Assessor's Sheets USGSQuad Area Letter Form Numbers in ...(1912, MHC# 4

Assessor's Sheets

icate

USGSQuad Area Letter Form Numbers in Area

i4uLU + 13- S4, ^ / . ' a . s / f HZ,

Town Winthrop

Place(neighborhood or village) Court Park

Name of Area

Present Use

Court Park

Residential

Construction Dates or Period 1892-1920

Overall Condition good-excellent

Major Intrusions and Alterations very intact. Mid

19th c. Loring & Emerson mansions are not extant

Acreage_ 47 acres

Recorded By Edward Gordon

Organization Winthrop Historical Commission

Date (month/year) September 1993

north.

Massachusetts Historical Commission 80 Boylston Street Boston, Massachusetts 02116

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AREA FORM

ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION 0 see continuation sheet Describe architectural, structural and landscape features and evaluate in terms of other areas within the community.

Together with its meandering street pattern , well landscaped lots, and remarkably well preserved collection of stylish and substantial Queen Anne, Shingle, Colonial Revival and Tudoresque residences, Court Park is a noteworthy area of 1890's-1920's residential development. Although fairly densely settled, most of this area's homes have ample front and/or back yards.Its terrain is characterized by low hills and flat areas bordering Boston Harbor on the north and west. Pleasant Street and the back lot lines of homes bordering Sargent Road circumscribe Court Park on the east and south, respectively. During the past 30-40 years, Court Road's water views have been compromised by the construction and extension of Logan Airport runways. In some instances, these runways are within yards of Court Park's beach front.This area has a generous amount of tree cover thanks in part to George B. Emerson's planting of 1500 trees in this area during the mid 19th century. Architecturally, this area's houses tend to represent hybrids of the Queen Anne/Shingle and Colonial revival Styles. Court Park's houses tend to be 2.5 stories tall,covered with wood shingles and/or clapboards. Basements are genereally composed of rubblestone, stone blocks or brick.Clapboards,wood shingles and stucco are the prevailing building materials with brick used for more than just basements in only a very few cases.Residences within this area typically have full length porches or encircling verandahs. In many cases, gambrel roof forms are in evidence.The houses within this area selected for recording on MHC Building survey forms are by and large representative examples of the types of housing stock located within the boundaries of f o i i r t P a r t T h p O n p p n A n n p .*stvl«=> w/ac utilivpr) in thp Hpeion o f e o m p o f thp parlipct h o u s e s in th ic (7-ontinnprU

HISTORICAL NARRATIVE h<_ see continuation sheet Explain historical development ofthe area. Discuss how this are relates to the historical development of the community.

Court Park was the last large area to be developed for residential purposes in Winthrop.House construction began c. mid 1890's, intensified during the early 1900's and continued until the mid 1920's. Beginning in late 1630's, Court Park's land was included in the "Great Allotments" of Elias Maverick and Valentine Hill.By the mid 17th century,this area was part of James Bill Sr. 's extensive landholdings. The purchase of Court Park in 1847 by Edward G. Loring and George B. Emerson, represents a water shed in Winthrop's History. For the first time an extensive tract was purchased for the purpose's of a gentleman's estate rather than for strictly agricultural purposes.Loring became familiar with this area as a young man from bird hunting expeditions "along the wild Winthrop shore" and steam ferry trips between Boston and Nahant .Edward G. Loring was a Harvard lecturerjawyer, and justice of the U.S. Court of Claims in Washington D.C.George B. Emerson was a nationally recognized educator,teacher.naturalist, and botanist. Emerson may be credited with shaping Court Park's leafy look, planting over 1500 native and European trees. Emerson's house was located near the present 31 Emerson Road. This house was close to the harbor near Court Road and Sargent Street. The Emerson House was demolished during the 1890's while the Loring House lingered into the early 1900's as the club house for a short lived golf course.John Lowell was a later owner of the Emerson House.Both Court Park's estate and residential subdivision phases are well documented in two plans. Landscape gardener Joseph H. Curtis's sketch map of 1887 shows the locations of the Loring and Emerson/Lowell houses as well as driveways, stables and willow trees. A. c.1891 plan shows a meandering system of roads which more or less echos the present street pattern.Deed restrictions for Court Park's lots stipulated that houses had to built at above minimum cost, insuring the construction of substantial residences that would carry on an estate- like appearance within this area .By the early 1920's Court Park had become an affluent suburban enclave of lawyers,contactors,doctors and engineers.(cont'd)

BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES • see continuation sheet Maps and Atlases— 1637-38, 1690, 1852, 1873, 1886,1896 ,1906,1914 .

Frost (Winthrop) Publiic Library files-1887 map and description of Emerson.Loring and Court Park.

Clark, William H., History of Winthrop Massachusetts (1952), pages 179 and 226

Community: Form No:

Property Name: Court Park

Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below.

Architectural Signif icance cont inued- development, including 5 Court Road (c.1895, MHC # H 3 ) with its full length Tuscan co lumned porch and broad intersecting gables and similarly rendered stable at the rear of this property. Also Queen Anne and relatively early within the Court Park neighborhood are 258 Court Road (1900, M H C # S 2 . ) with its encircl ing verandah and bowed and octagonal bays, 90 Lowell Road (1904-05, M H C # n e ) with its encircl ing Tuscan co lumned verandah, paired octagonal oriels and massive gable roof, and 288 Court Road (1905 MHC#-$4) with its memorab le sculptural form and stable. T h e Shingle Style in Court Park, as well as in other parts of Winthrop, is general ly freely b lended with the Colonial Revival. Just as the Colonial Revival is f requent ly al luded to in the Tuuscan co lumned porches of Queen Anne houses, the same porch t reatments appear on Shingle Style bui ldings.For example, 24 Maple Road, built in (1901 ,MHC # \2f) b lends Shingle materials and intersecting gambre l roofs with Colonial Revival Tuscan co lumned porch t reatments. Also exempl i fy ing qual i ty craf tsmanship and fel ici tous design is the Shingle/Colonial Revival 41 Court Road (c.1905, MHC # H-i ) which features a full length front porch with square and f luted Doric posts, wood shingle sheathing and center gambre l which projects f rom the long side of a gambre l roof. Seven years later similar massing but very different porch t reatments were expressed in the design of # 46 Court Road (1912, MHC# 4<5).Illustrating il lusions to 17th century First Period architecture in Massachuset ts is #65 Court Road (c.1910, M H C # «+f )with its deep overhanging second floor. Also of note here is the distinctive center gambre l of the main facade's 2nd floor which is supported by wooden bracing on either side of the front door. 'Contemporary with #65 Court Road is # 7 ^ Court Road (c1910, M H G ^ ^ w i t h what may well be the broadest intersecting gambre ls in Winthrop.#132 Loring Road (c.1912, MHC# //^t) ranks among the most substantial of the Shingle Style residences in Court Park . Its massive gambre l roof exhibits two levels of dormer w indows . Also noteworthy is its full length front porch with short square posts more typically seen on Bungalow porches. Contemporary to this house is 105 Loring Road (1912, MHC# ) which is more compact than #132 and features massive, intersecting gambrel roofs. 33 Emerson Road (c1915, MHC# £5 ) is dominated by a full length front porch and broad center wall dormer. This porch features s h o r t , stocky and square posts which rise from rusticated concrete blocks.#74 Birch Road (c.1912, MHC#<S ) exempl i f ies a late evolut ionary stage in the development of the Shingle Style. Here, wood shingles cover a boxy, essential ly Colonial Revival form which is enclosed by intersecting gable and hip roof rather than intersecting gambrels . The main facade's gable exhibits a recessed , arched area which is reminicent of early Shingle Style surface t reatments. The front p o r c h ' s e lements look to the Colonial for inspirat ion.The gambre l end wall profi les which proli ferated in Court Park from c. 1900-1915 were not the only roof types in this neighborhood. The Queen Anne / Colonial Revival house at #64 Court Road (c.1912, MHC#4t>) stands with broad gab le end to the street. It exhibits a particularly noteworthy full length front porch with its tapered posts which rise f rom panel led piers and are interspersed between rail ings with well turned Georg ian Revival balusters."Pure' examples of the Colonial Revival Style are few and far between in Court Park but 241 Court Park (c.1907, M H C # 5 i ) with its porch's Tuscan co lumns and modil l ion block accented segmenta l roof cap and main block's hip roof is essential ly a pure example of this architectural mode. Here and there, except ions to typical Queen Anne, Shingle and Colonial Revival surface t reatments are prominent ly featured on main facades such as the Jacobethan or Tudor Revival half t imbered gable t reatments at # 82 Loring Road (c.1910, MHC#>»3) and 153 Court Road (c.1907, M H C # 5 Q ). More purely Jacobethan is the c.1920 picturesquely massed brick residence at 265 Court Road (MHC# S3 ) with its massive Medieval ch imney and heavy gray, purple and green slate shingle roof.

MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston

MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston

Community: Form No:

Property Name: Court Park

Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below.

Historical Narrative cont inued Listed below is a cross section of persons and their occupat ions who had houses built in this neighborhood from the mid 1890's-1920's. As early as c.1895, #5 Court Road (MHC#<i3 ) was built for Henry Carstensen,partner in the East Boston based hay and grain dealership of Carstensen Brothers. Interestingly, the stylish and substant ial Shingle/Colonial Revival house at 24 Maple Road ( M H C # u ? was originally owned by Timothy D. Sul l ivan, stable keeper .Jens Bertelsen, partner in the East Boston engineering firm of Bartelsen and Peterson was the first occupant of 111 Court Road in 1902 (MHC#M 9 ). Wil l iam F. Dealy, paymaster for the Boston Tow Boat Co. moved into 41 Court Road (MHC# c.1905. Captains of industry resided in Court Park dur ing the early early 20th century as exempl i f ied by Eugene A. Simpson of 90 Loring Road (built c. 1907-1910, MHC#J»4) who was the president of a company that manufactured iron bolts, forgings, pipe rail ings etc. with off ices on Broad Street in Boston. Evidence of success in the real estate business is evident in the substantial Shingle Style house at 132 Loring Road(MHC#^" r ) which was built for realtor Arthur D. Brown c.1912. Benjamin L. A lmeda, travel ing salesman had #48 Emerson Road (MHC# ^ ) built for his family c.1913. #43 Loring Road (MHC#i l 2- ) w a s built c.1915 for electrical engineer George A. Robinson. Harold W. Mayo, dentist had #153 Circuit Road built for his family c.1920. By the early 1940's, home owners associated wi th the East Boston Airport, later Logan Airport begin to appear in street address listings in local directories and include Vincent J . Mulac, pilot, at 74 Birch Road ( built c.1912, M H C # t S ).

Community

Winthrop.lvIA

Property Address

Court Park Area

Area(s) Form No

B 1531,43-54

National Register of Historic Places Criteria Statement Form

Check all that apply:

[~J Individually eligible [~J Eligible only in a historic district

] Contributing to a potential historic district Potential historic district

Criteria 0 A • B C • D

Criteria Considerations: • A • B • C • D • E • F • G

Statement of Significance by U. ft llie criteria that are checked in the above sections must he justified here.

Court Park- Qual i f ies as area of well designed Queen Anne, Shingle Style and Colonial Revival residences dating from the late 1890's / early 1900's. In 1847, this was the first section of Winthrop purchased for purposes other than agricultural pursuits. It became the private estate of Judge Loring. He was soon joined by George Emerson and John Lowell on the eastern portion of this hilly, heavily wooded area ~ bordering Boston Harbor. Court Park is also of interest from the stand point of suburban planning and is well documented by an 1891 master plan of the area. In eluded within its borders are the homes of prosperous bankers, grain dealers, engineers and other professionals.This district is bounded by Boston Harbor on the north and west, Pleasant Street on the east and the back lot l ines of houses on the northern side of Sargent Street. This area appears to satisfy criteria A and C of the National Register of Historic Places.