Original. Wall wood shingles, wood trim

Transcription

1 Town-Winthrop Place (neighborhood or village) Thornton Park/ Washington Avenue/River Road Address Historic 97 Washington Ave. Name Patrick Kennedy House Use: Present Original 2-family residence? private, single family residence Date of Construction C Smir f p Winthrop Map/Atlas Style/Form Queen Anne, irregular Architect/Builder undetermined Exterior Material Foundation brick Wall wood shingles, wood trim R o o f gambrel roof w/ asphalt shingles Outbuildings/Secondary Structures N/A Major Alterations (with dates) Very intact Condition good Recorded by Organization Edward W. Gordon Winthrop CDO+Historic Comm Moved yes j x no Acreage less than one acre Situated on Boston Harbor side of Washington Setting. Avenue.

2 ( ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION see continuation sheet Describe architectural features. Evaluate the characteristics of this building in terms of other buildings within the community. Architecturally, 97 Washington Avenue is a robust, well crafted wood shingle clad residence, noteworthy for its unusual massing. Built c.early 1890's, this house has a pronounced vertically courtesy of the main facade's broad three story octagonal towered component which rises above the roof line and culminates in a distinctive hip roof cap. The main body of the house is enclosed by a gambrel roof. To the right of the towered bay is a projecting and enclosed entrance porch which displays a well rendered denticulated cornice. To the right of the towred bay on the main facade's roof slope is an unusual dormer with a tall gambrel roof with unusually short upper gambrel slopes.the dormer's gambrel exhibits diamond shaped shingles. In general windows exhibit 1/1 sash which probably replaced the original sash treatments.this house is charaterized by great surface plasticity with a projecting octagonal bay on the south wall.the rear wall's windows overlook Boston Harbor. This house is a key component in Washington Avenue's fine collection of late 19th and early 20th century residences. HISTORICAL NARRATIVE see continuation sheet Discuss 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. 97 Washington Avenue has significant historical associations with Patrick Joseph Kennedy, East Boston and later Winthrop saloon keeper.state Senator and President of the Columbia Trust Co. in East Boston, father of Joseph P. Kennedy, Ambassador to Great Britain, grandfather of President John F. Kennedy and great grandfather of Congressman Joseph Kennedy III. This house's lot was part of the extensive land holdings of George Washington Tewksbury until the early1890's when this house was built and purchased by an L.N. Foster owned this property. Amelia E. Burrill owned #97 in The Kennedy's began summering in Winthrop c According to a reliable local source, 97 Washington Avenue was purchased by a "straw", because for what ever reason, Patrick Kennedy did not want to be identified as this house's owner. Rarely have the Kennedys' summers and year round residency at Winthrop been disscussed in the scores of books written about this famous family. Few people know that Winthrop was the first Hyannisport. Patrick Kennedy and family began summering in Winthop c.1912, initially living at 159 Locust Street The Locust/ Almont Streets area was an earlv (c.1870's) enclave of summer cottaqes developed bvdavid Flovd. (continued) BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES I see continuation sheet Winthrop Maps and Atlases-1873,1886,1896,1906,1914 Winthrop Directories-1911,1913,1916/17,1924, ,1936,1942 and 1947 The Kennedys An American Drama by Peter Collier and David Horowitz «C

3 MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston Community: \/d i h -H\ p Form No: /im- p r o p e r l y N a m e : 97 Washington Ave. Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below. Historical Narrative c o n t i n u e d The move to Washington avenue c was a step up from the charming but modestly scaled housing of the Floyd development to the stylish and substantial residences of Washington Avenue. 97 Washington Avenue became Patrick Joseph Kennedy's permanent, year round residence. Once the private domain of George Washington Tewksbury, Washington Avenue began to experience residential development after the opening of the bridge across Crystal Cove (Lewis Lake) in 1884.The 1890's and early 1900's were years of intensive house construction along this scenic thoroughfare, with its views of the harbor, Snake Island and Boston. The Kennedys arrived at a time when Washington Avenue's development was largely complete and towards the end of a 30 plus year period of gradual Irish assimilation into the community. Patrick Joseph Kennedy was the son of Patrick Kennedy ( ) and Bridget Murphy ( ). His father came to Boston at age 26 in 1849, settling in East Boston and becomming a cooper. He fashioned yokes and staves for the Conestoga wagons heading West to the California Gold Rush. Patrick Joseph Kennedy was born in 1858, the youngest of four children. At age 22, he gathered his savings as well as loans from his mother and three sisters and bought a run down saloon in the Haymarket area of Boston. Before he reached 30, he was able to buy a second tavern across the street from the East Boston ship yards. He became a partner in the old Maverick House at Maverick Square, East Boston and in 1885, opened his own liquor importation business, P.J. Kennedy and Co.In 1886, he was elected, to the State Senate, a fete made possible by the fact that Irish immigrants out numbered Yankees for the first time that year.he served three terms in the Massachusetts State Senate. In 1886, he married Mary Augusta Hickey, the daughter of a prosperous businessman whose brother John attended Harvard. Their first child, Joseph Patrick Kennedy was born on September 6,1888. By the early 1900's, Patrick Joseph Kennedy was a major political force in Boston and was a member of the so called Board of Strategy which wrested power from the BossTweed -like Martin Lomasney. By the time the Kennedys bought 97 Washington Avenue, their son Joe was not long out of Harvard University. It was noted that Joe Kennedy "went home on weekends to the sea side home P.J. had bought at 97 Washington Avenue in Winthrop, next door to his austere brother-in-law, Dr. Hickey.who lived there with his spinster sister Kate. Joe would bring some of his college friends with him, and they would spend Sundays walking along the beach in their blue trousers and blazers and then go in to feast on his mother's baked ham and baked beans. After dinner they would go into the parlor. First there would be the ritual of trying to stump Mary Augusta at spelling. Joe would have prepared his schoolmates, challenging them earlier to find difficult words in the dictionary. Sometimes they would come up with scientific or technical terms that she didn't understand, but she still managed to spell them. And then Joe would beam : "No one can stump my mother!" Afterwards, with Loretta accompanying on the piano, Joe would lead the songs: "Peg o' My Heart", "Danny Boy", and of course "Fair Harvard". Older people in Winthrop still remember seeing Rose Kennedy,John F. Kennedy and even a very young Bobby Kennedy, future U.S.Attorney General and New York Senator playing on the beach behind their Washington avenue home. For most of Patrick Joseph Kennedy's Winthrop years he was listed as "President of the Columbia Trust Company, East Boston".The Kennedys owned this property until Patrick Joseph Kennedy's death in His wife Bridget died in By the mid 1930's this house was owned by Margaret L. and Charles J. Burke, salesman and tailor at Somerset and Porters in Boston. The Burkes lived here until at least By 1947, Walter B. Israel (occupation?)lived here.

4 2. Town «A*^cXtt^Q: Vj4^jJsis><y^L } C^U-e,. iafa^ja^<<jfj*i Street a d d r e s s 3ION JLiauJu. stoti Name it to: Original use ^.^Utt-,tL- /^«_<^^rc^- P r e s e n t use h the e): P r e s e n t owner Y Open to public_ tion Date, Aj, 1 '/Ur Style Source of date 1/evciujjmcui- u± l vjn/city j' 1VIUS1C X Architect J^U^^ 3. CONDITION: Excellent Good F a i r Deteriorated Moved Altered Added 4. FOUNDATION/BASEMENT: WALL COVER: ROOF: High DESCRIPTION Regular Low U/rf-4 Wood 3 a^u^ Material: Brick Stone Other Ridge Gambrel Flat Hip Mansard faftsvyju Tower Cupola D o r m e r windows^ Balustrade Grillwork X CHIMNEYS: Center U^yi^L^ ice^^^w End End interior Cluster Elaborate Irregular STORIES: ATTACHMENTS: Wings E l l Shed Dependency PORCHES: FACADE: Portico f ^dut^- Gable end: Front/Side Entrance: Side C^ol^ Balcony Ornament: (~/i^jc/ xlib.; s Front: Center/Side C Details: C o r n e r s : Plain P i l a s t e r s Quoins C o r n e r b o a r d s ^tq^^j^^ ^ ^ t i ^ 1 < <r Mx^su-ou^t. ^ y ^tjj.-c <~* >j\/cl-um^j L ^ - \. -vutt 5. Indicate location of s t r u c t u r e in relation to n e a r e s t c r o s s s t r e e t s and other buildings sw^rt^ svca^las ~ f /d^u^ jj^ajzcla^i Windows: Spacing: R e g u l a r / i r r e g u l a r Identical/Varied OUTBUILDINGS Redessed: Cs~*-&4. ^iclt & Ci^/-^ 6. Footage of s t r u c t u r e from s t r e e t / y -p^, P r o p e r t y has p, *j[a' feet frontage oitsfc street l Recorder For AuJU ^gu^ S%t<jt<4s sc<l U y Photo Date NOTE: Recorder should obtain written p e r m i s s i o n from Commission or sponsoring organization before using this form. SEE REVERSE S D7 T FORM MHC-B I0M

5 1<U T c ) Neighboring Structures Style: Colonial F e d e r a l Greek Revival Gothic Revival Italian Villa Venetian Gothic M a n s a r d / Richardsonian Jtj o-^a^^ Type Buildings: Lombard Rom. Conditions: Excellent Good F a i r Use: Residential C o m m e r c i a l Religious Proximity: Deteriorated %*-^d^x utjl- Landscape F e a t u r e s : Agriculture Open Wooded Garden: F o r m a l / i n f o r m a l Predominent F e a t u r e s * /Lt/ a ^ & L t t k U f f&xuaddc <2& i ^s^ldtmstilil Landscape Architect ^^xj-ju J sia^yo* g^jj ^mum^,. /x<^ /' GIVE A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC IMPORTANCE OF SITE (Refer and elaborate on theme circled on front of form) jfo^yfak C I\L>~A*~-^ J!^ u j<ut^l*~^ <<JUu- Asfut^d si^u^dx ^U^m, JC&+u< BIBLIOGRAPHY AND/OR REFERENCE RESTRICTIONS Original Owner: Deed Information: frtiotm. ')-> Book Number /te-w»^d-*l Page & 3 T Registry of Deeds