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HomeMy WebLinkAboutwa-tower-estate-gateFORM F - STRUCTl?RF z G Lp9Rfl N�US�t�M M o� aua NhT1oNA� j. 1� �I DO -NOT WRITE I- THIS SPACE USGS Quadrant MHC Photo no. 56- -73}15074 IISSION 3ostorn i ttion in ,zi.ldi ngs , Indicate (over) u In Area no. Form nq. qo9 1. Town Lexington Address Pelham Road Name William A. Tower Estate Gate Present use Present owner 3. Type. of structure (check one) bridge pound canal powder house dam street fort tower gate x tunnel kiln wall lighthouse windmill other �. Description Date second half of nineteenth century a Source Hudson, II, p. 702 Construction material stone and iron Dimensions 6.6 feet by 8 feet Setting Adjacent to landscaped grounds of the q former estate, now a convent. Condition good 6. Recorded by Anne Grady Organization Lexington Historical Commission Date March, 1984 7.. Original owner (if known) ItZilliam Augustus Tower Original use gate Subsequent uses (if any) and dates 8. Historical significance. Along with Tower Park across Massachusetts Avenue and the still -oven grounds of the convent adjacent, this gate is a last remnant of the F'illiax Augustus Tower estate singled out for description in Hudson's 1868 history of Lexington: . A stately building, situated on the high land south of I -lain Street, it makes a fine appearance, and its cupola commands a prospect of great extent, variety and beauty A view of the premises, taken on the high grounds near the edifice, affords a scene of the most pleasing combination of nature and art; showing at once elegant buildings, native and artificial forests, and a beautiful pool of water. This dwelling, with all its surroundings, has no superior in the township; and any admirer of natural scenery would find his taste fully gratified by such a location (p. 432). Tower was a very successful banker and businessman who moved to Lexincton in the 1850s. He was a member of the House of Representatives and the Covernor's Council, and was the chief marshall at the Lexinr_.ton Centennial celebration in 1875. This is the only ornamental gate to survive from the estate, although most of the wall of the estate along lassachusetts Avenue and Pelham Road re -rains. The ironwork is perhaps the finest to be found in Lexington. 9. Bibliography and/or references such as local histories, deeds. assessor's records. early maps, etc. Hudson, Charles. History of the Town of Lexington, n. 432. Boston: U iggin and Lunt, 1868. Hudson, Charles. History of the Town of Lexington, revised and continued to 1912 by the Lexington Historical Society, Volume II, pp. 702-703. Boston: Houghton T-:ifflin ('ompany, 1913. + 3/7