 Turning Mill Rd.Contemporary 1959 1456 89/35 Kenneth & Carlene Stewart House 54 Turnin g Mill Rd.Contemporary 1960 1457 89/27 John & Katherine Yea ger House 55 Turnin g Mill Rd.Contemporary 1960 1458 89/36 William & Elizabeth Uraneck House 56 Turnin g Mill Rd.Contemporary 1959 1459 89/26 David & Mina Goldber g House 57 Turnin g Mill Rd.Contemporary 1959 1460 89/37 Richard & Helen Davis House 58 Turning Mill Rd.Contemporary 1959 1461 89/25 A. Sander & Joan Buchman House 59 Turnin g Mill Rd.Contemporary 1961 1462 89/38 Clifford & Edith Levi House*60 Turnin g Mill Rd.Contemporary 1959 1463 89/24 Edward & Naomi Gray House*61 Turnin g Mill Rd.Contemporary 1960 1464 89/39 Peter & Eva Glaser House*62 Tuning Mill Rd.Contemporary 1959 1465 89/40 Edward & Edith Ottenhartz House 64 Turnin g Mill Rd.Contemporary 1959 1466 89/23 Gerald & Miriam Landau House*65 Turnin g Mill Rd.Contemporary 1960 1467 *Still owned by members of the same family in 2000. Property Address Uppr. Turning Mill Rd. Area(s) Form No. Town Lexington INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Massachusetts Historical Commission Massachusetts Archives Building 220 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, Massachusetts 02125 5 Gould Road Gould Road Lexington Uppr. Turning Mill Rd. Area(s) Form No. AN INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Town Property Address Massachusetts Historical Commission Massachusetts Archives Building 220 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, Massachusetts 02125 10 Gould Road 8 Gould Road Lexington Uppr. Turning Mill Rd. Area(s) Form No. AN INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Town Property Address Massachusetts Historical Commission Massachusetts Archives Building 220 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, Massachusetts 02125 54 Turning Mill Road 55 Turning Mill Road Lexington Uppr. Turning Mill Rd. Area(s) Form No. AN INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET Town Property Address Massachusetts Historical Commission Massachusetts Archives Building 220 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, Massachusetts 02125 2 Grimes Road Massachusetts Historical Commission Community Property Address 220 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, Massachusetts 02125 Lexington Upper Turning Mill Area(s)Form No. AN National Register of Historic Places Criteria Statement Form Check all that apply: q Individually eligible q Eligible only in a historic district q Contributing to a potential historic district 0 Potential historic district Criteria:q A q B O C q D Criteria Considerations:q A q B q C q D q E q F q G Statement of Significance by: Lisa Mausolf Justify criteria that are checked in the above sections: This late 1950s-early 1960s subdivision is eligible for the National Register under Criterion C as an intact concentration of ward-winning, split-level residences known as the "Peacock Farm" house, named after the Lexington neighborhood where the houses were first constructed. The Upper Turning Mill neighborhood is one of five areas in Lexington developed with this type of dwelling giving the town a concentration of these Contemporary-style houses which is without parallel in the region or the state. The Upper Turning Mill Road neighborhood, and Dewey Road and Gould Road in particular, exhibits a high level of integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association. The aspects of integrity which are most important to the neighborhood include setting, design, and materials. Critical elements include the relationship between the houses and their surrounding and the unique way in which each dwelling is oriented to make the most of the site and its natural topography. The wooded setting adds to the character of the neighborhood and harmonizes well with the natural stained siding on the houses. Although the siting of the houses varies considerably, all of the houses are built according to the same basic plan and retain a distinctive, asymmetrical gable roof with broadly overhanging eaves, fenestration which includes horizontal bands of windows as well as clerestory units and vertical cedar siding. Although some of the houses have seen the construction of additions, in most cases the basic form of the house remains fully recognizable. ^_.^ jam— /9G--_ _- \9 /A ^N F r94' - /'//^^ ^ r66 jar Y Y ^^-- \r53? ti j \^..^ 1 _.-^ /jDE WOODS / 0 / //'g \ p Th'I• ^i/ Y"\'SEi i 'WOCej. I,o -- j.% ^` _ _ \jj^ ^4_ _\/ / I ///--I\ l I ^`y f LVv^//UO3IY Y J y Y // •(r \a I 22 ' \ - ^^ o ^f ti's J ^`^\\^ /\ /! /T \, T 1 i -t ^^i ""^^3 ^///^/_ ^l Vim"_^ ____.,_'ter3 i Ji :^^'^ _-- ^'+ "^ ^^^ ^—^^^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^1 ^r%^, ^ ! ^3 ^ V '^ `mac ^ _^ ^< ) )y i^^ 4 1 4*43 I / r \ 1 ''l Lr^^C! \ ^` \ J -222-3 ^^l r ,___i r./ / `/^ ^.^/rG 6.^^^(` 1 i.\^?^ t om,1^f r w I y _ '^ ^ . l 1 "^-^ ^ ' ^ ___ / ^'^/OP ^/^ T^ ^/' 7 Y r9a.3 / /!C A(L<\W //\I /7,, \ 7 \)\Q (i(.3 \I /:h \\/ </ q6 Y4A k''- _^\\\.^ -may,,1 ENO Y ' / ` ' ^ JyL. - -t. /ii ,3^.s 3 ♦•^-^' \ .r ,! ^^( r _^/^J`— _- —^ r I't V ,23y.__ /t lV-- /: ^^vf'^Q_ -, •''_^ i^'-T-— _ - -- il."-F 1 ; \ ^ ^ t ._. ^'^ J TL.y 4 k-d° U_'C^ \ __2 j ^ Or--- IL 4 ^\ ______ 44 FIRST ANVARD Class B—$15,000 to $20,000 CITATION: "An excellent solution of the entire problem: site planning, arrange- ment of interior circulation, and treatment of the facade." BUILDER: Eewj.-d v een & H_en White ARCHITECTS: Ccmo'on & Piec= LOCATION: Lexington, Mass. This house irus one of the 57 houses for '57 published in H&H last October. I 4' Y I may... FRONT ELEVATION. Jury's comment.: "The well-inte- grated facade makes the house look considerably larger than it really is. The site planning is excellent, especially the large lot (125' frontage)." Level 2 Level 3 Dining Kit C^GR ^ I ^r;, ILA u ^^I r .nui' IIII i i it d Terrace ' Living ER 0 5 1 0 1 5' Leiei 1 n PLAN. Jtrt_v's co mment: "The house has excellent cir- culation between living-dining and bedroom levels. The plan permits very economical plumbing." (Floor area is 1,860 sq. ft. including garage.) f ^C! u t -V \L- O O O O FIREPLACE WALL. Jrrrc's comment: We call particular attention to the aay the fireplace is used to give privacy for entry without reducing the sense of space in the living room." (You enter the house from behind the fireplace at the right end.) LIVING Room, below, as seen from the stairway at the fireplace wall.