Historic New England Fall 2007

HistoricNEW ENGLAND

PRESENTED BY

THE SOCIETY FOR

THE PRESERVATION OF

NEW ENGLAND ANTIQUITIES

FALL 2007

PRESENTED BY

THE SOCIETY FOR

THE PRESERVATION OF

NEW ENGLAND ANTIQUITIES

FALL 2007

BLUEPRINT FORPRESERVATION

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1Fall 2007 Historic New England

S P O T L I G H T

istoric houses and their collections are highlysusceptible to insect pest infestations. Carpetbeetles, webbing and case-making clothesmoths, and wood boring insects are among

the most common and most destructive. Recognizing signsand patterns of an infestation is crucial. The presence of

live insects is an obvious indication; one should look as well for signs of activity suchas cast skins, or molts; frass, or powdery excrement; tunnels in wooden objects, andholes in wool and silk fabrics.

Once an object is infested, it must undergo some form of treatment to prevent fur-ther damage and spread. Instead of using highly toxic chemicals and fumigants,Historic New England favors a more sophisticated, modern method, known as a con-trolled-atmosphere treatment, which is both practical and safe. Historic NewEngland’s storage facility is equipped with a unit that consists of a large woodenframework enclosed within an impermeable plastic tent-like “bubble.” After the unithas been loaded with objects to be treated, it is sealed, and carbon dioxide gas ispumped in to displace the oxygen to a percentage of 5–7 percent, which is low enoughto kill all stages of the insect life cycle—adults, larvae, and pupae.

Unlike alternative treatments, such as freezing, using carbon dioxide is safe for alltypes of museum objects because they are not exposed to extreme changes in temper-ature and relative humidity. During treatment, an overhead heating system and a fan-driven humidification system maintains the ideal environment inside the bubble.

Historic New England has safely and successfully usedthis method on its collections since 1992. As a service, HistoricNew England also offers the treatment at cost to other muse-ums, galleries, institutions, and private clients. The treatmenttime is four weeks. Once objects have been treated, they canbe safely returned to their location and should be inspectedperiodically for any future pest activity.

—Michael SchuetzCollections Technician

The “Bubble” is available to museums,institutions, galleries, and private clients.It runs on a monthly cycle, with pricescharged per cubic foot, from $350 up to$1,000. For more information, contactMichael Schuetz at (978) 521-4788, ext.720 or [email protected]

ABOVE Objects inside the “Bubble”

await treatment. BELOW The unit

in operation.

H

Getting Rid ofUnwelcome

Guests

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Blueprint for

preservation

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Hall had deteriorated into a maze of decrepit, ramshacklebuildings and a cluster of piers surrounding the rotting TownDock. Although Faneuil Hall itself had been enlarged in1806, and an open shed for butchers known as the Shamblesstood nearby, there was still not enough space to accommo-date the expanding city’s needs for foodstuffs. Pushcartschoked the streets. At low tide, foul odors emanated fromsludge trapped beneath the piers crowding the harbor.Fortunately, Boston had in its mayor, Josiah Quincy, a manof high energy dedicated to improving the city and the livesof its inhabitants. The situation compelled him to embarkupon a massive undertaking of urban betterment to create a

FACING PAGE Aerial view c.1967.By this time,Parris’s masterpiece has

lost its original context and entered a state of decline.Photographer

unknown. ABOVE LEFT,TOP Lithograph of the market after a sketch by

Alexander Jackson Davis, c. 1828. ABOVE LEFT, BOTTOM In the 1890s,

meat purveyor B. Johnson chose a picture of the market as the

emblem on his billhead,1893. ABOVE RIGHT Wagons loaded with boxes

of produce jam South Street, c. 1900. Photograph by F.A. Rugg.

A partnership develops a strategy for

saving an urban masterpiece

twentieth century’s most successful adaptations of a historicsite, Boston’s Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Recent gifts toHistoric New England’s Library and Archives—the profes-sional archives of Boston architect Frederick A. (Tad) Stahl,FAIA, and preservation developer Roger S. Webb—chroniclethe story of this partnership. These papers document theprocess undertaken by SPNEA (now Historic New England),Stahl, and Webb’s not-for profit Architectural Heritage, Inc.(AH)1 to provide the historical research, design concept, anddevelopment strategy for preserving the market complex, athreatened masterpiece of Federal-era Boston.

To fully grasp the cycle of decay and rebirth that char-acterized Boston’s market district, it is necessary to return tothe early 1820s. At that time, the area adjacent to Faneuil

orty years ago, in 1967, a remark-

able partnership was formed that

laid the foundation for one of theF

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Historic New England Fall 20074

new commercial center to house food purveyors and retailbusinesses. Negotiating purchases with the many landowners,the city demolished buildings and the Town Dock and filledin the adjacent flats to create the land needed for a large mar-ket complex.

Alexander Parris, an architect and engineer who hadworked with Charles Bulfinch, was enlisted as architect. Theplan called for a 535-foot-long central market house,crowned by a dome modeled on the Pantheon, and twoflanking four-story buildings—a campus of approximately400,000 square feet. The central market building and streetswere to be owned by the city, while the North and SouthMarket buildings, comprising a total of forty-seven lots, wereto be privately owned and sold at auction. To ensure unifor-mity of appearance, the stores were built according toParris’s design specifications. Although some critics calledthis project “Quincy’s folly,” Boston businessmen recognizedthe creation of a new commercial district as a good opportu-nity and quickly purchased all of the lots.

Parris’s imposing Greek Revival design combined monu-mentality with graceful elegance. The massive central marketbuilding was built entirely of granite, while the façades of theflanking North and South Market buildings were granite

faced and pierced with tiers of windows that gave an appear-ance of lightness. When the complex opened in August 1826,the new urban center established Boston as one of thenation’s handsomest and most forward-looking cities.Equally impressive to city leaders was the fact that theirinvestment in this commercial district returned enough rev-enue that public debt for “Quincy’s folly” was eliminatedwithin twenty-two years.

Less than a century and a half later, Boston in the early1960s was again enduring a cycle of decay and change. Aninterstate highway now slashed through the city, separatingthe downtown business district from the harbor. Residentsand businesses were moving to the suburbs, and many of thefood purveyors who were the market’s principal tenants wererelocating or closing for good. Parris’s once elegant Northand South Market buildings had suffered countless indigni-ties ever since 1855, after the Board of Aldermen ceasedenforcing design restrictions that prohibited alterations. Thegraceful rhythm of repetitive granite bays had disappearedbehind a haphazard collage of metal siding, altered windows,and awnings. The uniform gabled roofline was interruptedby two-story flat-roofed additions. As tenants abandoned thearea and the tax base diminished, garbage lay uncollected,

ABOVE LEFT Architect Tad Stahl and preservation developer Roger

Webb formed a partnership with SPNEA to develop a workable

strategy for preserving the markets and making them viable for

modern use. This snapshot captures them strolling across City

Hall Plaza after a meeting with the BRA. ABOVE RIGHT Historian

and preservation advocate Walter Muir Whitehill with SPNEA’s

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rats proliferated, and water seeped into the basement. Meanwhile, Boston was being remade as part of the

nationwide effort of urban renewal. Skyscrapers began torevitalize the business district, the city’s West End was entirelycleared, and a new seat of government was established inwhat had been Boston’s red-light district. The entire marketarea had become an eyesore, and there were calls for itsdemolition to make way for progress. However, EdwardLogue, director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority(BRA), urged restraint, recommending further study to deter-mine the best course of action. And the influential WalterMuir Whitehill, the city’s unofficial historian, initiated effortsto permanently preserve the market buildings.

Besides Logue and Whitehill, there were other men andwomen in the city who recognized the importance of pre-serving Parris’s masterpiece and who envisioned a restoredmarket, adapted for twentieth-century use, as an economiccatalyst for downtown Boston. SPNEA board member TadStahl was among them. He had become concerned about thesurvival of this civic monument and urged SPNEA to take anactive role in its preservation. SPNEA Director Bertram K.Little, Assistant Director Abbott Lowell Cummings, andother members of the executive committee agreed that there

was a dire need for the organization not only to take a publicstand on the future of the markets but also to play a publicrole in their preservation. Therefore, in the fall of 1966, Stahl,acting on behalf of SPNEA, approached BRA official RobertLitke, who was sympathetic to restoration of the markets, andasked how he and SPNEA might become involved.

Almost simultaneously, well-known preservationistRoger Webb contacted Robert Loverud, another BRA execu-tive and supporter of the market development, to investigatepossible participation. Loverud and Litke suggested thatSPNEA and Stahl and Webb’s AH combine forces. The groupproposed to Logue and the BRA that they undertake an in-depth study to determine the feasibility of restoring theFaneuil Hall Markets so as to ensure permanent preservationof these historically and architecturally unique buildings. TheBRA accepted the AH-SPNEA proposal, and on September27, 1967, the SPNEA board ratified a contract with the BRAand AH “to direct and produce a feasibility and planningstudy for the historic preservation of the Faneuil HallMarkets.”2

The BRA agreed to contribute one half of the feasibilitystudy’s estimated $60,000 cost. Each member of the projectteam assumed specific responsibilities. Stahl oversaw the

Abbott Lowell Cummings, who oversaw the historic analysis of

the Faneuil Hall Markets for the feasibility study. ABOVE Displays of

beef, pork, venison, and lamb crowd the 512-foot-long aisle of the

Central Market building, c.1890. Each purveyor had his own stall,

as indicated by painted signage on the Doric columns. The photo-

graph was evidently taken for promotional purposes.

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ABOVE LEFT The South Market, c. 1967, disfigured by two-story addi-

tions, altered fenestration, brick facing, paint, and general neglect.

Some merchants had already vacated their buildings and moved

to a new market in South Boston. ABOVE RIGHT Rendering, c. 1968,

showing how a bay in the South Market building would look after

restoration. FACING PAGE, LEFT The feasibility study, with volumes

painstaking architectural inspection of the buildings and the preparation of detailed technical drawings. Webb beganto raise $30,000 to match the BRA’s contribution and alsotraveled across the country studying similar projects, such as the successful Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco andLarimer Square in Denver, as well as the failed GaslightSquare in St. Louis. At SPNEA, Cummings and ChristopherMonkhouse, together with AH’s Elizabeth Amadon, under-took a significant historical study of the area. Webb and Stahlalso worked with John Bok, then of the law firm Ropes andGray, and Gordon Hall III, of R. M. Bradley, on legal, mar-keting, and real estate strategies. Periodically, Stahl reportedto the SPNEA board on the status of the study. At one pointin April 1968, the board learned of cost overruns and madethe decision that “Because of the importance of the project …the Society would contribute up to $5,000 of the total addi-tional expense….”

After months of work, the final feasibility study was sub-mitted to the BRA, which accepted most of its recommenda-tions; thus, the study ultimately provided the blueprint for thecomplex’s restoration and adaptive reuse. In his recent book,Quincy’s Market: A Boston Landmark, John Quincy, Jr.,identified two key concepts in the Stahl/SPNEA-Webb/AH

feasibility study that were crucial in determining the finalappearance of the marketplace as well as the strategy for itsdevelopment. The first was the vision “to restore the originalroof lines and granite façades of the North and South Marketbuildings to their 1826 appearance, thereby maintainingtheir historic validity and that of the market house.” The sec-ond was “the concept of a master ground lease encircling thedistrict.…Under this master lease, one developer would bedesignated to hold a sublease with the BRA to all of thegrounds of the marketplace in order to redevelop and main-tain control of the complex in its entirety.”

But before reconstruction could move forward, it wasnecessary to obtain funding. The feasibility study had deter-mined that at least two million dollars would be needed torestore all three buildings and make the project even mini-mally attractive to commercial developers. After energeticlobbying of the Housing and Urban DevelopmentDepartment (HUD) in Washington by Mayor Kevin White3

and Redevelopment Director Hale Champion, the BRA wasawarded $2.3 million for the restoration of the North andSouth Market structures; subsequently the city and theCommonwealth allocated public funds for further restora-tion. The firm of Stahl/Bennett Inc., under the direction of

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Tad Stahl, was engaged to prepare construction documentsfor the restoration of all the structures and to oversee andadminister restoration of the North and South Markets’granite exteriors and slate roofs.

In 1971, four years after the formation of theSPNEA/AH partnership, and with the restoration of the North and South Market buildings about to commence,the BRA announced it would accept proposals from privatereal estate developers to undertake the project based on the feasibility study. A proposal from architect BenjaminThompson was selected. Thompson showed the concept andbuildings to the developer, James Rouse, stirred his enthusi-asm for a new genre of urban retail, and the Rouse Companycontracted with the city for a ninety-nine year lease of thehistoric complex. After a period of negotiation and legal anddesign review, in which Stahl, Bok, and Hall participated asadvisors to the BRA, the Rouse/Thompson team proceededwith marketing, tenant selection, design, and construction.

The importance of the highly successful rebirth ofFaneuil Hall Marketplace can hardly be overstated: an inter-nationally significant urban work of art was preserved,restored, and accorded central significance in the daily life ofthe city; the myth that only an enclosed suburban mega-mall

can succeed in attracting the mass consumer was disproven,and Boston’s “festival marketplace,” to employ Rouse’s term,became a shining example for other cities to emulate. Fourdecades later, the marketplace continues to thrive as a focusof community life, and Boston may take pride in possessingan authentic original.

—Lorna Condon, Curator of Library and ArchivesNancy Curtis, Editor

1.A more recent donation, the archive of architect William L. McQueen,

AIA, who was a key staff member of both the Stahl’s and BenjaminThompson’s project teams, will provide additional perspective on theprocess of the market’s reconstruction and revitalization.2.

In 1966, Boston architect Benjamin Thompson was also concernedabout the fate of the marketplace, especially in light of the urban renewalmovement’s practice of tearing down old buildings. In February 1967,his firm submitted an independent proposal for full reuse of all the mar-ket buildings and streets to the BRA. That proposal, which was not con-sidered feasible, is now preserved in the Massachusetts Historical Society.3.

John Quincy recounts that Mayor White told him he brought the five-volume feasibility study with him to Washington to demonstrate theimportance of the project to federal officials and Massachusetts repre-sentatives.

devoted to historical analysis, real estate and marketing strategy,

technical drawings, specifications and cost estimates, and architec-

tural, engineering, and urban design report.The exhaustive histori-

cal analysis became a model for subsequent historic property

reports by preservation groups. ABOVE RIGHT Proposed view of the

markets after restoration, c. 1968, included in the feasibility study.

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2338.qxp 9/19/07 2:32 PM Page 7

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t has become an all too familiarscene in New England: a smallcrowd of onlookers huddle togethernear a street curb listening to the

roar of a bulldozer making its waytoward a small, early to mid-twentiethcentury house. Soon, in place of thismodest house will stand an oversizedhouse that dwarfs the remaining origi-nal residences in the neighborhood andstands as a tribute to the current cul-ture of private convenience over com-munity. The following morning, anewspaper headline laments the loss ofyet another example of Modernistarchitecture designed by a personwhose name sounds vaguely familiar.People in the community shake theirheads and profess that they had no ideathis house was significant. If onlysomeone had known and taken actionwhile there was still time.

The practice of tearing downhouses to build more fashionabledwellings is nothing new. What makesthis generation’s propensity for demoli-tion in residential areas of such con-cern is the rapid pace and the wide-spread extent to which the practice isoccurring in urban and suburbanareas. Single residences and entireneighborhoods built on Modernist prin-ciples may vanish before their contri-butions to history are fully recognized.This tear-down trend has become epi-demic in prosperous communities likeWestport, Connecticut, but the loss oftwentieth-century residential houses isalso taking place in more remote areas.As a result, the vulnerability of Modern-ist architecture has become a criticalfocus for preservation advocacy effortsand now reaches beyond the pioneeringleadership of DOCOMOMO (Documen-tation and Conservation of buildings,

P R E S E R V A T I O N

I sites and neighborhoods of the Mod-ern Movement) and The Recent PastPreservation Network. This year, His-toric New England joins its architec-ture and preservation partners in a concerted effort to increase wide-spread recognition and appreciation ofModernist houses.

Spurred by the recent demolitionof two important Modernist houses,one designed by Paul Rudolph inWestport, and another designed byEleanor Raymond in Belmont, Massa-chusetts, Historic New England will becreating a reference database showcas-ing the residential work of selected NewEngland Modernist architects. The planis to identify twentieth-century Mod-ernist architects who worked in NewEngland and compile a database oftheir residential works, using the exten-sive architectural collections of HistoricNew England’s Library and Archives

A Quest forModernist

Legacies

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You can help Historic New England’s preserva-tion efforts by sharing information on Modernisthouses or architects in your community. Pleasecontact Wendy Price at (781) 891-4882 ext. 225or [email protected].

The quest to identify, locate, andsave representative examples of Mod-ernist New England houses is a dauntingtask, but one that is crucial to preserv-ing and telling New England’s twentieth-century story. The legacy of these homesand what future generations learnabout this era depend on willingness toact in the present.

—Wendy L. Price Team Leader, Historic Preservation


and similar architectural collections inthe region. The database will cover allaspects of residential work, includingexisting Mod-ernist houses, demolishedhouses, and designs for houses thatwere never built. This will be a collab-orative project involving architectureand preservation experts in all six NewEngland states.

One of the greatest challenges topreservation efforts is the lack ofawareness of the historic significance oftwentieth-century buildings. Relativelyfew Modernist houses are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places orinventoried as part of architectural sur-veys. With the exception of perhaps ahandful of houses beloved by architec-ture fans, most Modernist houses areessentially invisible until they arethreatened by demolition or alteration.Historic New England’s ModernistHouses Database will provide scholarlyresearch to facilitate identification ofthese residences so that they can be rec-ognized and documented. Additionally,

the project will help publicize the workof talented regional architects whosenames are largely unknown. By mak-ing this database available to NewEngland state historic preservationoffices as well as state and local preser-vation non-profit groups, Historic NewEngland can assist ongoing regionalefforts to preserve Modernist residen-tial architecture.

Historic New England also hopesto inspire grass-roots community preser-vation efforts, similar to what has hap-pened with the Hollin Hills neighbor-hood in Fairfax County, Virginia, aModernist neighborhood near Wash-ington, D.C., dating from the 1940sand consisting of approximately 450houses designed by Charles Goodman.The community published a bookchronicling its fifty-year history andestablished its own design reviewprocess. In 2004, a committee of resi-dents was formed to pursue NationalRegister designation.

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FACING PAGE Theodore T. Miller house, Belmont, Massachusetts, 1936,

designed by Eleanor Raymond. THIS PAGE, BELOW LEFT Clarence Howlett

house, Belmont, Massachusetts, 1948, designed by Walter Gropius and

Benjamin Thompson of The Architects Collaborative. BELOW RIGHT

Cerrito house, Watch Hill, Rhode Island, 1956, designed by Paul

Rudolph. This house, noted for its integration with the surrounding

landscape and ocean view, was demolished in June, 2007, the second

loss of a Rudolph house in New England this year. To learn more, con-

tact the Paul Rudolph Foundation at www.paulrudolph.org.

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These are ice tongs, which were used to carrylarge blocks of ice. Before electric refrigerators,

people had ice boxes—insulated wooden cab-inets that stayed cold thanks to blocks of

ice kept inside. Ice was harvested in win-ter from frozen lakes and ponds andstored in sawdust in ice houses. Deliverymen used tongs like these to bring icefrom wagon to house.

M A K I N G F U N O F H I S T O R Y

Did you know that pickles and jam,

which we think of as tasty treats,were originally developed to keep

food from spoiling? Before

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17th century Native Americans

and Americancolonists pre-

serve food

by drying, salt-ing, or smokingand storing it ina cool dry place.

1810Nicholas Appertinvents canning.

1825Tin food containersused inAmerica.

1858John L. Masonpatents theMason jar.

1864 Louis Pasteur inventspasteurization, whichuses high tempera-tures to kill bacteriain liquids.

Can you guess what this is?

Food Preservation

��do you know

refrigeration, food went bad very

quickly. How has food storage changedover the centuries? Let’s find out…

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Make ButterPour room-temperature cream intoa clean small jar until it is one-third full. Screw the lid on tightly, and shakethe jar for about ten minutes, until butter starts to formand only a small amount of liquid is left. (The liquid is butter-milk, which can be used in baking.) Drain the buttermilk, andspread the butter on crackers or bread. Add salt to taste.

Answers can be found on page 24.

1860s Ice boxes used widely in American homes.

1899Campbell’sSoup first soldat 10 cents percan.

��word search See if you can find the capitalized words

try ityourself

1911First homerefrigeratorsare sold.

1924Clarence Birdseyestarts the firstfrozen food company.

1938Freeze-dried coffee,one of the first pow-dered food products,becomes available.

1963First aluminumbeverage cans sold.

F G J S N I I E P D H M S M D

S L C N P P I C K L I N G E F

E V H J E I T H Z I A K R A N

B Z E R M F J P X Q I O R T W

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E X S L I N T H X A G L K Z L

Q P E C C L F A R E M W D L C

R D M W A U U E N B F Q Q A A

X R N S N G G I C U A L D P N

I Y Y N R I V K B T J L U P N

N I P X R A W E A T G P H L I

H N H F D B T V A E U G T E N

X G E F R E E Z E R S K D S G

C R Y B M K E X X K G F E V P

R I L A M P U M P K I N S J Q

in the word search:

One of the earliest ways to preserve food was DRYING. In colonial America, slices of PUMPKINS andAPPLES were hung on a string to dry.

Native Americans made PEMMICAN, a mixture of driedmeat and fruit.

SALT can be used to preserve meat and fish. Salt drawsout moisture and prevents the growth of bacteria.Sailors brought barrels of salted MEAT on long voyages.

PICKLING preserves vegetables and other foods througha combination of salt and VINEGAR.

CANNING keeps food from going bad by sealing it insidea sterilized, airtight container.

Milk spoils quickly without refrigeration. BUTTER andCHEESE, which are made from milk, keep much longer.

The invention of the REFRIGERATOR made it possible tokeep foods fresh, while the FREEZER permits long-termstorage of food in nearly fresh condition.

Before there were ice boxes and

refrigerators, families would

devote a north-facing room,

called a “buttery,” to food stor-

age. Because the sun never

shone into these rooms, they

stayed cool, making them ideal

for the production and storage

of dairy products and other

perishables. This is the buttery

at Historic New England’s 1678

Coffin House in Newbury,

Massachusetts.

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M A K I N G F U N O F H I S T O R Y

Not only does jam make a delicious addition to your morning

toast, it is also a way of preserving summer’s bounty.The sugar in

jam helps the preservation process.When fruit is boiled with sugar,

acid, and pectin, it will thicken into jam. (Fruit contains pectin nat-

urally, or you can add it, as in the recipe below.)

Be sure to ask an adult for help. To make your own delicious raspberryjam you will need:

1. Run jars through the dishwasher, then boil them in a largepot for 10 minutes. (Place a circular baking rack or steamerat the base of the pot to keep the jars from bouncing aroundthe bottom.) Put the jar seals and screw lids in a smaller potto boil separately. Leave the jars and lids submerged until thejam is ready.2. Mash the berries a little at a time with a potato masher,then measure into a large pot. If you don’t like a lot of seeds,put some of the berries through a sieve at this time.3. Measure the sugar into a bowl. Be sure to use the exactamount called for or the jam will not jell.

Raspberry Jam

4. Add the package of pectin and 1/2 tsp butter to the berries,and bring to a full rolling boil. Add sugar, and stirring con-stantly, bring to a boil and allow to boil for one minute.Remove from heat and skim off any foam on the surface.5. Using a wide-mouth funnel to prevent spilling, ladle thehot jam into the jars to about 1/4" from the top. Wipe the jarrims with a clean towel, then quickly cover the jars with thelids, and screw the bands on tightly. After the jars havecooled, store them in the refrigerator. The jam will keep forseveral weeks.

—Kathleen CorcoranEducation Program Coordinator, Newbury Region

Equipment4 8-oz. jam jars with two-piece, self-sealing lidspotato masher1 large pot1 small pot1 medium bowlladlewide-mouth funnelsieve (optional)

Ingredients7 to 8 pints of raspberries (enough to make 5 cups crushed)7 cups granulated sugar1/2 tsp butter 1 packet SURE JELL fruit pectin

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M U S E U M S H O P

Boston’s Changeful Times: Origins of Preservation and Planning in AmericaWinner of the 1999 SPNEA/Historic New England Book PrizeMichael Holleran. This important book chronicles the relationship between historic preservation,planning, and the desire for permanence in Boston between 1860 and 1930.Boston’s preservationists pioneered new approaches to planning and developmentthat eventually spread to other cities across the country. SC $20.95, SpecialMember price $17.80

How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They’re BuiltWinner of the 1995 SPNEA/Historic New England Book PrizeStewart Brand. A thought-provoking analysis of how buildings can be adapted to work with timerather than against it. The text is clear and to the point, and the illustrations ofhow buildings change are both fascinating and instructive. SC $30, SpecialMember price $25.50

The Historic New England Book Store

To order, please call (617) 227-3957, ext.237. Shipping charges and applicable taxes apply.HC = hard cover SC = soft cover

Boston, A TopographicalHistoryWalter Muir Whitehill and Lawrence W. Kennedy. SC $16.95, Special Member price $14.40

American ArchitectureSecond editionDavid P. Handlin.SC $16.95, Special Member price $14.40

The Winterthur Guide toCaring for Your CollectionGregory Landrey et al. SC $17.95, SpecialMember price $15.25

Orchids Simplified: AnIndoor Gardening GuideHenry Jaworski. SC $22, Special Member price $18.70

2338.qxp 9/25/07 2:15 PM Page 13


n 1840, when Queen Victoria walked down the aisle with orangeblossoms in her hair, she set a bridal fashion that crossed theAtlantic and lasted well into the twentieth century. In 1871, HarrietFairbrother of Rhode Island wore a wreath of silk and wax orange

blossoms with matching drop earrings and a gold bead necklace whenshe married Frank Burrough. Orange blossoms decorated the bodice ofher wedding dress, which she wore with white kid slippers.

Queen Victoria’s white wedding gown also established abridal tradition. Before the royal wedding, white was often consid-ered more appropriate for mourning, and brides wore their best clothesor had dresses made in the latest fashion. Fragments of brightly coloredbrocaded English silk from the dress of Prudence Jenkins of Boston,which she wore for her wedding in 1778, exemplify this practice.Prudence’s shoes sported paste buckles, probably imported fromEngland as well. Finely made and set in silver, the buckles conveyedPrudence’s prominent status and wealth.

C O L L E C T I O N S

14 Historic New England Fall 2007

I

“With this Ring I TheeWed”

THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE Harriet

Fairbrother’s silk and wax orange blossom head-

dress, corsage, and earrings, 1871. Prudence

Jenkins’ shoe and buckle with a fragment of her

wedding dress, 1778. Garnet engagement and

wedding ring, 1822. Elizabeth Fish’s gold double

heart ring, c. 1815, engraved “EF.”

Photography by David Carmack

2338.qxp 9/19/07 2:32 PM Page 14


THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Bodice of

Harriet Fairbrother’s wedding dress and

her white kid leather slippers, 1871. She

also received a chalcedony cameo of

Flora from her fiancé, Frank Burrough,

which he purchased from Shreve, Crump

and Low of Boston. Dorothy (Quincy)

Hancock’s gold wedding band, 1775.

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Many items from Historic New England’s collection reflectthe evolution of marriage customs in the region. Rings, sym-bols of fidelity and eternity, are commonly associated withmatrimonial rituals and were required for marriage cere-monies by the Church of England. In Colonial America how-ever, the use of wedding rings was not universal, especially inNew England, where Puritans rejected many traditions of theEnglish church. A wedding band that purportedly belongedto Dorothy Quincy, who in 1775 married John Hancock, isutterly plain. Dorothy was marrying one of the richest mer-chants in Massachusetts, but her unadorned band indicatesthat Puritan attitudes towards wedding rings still prevailed inthe late eighteenth century. After her husband's death in1793, Dorothy had the ring enameled in black and wore it asa mourning ring. (The enamel has since worn off.)

By the nineteenth century the use of wedding rings inAmerica became more widespread. Rings came in manystyles and often served as both engagement rings and wed-ding bands. Elizabeth Fish’s c. 1815 gold wedding ring fea-

tures an applied double heart cartouche engravedwith her initials. In 1822, Harriet Homer wore a cir-cle of round garnets, with the inscription “Rememberthe giver C.W. to H.H.” engraved on the inner band,a gift from her fiancé, Charles Whiting.

After the Civil War, a combination of factors—a rise in disposable income, the increased availabil-ity of diamonds from South Africa, and improved

diamond-cutting techniques led to an increased useof diamonds in engagement rings in America. Prior to

that time, a diamond ring typically featured a closedback-and-collet-style setting, which encased the bottom

of the stone and exposed only the table, or top. In the 1870sand ’80s, open settings, which exposed the entire diamond tolight and increased its brilliance, became fashionable. Thesesettings consisted of prongs rising from the band in a basketshape to clasp the diamond around its girdle, or circumfer-ence. Jewelers competed to patent improvements on thisdesign. In 1886, Tiffany & Co. introduced a version of thesix-prong setting, the so-called “Tiffany setting,” which solid-ified the diamond’s position as the preferred style of Americanengagement ring. By 1925, Emily Post recommended dia-mond rings over other types because “the great majority willprobably always consider a diamond the only ring to have,”and indeed the diamond ring continues its reign today.

That not every bride wanted a diamond is evident froman engagement ring and wedding band made in 1946 forMarguerite Woodworth Wriston by the Boston Arts andCrafts jewelry maker, Edward Everett Oakes. Oakes closelyexamined his clients’ hands before designing jewelry for them.Both Wriston rings feature characteristics of Oakes’s work—the use of two kinds of metals, pierced floral designs, collet-set stones, and oak leaf patterns, the designer’s signature motif.

Before diamonds became associated with matrimony,seed pearls were the traditional gift to brides. Seed pearls aretiny natural pearls produced by the Unio mussel, commonly


THIS PAGE Pearls, which represented purity and tears of joy, were

often given to brides. RIGHT Gold link necklace with pearl cross

pendant, pearl drop earrings, wedding band, and diamond engage-

ment ring, 1871. BELOW Suite of jewelry set with miniatures on

ivory, made by Stephen Twycross of London, 1796.

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17

found in freshwater rivers. In the late eighteenth century andcontinuing through much of the nineteenth, suites of seedpearls were a traditional gift for brides, particularly inAmerica, where the fashion endured long after it had wanedin Europe. In 1796, the prominent Charlestown, Massachu-setts, merchant, Joseph Barrell, commissioned a parure, ormatching suite, from the London jeweler Stephen Twycross,as a wedding present for his daughter Hannah. The set, withits symmetrical shapes, light and airy materials, and classicalsymbols, is typical of the Neoclassic style.

While seed pearls remained popular throughout thenineteenth century, larger, rounder oyster pearls becameavailable after 1850, when Asian markets opened to theWest, and soon had an impact on fashion. In 1871, StephenH. Phillips gave his fiancée, Margaret Duncan, a suite of jew-elry set with oyster pearls, purchased from the Boston retailer,Shreve, Crump & Low, for $790. This set, combining bridalpearls with the Victorian taste for oversized jewelry, adaptstradition to the latest fashion.

In addition to pearls, jewelry made from other materialswas also deemed appropriate as a wedding gift in theVictorian era. Carved ivory suites, including sheaves ofwheat representing plenty and fertility, were considered suit-able for young brides in the 1850s. In the second half of thenineteenth century, hair jewelry was used both as tokens oflove and friendship and as memorials to the dead. AnnaWigglesworth gave her sister, Mary, a hair bracelet as anengagement present in 1864. One could either provideone’s own hair to a local hairworker, of whichthere were many in Boston, or buy a fin-ished piece from a retailer. Those whowanted a more personal touch madetheir hair jewelry at home with kitsadvertised in women’s periodicals suchas Godey’s Lady’s Book.

Fall 2007 Historic New England

Historic New England’s collection illustrates that jewelryhas always played an integral role in the ritual of matrimonyas it evolved from a simple religious ceremony to a moreelaborate event. These personal symbols of sentiment andfamily bonds endure as insightful records of the fashions sur-rounding courtship and marriage at different moments inAmerican history.

—Sarah BrierleyTiffany Curatorial Fellow

Visit www.HistoricNewEngland.org tosee an online exhibition of jewelry, basedon a research project funded by theTiffany & Co. Foundation to cataloguemore than 2,000 items in Historic NewEngland’s jewelry collection.

LEFT During the

Victorian era, jewelry con-

taining woven human hair

carried sentimental

associations. RIGHT

Carved ivory brooch

and earrings in origi-

nal fitted case, c.1850.

BELOW Engagement and

wedding ring made by

Edward Everett

Oakes, Boston,

Massachusetts,

1946.

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18 Historic New England Fall 2007

he c. 1800 John RobbinsHouse in Acton, Massa-chusetts, has been a promi-nent landmark for genera-

tions of travelers making their wayalong Great Road. Today, both sides of this early highway are lined by shopping centers, auto dealerships, andsmall commercial buildings, making itdifficult to imagine the house’s originalsetting of 230 acres of farmland.Nonetheless, the house itself remains ina remarkable state of preservation andhas recently embarked on a new life asa thriving art gallery, whose historicfeatures are protected through HistoricNew England’s Stewardship Program.

Known locally as one of Acton’s“Lottery Houses,” this imposing, two-story transitional Georgian-to-Federal-style house was constructed with thewinnings from a lottery sponsored in

1794 by Harvard College to raise fundsfor the construction of Stoughton Hall. Acton residents John Robbins,Abraham Skinner, Abel Conant, andHorace Tuttle, who had each pur-chased shares of the winning $5 lotteryticket, split the $10,000 grand prizeand used their winnings to constructfashionable homes for themselves andtheir families. The John RobbinsHouse, the most ambitious of the fourhouses, boasts a formal classical entrydoor surround, lavish interior wood-carvings based upon plates fromWilliam Pain’s 1792 Practical Builder,stencil work attributed to MosesEaton, and iron and brass door hard-ware.

The house remained in the Robbinsfamily through the early twentieth cen-tury, but in 1918 its farmland wasreduced to seventy-five acres. In 1944,

S T E W A R D S H I P

Tdealers William and Belle Hinckleypurchased the property and establisheda small antique business on the premis-es; at that time, the land was furtherreduced to just slightly over two acres.

In 1965, Donald and BarbaraNylander purchased the house anddedicated years of painstaking work topreserving the building and its remainingland. Having witnessed the continuingencroachment of commercial develop-ment on Great Road, when it came timeto sell in 2004, the Nylander childrengenerously donated perpetual preserva-tion restrictions on the property toHistoric New England, to protecthouse and land from their likely fate ofdemolition and subdivision. The restric-tions protect all exterior elevations of the house and carriage shed, as wellas interior features such as room con-figuration, plaster walls, woodwork,

Threatened No More

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Historic New England’s StewardshipProgram now protects more than sev-enty privately owned historic build-ings. For more information visitwww.HistoricNewEngland.org or call(781) 891-4882, ext 227.

fireplaces, softwood floors, door andwindow hardware, and decorativepaint work.

In light of the preservation restric-tions and the house’s location on abusy commercial highway, the futureoptions for re-using this historic struc-ture were limited. Fortunately, artgallery owners Lawrence and KimberleyPowers saw the property’s potential asa new location for their business.Working closely with Historic NewEngland, the Powerses first addressedneeded work to repair deterioratedstructural framing members at thehouse and carriage shed to stabilizethese buildings and prepare them forconversion into commercial use. On-site parking was created to the west ofthe house, set back from the street tomitigate its visibility from Great Road.To preserve the building’s residentialand historic character, the primarybusiness entrance was created at therear, in the location of a former sun-porch. A landscaped patio and slopedsidewalk leading to the parking area

provide handicapped access. All aspectsof this project were completed with thecommitment to save and preserve exist-ing intact building fabric.

The John Robbins House is opento the public, who are welcome toenjoy this property, tour the sculptureson display on the grounds, and viewthe artwork for sale in its rooms andcarriage shed. Through the preserva-tion restrictions held by Historic NewEngland, this significant property willendure as a link to Acton’s past, whilecommercial development continues totransform Great Road into a busycommercial strip.

—Joseph CornishSenior Stewardship Manager

FACING PAGE The recently restored John

Robbins House in Acton,Massachusetts,now

the home of the Powers Gallery. ABOVE

Large rooms with finely detailed architec-

tural finishes provide the perfect setting for

the display of art. BELOW This c. 1869 view

from Historic New England's Library and

Archives shows the house surrounded by

acres of farmland.

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L A N D S C A P E

rchids are the most abundant of all flower-ing plants, with more than 25,000 known

species. They are found on every conti-nent except Antarctica and grow in every type of climate except desert. The majority of the most colorful varieties are native to tropical regions. The ear-liest records of orchidaceous plants in European collections date from the 1730s. As the century progressed and interest in botany as a field of scientific inquiry grew, plant hunters began to accompany geographic expeditions and merchant voyages to collect speci-mens from the rain forests and other tropical regions—the Colombian Andes, India, Malaysia, Peru, Brazil, and the Phillippines. Orchids were literally col-lected by the ton; in some cases they were used for packing material for other tropical plants or even as ballast

in ships, although many did not survive the trip to Europe.

Cultivation of orchids according to scientific methods was first practiced at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, outside London. In America, one of the first orchid enthusiasts was John Wright Boott of Boston, whose brother James sent him a collection of plants in 1838. Boott kept his orchids in a small greenhouse in the yard behind his house in Bowdoin Square. On his death, he bequeathed his collection to John Amory Lowell of Roxbury, Massachusetts. The taste for these exotics spread among Boston’s elite families, and soon the area was rich with large collections of orchids being grown in greenhouses.

The early collections of orchids contained only species orchids, that is, plants that had not been hybridized and remained exactly as they had

O

Orchidsgrown in their natural environments. The first challenge for orchid collectors was to figure out how to provide prop-er growing conditions in a greenhouse. Once this was perfected, botanists began to cross breed different varieties to expand the plants’ color ranges, ease of culture, flower shape, quality, and patterns. The first recorded hybrid came from a nursery in London in 1856. Today there are more than 70,000 registered hybrids, and each year several thousand more are gener-ated.

In the past fifty years, orchid growing has gone from an expensive hobby of the privileged to one that every plant enthusiast can enjoy. Suc-cess with orchids depends on selecting the right orchid for the growing condi-tions in your home. The hybrids of today have made windowsill culture much easier than previously—indeed,

From Rain Forest to Windowsill

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there are varieties that can be grown inmost windows other than those facingnorth. When shopping for an orchid,the key factors to consider are temper-ature, light, humidity, ventilation, andyour own watering habits. There areorchids that require cool, warm, or hottemperatures and ones that favor low,intermediate, or high light conditions.If you have an east-facing window witha nighttime temperature between 55ºto 60º F in the winter, you will havegood luck with Phalaenopsis, or mothorchids. If you have a south-facingwindow that goes down to 50º F atnight in winter, try Cymbidiums.Cattleyas, which often have a wonder-ful fragrance, do best in a sunny, west-or south-facing window, with night-time temperature of 55º to 60º F. Mostorchids like a good periodic soakingand then should be allowed to getsomewhat dry before the next water-ing. Orchids never like soggy roots, socare must be taken to ensure that thepots do not sit in water. Fertilizing

should be light; over-fertilizing must beavoided.

Historic New England’s Lyman EstateGreenhouses in Waltham, Massachusetts,devote an entire greenhouse to orchids,with more than one thousand varietiesincluding species and hybrids, rare speci-mens that do best under glass, andnumerous examples that areeasy to grow as house plants.The staff have extensive experi-ence in orchid cultivation andwill help you choose the right plantfor your conditions and provide infor-mation on proper care. The garden shophas all the supplies you will need to getstarted, including suitable pots, tools,growing supplies, and books.

—Lynn AckermanHorticulturist

You will find orchids to match your home environmentamong the huge variety available at the Lyman Estate

Greenhouses year round. In addition, a special orchid sale takes place October 26–28, 2007, and three pro-

grams are offered in November for those inter-ested in learning how to grow orchids: Orchid

Growing Clinic on the 10th, BeginningOrchid Growing Workshop on the 16th, and

Growing Orchids Under Lights on the 30th.For more information and to register for the programs, visitwww.HistoricNewEngland.org, or call (781) 891-4882, ext 244.

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O P E N H O U S E

uesday, 4th March, 1919…. Dinner party here 10young people.” Thus Anna Phillips noted anotherparty at 34 Chestnut Street, in Salem, Massachu-setts, the house she purchased in June 1911, for

herself, husband Stephen Willard Phillips, and son, Stephen(born 1907). Her busy schedule included meetings for theSalem chapter of the WWI Special Aid Society for AmericanPreparedness, her bridge club, and endless rounds of callsreceived and paid by her on a daily basis. Stephen Willardwas president of the Essex Institute from 1936 to 1955, andhonorary curator of Pacific Ethnology at Salem’s PeabodyMuseum from the 1920s until his death in 1955. Severaltimes a week family and friends came to lunch or dinner. Awealthy woman, Anna knew how to run an economical, effi-cient, and elegant home and relied on her staff of five domes-tic servants to perform the duties required to maintain ahousehold of this complexity and status.

The makeup of the Phillips household was typical ofupper-class families in the early twentieth century. The pres-ence of servants indicated a family’s status, and employing aspecialized staff was not only a signifier of wealth but also anecessity. Home electrification and a proliferation of newlabor-saving devices had begun to transform domestic work,

but the Phillipses’ large home and frequent entertaining stillrequired the labor of many hands.

During this period, the average servant was likely to befemale, white, an immigrant or first-generation American,under twenty-five, and single. Traditionally, servants lived inthe house and received room and board as part of their com-pensation. In 1919, the Phillips’ female staff included threeIrish-born single women who lived in the third floor servants’quarters.

Anna hired Catherine Shaughnessy in 1910 to be youngStephen’s second nursemaid. “Catty” became a favorite withStephen, and the two corresponded when he went to MiltonAcademy and she sent him his favorite comic strip “Cap’nStubbs.” When Stephen left home for boarding school,Catherine became more of an upstairs maid and assistant to

Making the House Work

T“

ABOVE The 1821 Phillips House is one of seventeen Federal-era

buildings on Chestnut Street in Salem, Massachusetts. FACING PAGE,

TOP Delia Cawley, who worked for the Phillips family from 1918 to

1949. BOTTOM LEFT The kitchen was the main work area for the

female servants. BOTTOM RIGHT An excursion,c.1913,with chauffeur

Patrick O'Hara, Anna Phillips (in white), nursemaid Catherine

Shaughnessy, and young Stephen.

Aar

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dozen were delivered weekly), speak to the complexity of themeals, the frequency of the entertaining, and the fact that theice box required a new block of ice every day or two.

The Phillipses also employed several Irish-Americanmen, who worked primarily outside the house. Unlike thefemale house staff, the men maintained separate households,in some cases with spouses and families, and came daily to

perform their duties. Just as technology wasmaking an impact on women’s work inside thehouse, advancements in transportation changedthe jobs of the male staff as well. When Annaand Stephen established their Chestnut Streethousehold in 1912, they relied on CorneliusFlynn (“Con”) as their coachman. Even afterthe automobiles and the chauffeur arrived, Conmaintained the horses for several more years butwas mainly the caretaker and groundskeeper.

The Salem City Directory still listed Con as “caretaker of theStephen Phillips estate” in 1960, the year of his death at theage of eighty-one.

Patrick O’Hara was the family’s first chauffeur, hiredbetween 1910-1911, when the Phillipses began renting autosfor trips to Topsfield and New Hampshire. Chauffeurs had tohave mechanical skills in addition to being good drivers.They kept the family cars clean and performed regular main-tenance. Patrick worked for the family into the 1920s, dri-ving Mr. Phillips’ magnificent Pierce-Arrow cars, followed byClarence Sullivan, who eventually took the wheel of the 1936Pierce-Arrow Limousine. Clarence remained in the family’semploy for two generations, and after the Phillips Houseopened to the public in 1973, stayed on to give entertainingtours to visitors into the 1980s.

—Margherita M. Desy Phillips House Site Manager

Anna and remained with the family for fifty-two years. Many families struggled with rapid and regular turnover

of their domestic staff. Although the Phillipses employed aremarkably stable and dedicated staff, they also faced frus-trations with replacing servants. On June 20, 1919, Annanoted in her calendar, in which she recorded both her dailyactivities and her payments to the staff, that “Kitty,” thecook, had been “Paid in full.” (Presumably, shehad quit; cooks, being skilled workers, tendedto change jobs frequently.) Bridget Durgin (or“Durkin”) started as the cook in July 1919.Scarcely five years later, she died suddenly whilewalking on Chestnut Street on February 13,1925. Shortly thereafter, Anna wrote to youngStephen:I haven’t got a cook yet but hope to by tomorrow.I am getting tired of going out to all my mealsand Catherine is getting tired of doing the little cooking shehas to do and I miss her upstairs.

Many young women worked as domestics only until theymarried. Such was the case for a waitress known to us onlyas Lizzie. Delia Cawley replaced her on February 13, 1918.Waitresses served meals and oversaw the dining room andpantry. Unlike her predecessor, but like many professionalservants, Delia never married, and instead worked for thePhillipses for 31 years.

The servants ate their meals in the kitchen, and thereGertrude, Delia’s niece, spent time after school. She recalledthat when Mr. Phillips wished to speak to a servant, he wouldnot enter the kitchen but stand in the china closet doorwayand then retreat to the family space in the house.

Menus in the Phillips archives tell of five-course meals,especially for special occasions like Thanksgiving. Bills fromS.S. Pierce, the Boston grocery emporium, the Wenham LakeIce Corporation, and J. W. Fuller for chickens and eggs (three

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News New England & Beyond

A palette for the recent pastAs Historic New England’s reputation for expertise in historic paintsbecomes more widely known, increasing numbers of homeowners anddesign professionals are requesting advice on twentieth-century colors. Inresponse to this demand, staff from Historic New England and CaliforniaProducts are examining Historic New England’s buildings, wallpaper col-lection, and paint and builders’ catalogues for color evidence. A new twen-tieth-century color chart, with colors suitable for American homes builtbetween 1900 and 1980, will be available to the public next spring. Thechart will include deep earth tones for Arts and Crafts and Bungalowstyles; whites, grays, and primary colors for International and Modern;warm neutrals for Mission and Prairie; and, yes, avocado, turquoise, andgold for the 1960s. A web component, with downloadable color guideshowing suggestions for color schemes, also will be available. Intended fora range of architectural styles across the country, the chart will satisfy thedemand from homeowners who want to preserve the distinctive characterof their twentieth-century homes.

Fifty years old, but nearly newAdding to its growing twentieth-century collection,Historic New England recently acquired a complete 1950sWestinghouse kitchen with turquoise blue cabinets, astainless-steel wall oven, cooking range and hood, and yellow Formica countertops. The kitchen belonged to theKoravos family of Andover, Massachusetts, who operatedFord’s Coffee Shop in downtown Andover for forty years.The kitchen is in pristine condition because it was the fam-ily’s “show” kitchen, situated on the main floor near thedining room and used only on special occasions. In themid-twentieth century, it was not uncommon for Greek-American families to do mostof their cooking and eating in a second, much simplerkitchen in the basement,reserving the better kitchenfor formal entertaining andholidays.

F G J S N I I E P D H M S M D

S L C N P P I C K L I N G E F

E V H J E I T H Z I A K R A N

B Z E R M F J P X Q I O R T W

Z P E S M O C E L X T A M L P

E X S L I N T H X A G L K Z L

Q P E C C L F A R E M W D L C

R D M W A U U E N B F Q Q A A

X R N S N G G I C U A L D P N

I Y Y N R I V K B T J L U P N

N I P X R A W E A T G P H L I

H N H F D B T V A E U G T E N

X G E F R E E Z E R S K D S G

C R Y B M K E X X K G F E V P

R I L A M P U M P K I N S J Q

Solution to puzzle on page 11.

ABOVE Historic New England staff dismantles kitchen for removal.

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Historic New England welcomesnew officers and trusteesAt its June meeting, the Board ofTrustees elected a new slate of officersand trustees to lead the organization.“We are honored that so many dedi-cated and distinguished individuals areparticipating in furthering the goals ofHistoric New England,” said Presidentand CEO Carl R. Nold. William C.S.Hicks will assume the chair and, on atemporary basis, will continue in therole of treasurer. Robert A. Pembertonbecomes secretary, Theodore Alfond isfirst vice chair, and Maureen FennessyBousa is second vice chair.

The five new trustees welcomed tothe board are:

George C. Ballantyne, senior vicepresident of Sotheby’s InternationalRealty Distinguished Markets, brings ascholar’s love of architecture to his pro-fessional handling of sales of luxuryresidential properties. In addition toholding an MBA, he has written aboutFrank Lloyd Wright, eighteenth-centuryhouses in Newport, Rhode Island, and

Austrian Baroque architecture. Notablesales Mr. Ballantyne has managedinclude the former home of NelsonRockefeller and present home ofMartha Stewart.

Arleyn A. Levee maintains a prac-tice in consulting for historic landscapepreservation/rehabilitation projects,particularly those involving the designsof the Olmsted Brothers firm. She alsois a landscape designer, primarily forprivate residential projects. In 2001,Ms. Levee received the Olmsted Awardfrom Historic Massachusetts, Inc.

Joan M. Berndt has a lifelonginterest in decorative arts and has atvarious times collected silver, eigh-teenth- and nineteenth-century furni-ture, and nineteenth- and twentieth-century art, both American andFrench. She worked for Merck & Co.for fifteen years before moving to theBoston area, where she plays as activerole in supporting a variety of culturalorganizations.

Susan P. Sloan has a backgroundin the brokerage industry and was vice

president of O’Connor and Associates,an options and arbitrage firm head-quartered in Chicago. In 1989, shefounded the biennial publicationSloan’s Green Guide to Antiquing inNew England, a travel guide to morethan 2,500 antique shops and auction-eers in the region. Another of her inter-ests is genealogy, and she recentlyserved as a trustee of the New EnglandHistoric Genealogical Society. In 2007,Ms. Sloan co-chaired the highly suc-cessful 2007 Historic New Englandgala, a role she is repeating in 2008.

Colin L. M. Smith, FAIA, is a principal of Architectural ResourcesCambridge (ARC), a nationally knowndesign firm whose buildings include theJohn F. Kennedy School at HarvardUniversity and the Boston UniversityBoathouse, both in Cambridge, Massa-chusetts, and the Genzyme Building inBoston. A native of England, he stud-ied architecture at Harvard and workedat Benjamin Thompson Architects andat The Architects Collaborative beforefounding ARC.

Members’ Month HighlightsIn June, members flocked to exclusive Members’ Month events. Theyattended programs on early aviation, seventeenth-century architecture, andmid-twentieth-century furniture. They feasted on local produce at a straw-berry shortcake feast in Rhode Island and sipped Roseland Red wine at awine tasting in Connecticut. We were delighted to welcome so many mem-bers to share our collections, sites, landscapes, and passion for the region.

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141 Cambridge StreetBoston MA 02114-2702

Presented by theSociety for the Preservationof New England Antiquities

Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDBoston, Massachusetts

Permit No. 58621

RIGHT Samuel McIntire embellished

the mahogany foot posts of the Lyman

bed with carved acanthus leaves,

roses, and drapery festoons. Gift of

Cynthia Forbes Lyman.

New England. The bedpost carvingwill be illustrated in Samuel McIntire,Carving an American Style, the cata-logue for the major exhibition celebrat-ing the 250th anniversary of McIntire’sbirth that will be on view at Salem’sPeabody Essex Museum, from October13, 2007, to February 24, 2008. HistoricNew England is lending to the exhibi-tion two examples of McIntire’s carv-ing—an ionic capital and an over doorfrom McIntire’s 1803 South Church.

—Richard C. NylanderSenior Curator

amuel McIntire’s name is syn-onymous with the grand man-sions, public buildings, andelegant carvings of Federal era

Salem, Massachusetts. Born into a fam-ily of housewrights and craftsmen, hebegan as a carpenter, became an archi-tect, and later adorned his houses withhandsome carved garlands and sheavesof wheat. Described as “one of the mostingenious men” in Salem, he also pro-vided carvings for ships and furniture.

One of the few commissions heundertook outside his native town wasthe handsome country seat in Waltham,Massachusetts, Historic New England’sLyman Estate, The Vale, which hedesigned in 1793 for shipbuilder andmerchant Theodore Lyman and his sec-ond wife, Lydia Williams of Salem.

McIntire also supplied furnishingsfor the house, including custom-madebenches that fit snugly into the windowembrasures. Recently, a high-post bedcarved by McIntire, which descendedin the Lyman family and is believed tohave been part of the estate’s originalfurnishings, was donated to Historic

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The Hand of the Master

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F R O M T H E C H A I R

I am honored to serve as chairman of theboard of trustees as we approach the cen-tennial of this wonderful organization. Ourtrustees strive to continue the vision ofHistoric New England’s founder, WilliamSumner Appleton, for the preservation of theregion’s cultural and architectural heritage.Appleton knew that not every old buildingof merit would be viable as a museum, so hesought creative ways to make a buildingsupport itself while continuing to play anactive role in its community’s daily life.

This magazine contains two articles that demonstrate practical applications ofAppleton’s goal. The cover story narratesHistoric New England’s involvement in thepreservation of Boston’s Quincy Marketcomplex, whose transformation into thevibrant Faneuil Hall Marketplace is one ofthe twentieth century’s great urban successstories. A second article chronicles thepreservation of the John Robbins House inActon, Massachusetts, thanks to the dedica-tion and vision of both its former and its present owners, who worked with staff ofHistoric New England’s Stewardship Pro-gram to ensure its protec-tion. This program, based onprinciples Appleton articu-lated nearly a century ago,now protects seventy-fiveproperties throughout theregion. I think he would bevery pleased.

—Bill Hicks

SPOTLIGHT 1Getting Rid of Unwelcome Guests

PRESERVATION 8A Quest for Modernist Legacies

MAKING FUN OF HISTORY 10Food Preservation

MUSEUM SHOP 13The Historic New England Book Store

STEWARDSHIP 18Threatened No More

LANDSCAPE 20From Rain Forest to Windowsill

OPEN HOUSE 22Making the House Work

NEWS: NEW ENGLAND & BEYOND 24

ACQUISITIONS 26The Hand of the Master

Except where noted, all historic photographs and ephemera are from Historic New England’s Library and Archives.

Blueprint for Preservation 2

“With this Ring I Thee Wed” 14

V I S I T U S O N L I N E AT w w w. H i s t o r i c N e w E n g l a n d . o r g

HistoricNEW ENGLAND

Fall 2007Vol. 8, No.2

Historic New England141 Cambridge StreetBoston MA 02114-2702(617) 227-3956

HISTORIC NEW ENGLAND magazine is a benefit of membership.To join Historic New England, please visit our website, HistoricNewEngland.org or call (617) 227-3957, ext.273. Comments? Please callNancy Curtis, editor at (617) 227-3957, ext.235. Historic NewEngland is funded in part by the Institute of Museum and LibraryServices and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Executive Editor Editor DesignDiane Viera Nancy Curtis DeFrancis Carbone

COVER The restored Faneuil Hall Marketplace.©1977 Steve Rosenthal

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Historic New England Fall 2007

Documents

Transcript of Historic New England Fall 2007