Major Bibliographical References (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form on one or more continuation sheets.) Previous documentation on file (NPS): Primary location of additional data: - preliminary determination of individual listing (36 x State Historic Preservation Office CFR 67) has been requested - Other State agency - previously listed in the National Register - Federal agency - previously determined eligible by the National _ Local government Register - University - designated a National Historic Landmark - Other _ recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey Name of repository: _ recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # _Francis & Isabella Apts. Name of Property Suffolk, MA County, State 10. Geographical Data Acreage of Property - less than one acre UTM References See continuation sheet.
(Place additional UTM references on a continuation sheet) 1.19 329040 4687650 Zone Easting Northing 2Zone Easting Northing 3. Zone Easting Northing 4. Zone Easting Northing - See continuation sheet Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property on a continuation sheet.) Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected on a continuation sheet.) 11. Form Prepared By name/title_Christine Beard, Tremont Preservation Services with Betsy Friedberg, NR Director, MHC organization. Massachusetts Historical Commission date _October 2001 street & number 220 Morrissey Boulevard - telephone_ 617-727-8470 city or town Boston state_MA zip code. 02125 Additional Documentation Submit the following items with the completed form: Continuation Sheets Maps A USGS map (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location.
A sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources. Photographs Representative black and white photographs of the property. Additional items (Check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items) Property Owner (Completethis item at the request of the SHPO or FPO.) name_Mark Winkeller /Caritas Communitieis street & number 150 Wood Road _ telephone781-843-1242 city or town Braintree stateMA _ zip code 02184 Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 470 et seg.).
Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18.1 hours per response including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Chief, Administrative Services Division, National Park Service, P.O. Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of NPS Form 1 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number_ 1 Page_ OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Francis & Isabella Apartments Boston/Roxbury (Suffolk), MA Physical Description The Frances and Isabella Apartments, at 430-432 and 434-436 Dudley Street, occupy the entire block between Woodward and Clarence Streets in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston.
These two identical brick apartment buildings were designed in the Queen Anne style and dominate the streetscape in an area made up largely of smaller wood-frame, multi-family dwellings. Rising three stories in height, the two apartment buildings are rectangular in plan, with corner towers at the Dudley Street facades and a three-story bow window at each of the side elevations. (photo 2) Each building is enclosed by a slightly pitched roof, covered with rubber membrane roofing. The corner towers have tall conical roofs sheathed with copper (three of the four tower roofs have a crowning finial). The brickwork of each building is highly ornamented with corbelled belt courses, scalloped cornices, and patterned brick panels at the side elevations. First floor window openings have segmental brick arches with brownstone keystones and imposts.
Windows above the first floor have simple brownstone lintels, while those at the basement have segmental brick arches with imposts; all windows have brownstone sills. Nearly all window openings contain 1/1 replacement sash, except those at the basement, which are blocked with plywood. (photo 1) The buildings are divided down the center by a brick party wall and have mirror image plans to either side of the party wall. The main entrance of each building is centered on the Dudley Street elevation. Access to each of these raised entries is by means of a wide stoop with brick side walls and granite steps. Two sets of double doors are recessed from the façade within a broad brick arch, which has a brownstone keystone and label molding with decorative stops. A brick pier separates the entrances, each of which contains the original glazed wood double doors set beneath a transom.
The buildings are ditterentiated by name plaques set in the central brick pier, which read "Frances" (430-432 Dudley St.) and "Isabella" (434-436 Dudley The building exteriors have been altered very little since they were constructed in 1887. The only significant exterior alterations occurred on the rear elevation of 434-436 Dudley Street where nearly all window openings were infilled with brick and smaller windows installed in some locations. There are two secondary entrances on the rear elevation to each building (one on either side of the party wall). These segmentally arched openings are in the end bays at the first floor. Due to the narrow depth of the rear yard, the rear elevation is not highly visible. (photo 5) When originally constructed, each building had two apartments per floor. A major renovation was undertaken in 1952, dividing each apartment into two.
In 1981 the buildings were converted to lodging houses, with ten bedrooms per building at the first floor and twelve (continued) NPS Form 1 10-900-2 (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 1/8 Page 2/1 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 Francis & Isabella Apartments Boston/Roxbury (Suffolk), MA bedrooms per building at each of the upper floors. The current layout more closely reflects the 1952 renovation than it does the original floor plan (see attached 1952 drawings). The corridors seem to have always been in the same location. Finishes within the corridors today are largely a combination of original and 1952 features. Despite the changes, many historic finishes remain throughout the two buildings, including window & door trim, baseboards, and paneled doors.
A number of the rooms retain the historic mantelpieces. The buildings occupy nearly all the lot. There are concrete sidewalks lining the front and sides of the lot and a concrete paved walkway between the two buildings. (photo 4) A stockade fence closes off the south end of the walkway. Chain link fencing encloses a small rear yard. A low wrought-iron fence (apparently an historic fence) set on a granite curbing runs along the front and sides of the lot. (photo 3) A simple modern chain link fence encloses the back yard. Statement of Significance The Frances and Isabella Apartments are significant for their architectural value as well- preserved examples of Queen Anne style apartment blocks. They are particularly unusual in this area, which is dominated by smaller wood-frame multi-family dwellings that are not as highly articulated.
In addition, the apartments are remarkable as an identical pair and as two of only five known examples of the work of architect Jacob Goldsmith of Goldsmith & Company. These and the three other known examples of his work (all of which are in the Boston area), were all designed within a three-year period between 1887 and 1889. The buildings possess integrity of setting, design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. They are of local significance and meet Criteria A and C for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Roxbury has always been notably divided geographically. Lower Roxbury is the northern lowlands that lie roughly between Dudley Street and Boston's South End neighborhood. To the south, the steep uplands are known as Roxbury Highlands.
Lower Roxbury developed as an area of mixed residential, commercial, and industrial uses, while the Highlands is predominantly residential. Development in Roxbury, an independent town until 1868, was greatly influenced by its close proximity to Boston. At the end of the 18" century Roxbury was characterized by large expanses of undeveloped land dotted with farmhouses and was joined to Boston by a narrow neck of land (where Roxbury Crossing borders Boston's South End). Following the Revolutionary War, the path that had historically crossed the neck was improved to the status of a road (today's Washington Street), increasing traffic between the two communities. (continued) NPS Form 1 10-900-a (8-86) OMB Approval No.
1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Francis & Isabella Apartments Boston/Roxbury (Suffolk), MA Section number 8 Page_2 Beginning in 1804 the neck was further improved and widened, allowing greater transportation opportunities. By 1826 a stagecoach ran hourly between Boston and Roxbury. Between 1830 and 1850 the section of Roxbury closest to Boston filled in rapidly (the area around Tremont and Washington Streets, north of Dudley Street). At the same time, much of Roxbury remained rural, and thus attractive to prosperous Bostonians looking for relief from urban life. In 1835 the Boston & Providence Railroad opened a station at Roxbury Crossing, making it possible tor businessmen to commute to Boston from their "country" homes in Roxbury.
By the mid-19" century there were a large number of fine country homes in Roxbury. Farms were gradually subdivided for smaller house lots, and suburban estates, similar to those found in Cambridge, were constructed. The introduction of the street railway (first horse drawn and later electric) spurred development and resulted in the rapid suburbanization of Röxbury in the second half of the 19' century. Roxbury's first horse-drawn trolley was introduced in 1856 and followed the 17th century route from downtown Boston along Washington Street through the South End and Roxbury Between 1840 and 1870 the area roughly bounded by Dudley, Warren, Dale, and Centre Streets was partly filled with wood and brick townhouses of moderate price.
By 1870 most of the lowlands of Roxbury had been subdivided and the three contiguous Boston neighborhoods of Dorchester, Roxbury, and West Roxbury had a combined population of 60,000, with Roxbury being the most densely settled. South of Lower Roxbury, the Highlands were predominantly upper middle class (roughly the area from Washington Street east to Blue Hill Avenue and Dudley Street, east of Warren Street, south to Franklin Park). Middle class businessmen were constructing substantial houses here. This is similar to what was happening in Dorchester and West Roxbury, which were still primarily occupied by the central segment of the middle class into the 1890s. In the early 19* century Roxbury already had significant industrial development, primarily along the Stony Brook (in the western part of the town) and the harbor (prior to the filling in of Boston's Back Bay and South End).
Later, there was a significant industrial concentration in Lower Roxbury between Dudley Street and the Boston border (largely between Tremont and Hampden Streets). Early residents of Roxbury included both Boston commuters and local workers. Similar to Charlestown, East Boston, and parts of East Cambridge, Roxbury was located at the edge of the harbor and had great industrial and mercantile potential (prior to the 19"* century land filling). Industries in Roxbury included foundries, textile mills, rope walks, iano works, clockmakers, stone yards, and lumber yards. Workers housing was also built in this vicinity. By the 1870s Lower Roxbury was very much a working class neiahborhood anc many of its residents were Irish immigrants.
The Irish were the most prevalent ethnic group (continued) NPS Form 1 10-900-8 (8-86) NationdS Park Depictment of the Interior National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Francis & Isabella Apartments Boston/Roxbury (Suffolk), MA Section number 8 Page 3 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 living in Roxbury at the time but were later joined by Jewish and Canadian immigrants. By 1890, land in Roxbury was no longer affordable for industrial users and many moved theil usinesses out into the newer suburbs, leaving large tracts available for additional residentia Following a post-war boom of construction between 1865 and 1872, the Depression of 1873 slowed development temporarily. From the mid-1880s through the 1890s there was a second wave of construction during which Roxbury was completely covered with houses.
This was due primarily to an expanded transportation system and affordable property. Because the land was cheaper in Lower Roxbury, more affordable housing could be offered. By 1900 the population figure of the three adjacent neighborhoods of Roxbury, Dorchester, and West Roxbury had nearly quadrupled from 60,000 in 1870 to 227,000. Most of the late 19" century construction in Roxbury was residential, although a significant commercial center had developed at Dudley Square (where Dudley Street crosses Washington Street). Commercial interests eventually spread so that there was secondary commercial development further along Dudley Street and along Washington, Warren, and Tremont Streets. In terms of residential development, the neighborhood offered less expensive land, making it more attractive to entrepreneurs who had previously focused on Boston's Back Bay and South End sections.
There was also a great deal of public construction (schools, libraries, etc.), reflecting Boston's commitment to improving and supporting its neighborhoods. Roxbury, except the Highlands, was primarily lower middle class construction, with a heavy concentration of small rental units and higher rents than found in nearby neighborhoods (fewer rooms per family than in Dorchester or West Roxbury). In contrast to the lower middle class housing stock of Lower Roxbury, Roxbury Highlands continued to be an area of mid-to-high priced construction in the last thirty years of the 19 century. Roxbury Highlands was unique in this way among the three suburban neighborhoods of Roxbury, Dorchester, and West Roxbury because it retained its rural setting longer, due to its topography.
The Frances and Isabella Apartments are located at the northern fringe of what could be considered Roxbury Highlands, very close to the Dorchester border to the east. The history of the site is typical of those in the Highlands (and the adjacent Dudley Triangle neighborhood of Dorchester), although just to the north are streets lined with wood-frame multi-family dwellings that are clearly in keeping with what is typical of Lower Roxbury. The area immediately surrounding the Frances and Isabella Apartments remained largely open and undeveloped into the 1870s. As late as 1873 there was still a significant amount of undeveloped land along this stretch of Dudley Street (east of Hampden Street) and to the south, along either side of Blue Hill Avenue.
Although clearly subdivision of land was well under way and a number of houses had already been built, this area was far less densely settled than the western and northern sections of Roxbury. (continued) NPS Form 1 10-900-a (8-86) OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Francis & Isabella Apartments Boston/Roxbury (Suffolk), MA Section number 8 Page_4 The vacant land on which the Frances and Isabella were constructed in 1887 were two of nine lots that made up the former Putnam Estate within the block bounded by Dudley, Woodward, larence, and Grant (no longer existing) Streets. At the time, the only structure on the block vas a large Victorian residence facing Woodward Street, formerly the house of Allen Putnan (still extant).
As late as 1874, the house sat on close to an acre of land. Just to the west was the Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged, also on a large open parcel, and then open land up to Hampden Street. The Putnam house sat on the largest of the nine lots (6,146 square feet) while the lots purchased by Nathan each measured 5,637 square feet. The six remaining lots were much smaller, ranging from 2,348 to 2,508 square feet. North of the Putnam estate, along Woodward, Clarence, and Langdon Streets, development had progressed quite a bit more. There were a number of multi-family wood-frame dwellings. By 1890 the streetscapes in this area had changed dramatically. The Frances and Isabella Apartments had been built (1887) and multi-family houses filled the lots around it, leaving only a few undeveloped parcels.
At the time the Frances and Isabella Apartments were constructed the predominant building cxtent, primariy for or rick commercial bundings and a tew brick material for residential construction was wood. Brick and masonry was used to a much lesser were also a number of brick commercial buildings and a few brick livery stables. Most of the multi-family buildings in Roxbury were in the form of duplexes or Triple Deckers, and multi- family row houses. There were only a handful of apartment buildings and those were scattered throughout the area. In the early 20** century a growing number of larger masonry buildings were constructed on the principal commercial streets (Dudley, Washington, Warren, and Tremont Streets). The Frances and Isabella Apartments are unique among the apartment buildings in Roxbury as an identical pair.
While identical row houses were quite common in Roxbury as in other parts of the city, the Frances and Isabella appear to be the only examples of twin apartment buildings in Roxbury. Land on which the Frances and Isabella Apartments were built was purchased in 1886 by Emanuel Nathan and his wife Fanny from Paul H. Kendrick of Boston. The buildings were named for Nathan's wife (known as Fanny) and his eldest daughter, Isabella. Nathan was a Boston soap maker who lived and worked at 71 Prentiss Street. Nathan hired the firm Goldsmith & Company to design the apartment buildings, which were constructed in 1887. Very little is known of the firm, whose principal, Jacob Goldsmith, designed only three other known buildings in the Boston area (all between 1887 and 1889). Goldsmith does not appear in Boston city directories so he may have had an office elsewhere.
When first constructed, each apartment building contained six apartments (two per floor). This arrangement remained unchanged until 1952 when the units were subdivided. It does not appear that the building was (continued) NPS Form 1 10-900-8 (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Francis & Isabella Apartments Boston/Roxbury (Suffolk), MA Section number 8 Page 5 ever owner occupied. The earliest known occupants (from 1930) are Dennis Sughrue (a physician), Mary McQuaid (of Tenney & McQuaid drygoods), Marie DeForest (beauty shop), Mr. Johanna Brady (widow), and William Kelly (fireman), Leo Donlon (druggist), Richard Dunn (hat blocker), William Maguire (physician), Daniel Brine, and James Stewart (motorman). Fanny Nathan died in 1888 and her husband in 1895.
Emanuel Nathan's will provided that four of his five daughters (Isabella, Mary, Caroline, and Theresa), all of whom were married, received the "use, income, and improvement" of the "Hotel Frances" and "Hotel Isabella" for the remainder of their lives. Nathan's fifth daughter, Jeannette, received a building at 1441 Tremont Street. His sons John and Jacob Nathan inherited their father's soap making business and two properties in Roxbury Crossing, the family "estate" (bounded by Prentiss, Parker and Ward Streets) and a large property on Tremont Street (1386-1400 Tremont Street). Nathan also had a vacation home on Nantucket that was to be shared by his daughters and his second wife, Nettie. The Nathans continued to own and rent out apartments at the Frances and Isabella until 1919 when both buildings were sold to Ursula Ryan.
Between 1920 and 1944 the apartment property was sold a number of times; owners included John and Mary Duke, Edward W. Fuller of Boston, Leslie and Jennie Brown of Medford, Albert R. Prescott of Worcester, the Prospect Hill Associates, Peter Chaplik (from whom the property was taken by the City of Boston), David B. Chaletzky of Lynn, Joseph Zeimis of Boston, Walter and Eva Brazauskas of Boston, Anna Ventola Sizemore of Somerville. In 1951 Sizemore sold the parcels to William F. Flynn. The following year Flynn divided each apartment into two. Since then the buildings have been sold several times but the interior layout remained virtually unchanged until the 1980s when owner Robert Fuller converted the buildings to lodging houses (34 rooms in each building) and undertook various minor changes to the floor plans.
The buildings are currently being renovated for lodging house use, using federal investment tax credits for as a Certified Rehabilitation. (end) NPS Form 1 10-900-2 (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 9/10 Page 1 Francis & Isabella Apartments Boston/Roxbury (Suffolk), MA OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 BIBLIOGRAPHY Atlas of the City of Boston (Philadelphia: G.W. Bromley & Co., 1889). Boston City Directories (various years). Boston Inspectional Services Department - Building Permit Records Boston Public Library: Architectural Records & Fine Arts Reference - Architect File. Combined Atlas of the County of Suffolk, Massachusetts. Vol. 2° (Philadelphia: G.M. Hopkins, 1873) Suffolk County Probate Records. Will of Emanuel Nathan (v. 698, p. 49) Warner, Sam Bass, Jr.
Streetcar Suburbs (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1962). (end) GEOGRAPHIC DATA Boundary Description Located on Boston assessor's map 19N - 11E, the nominated property consists of the entire property lots at 430-432 and 434-436 Dudley Street. Boundary Justification Area nominated has been historically associated with the apartment block. (end) IPSForm 1 10.900-a United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Francis & Isabella Apartments Boston/Roxbury (Suffolk), MA Section number_ Page OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 PHOTOGRAPHS Photos taken by Christine Beard, Tremont Preservation Services 1. 3. 4. 5.
Southwest façade along Dudley Street, view facing east Corner ofDudiey and ardarStrietsi, vie farangng oast Alleyway between buildings, view facing northeast Rear elevation of buildings, view facing southeast 0a92 L68E 19EZ 5332 200L 200i <501 1625 563 " 3027 5278 2856 3836 21°, 2519 1830 ZELE 3133 232? 1a0 23 288 O85 5801 26 6 1268 1160 a3048 1E31S 7320 DUDLET-BLUE "ATL FIRE STATION 1 3 70 AVENUE 6797 7558 532 3005 3 2600 SA A VENUE 3248 4377 16 4994 3352 5000 2818 PARTRIDGE 24.87 42° 2347 2287 133 PV- 7340 2062 2115 2125 5200 9/6? 4494 449 LEWIS 4759 5320 STREET 2000 2160 3637 3018 3200 1556 192/ 2021 1121 {tEl 3710 STREET 1764467 469 25,817 2373 4574 MAGAZINE 1I765 8167576 OF-THE POOR MOME-FOR 56,195 HHE AGED WOODWARD OEY 2621 1052 5976- 2981 2703 2558 6/46 2465 22 CLARENCE 24 c.
2° 5911 Ka2u 8tll 2881 1811 181/ 1847 L8LI 92s1 LL91 869/ 1877 LANGDON PLI 181665 6+022 0912 N3754 3875 30 32 625 29 36 ,9 g Tea 52t1 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET REQUESTED ACTION: NOMINATION PROPERTY NAME: Francis and Isabella Apartments MULTIPLE NAME: STATE & COUNTY: MASSACHUSETTS, Suffolk DATE RECEIVED: DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: 1/09/02 2/14/02 DATE OF PENDING LIST: 1/29/0.
DATE OF 45TH DAY: 2/24/01 REFERENCE NUMBER: 02000081 REASONS FOR REVIEW: APPEAL: N DATA PROBLEM: N LANDSCAPE: N LESS THAN 50 YEARS: OTHER: Y PDIL: N PERIOD: N PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: REQUEST: N SAMPLE: N SLR DRAFT: N NATIONAL: COMMENT WAIVER: N VACCEPT RETURN REJECT 222'02ATE ABSTRACT/ SUMMARY COMMENTS: N N N Matered in thie smonel Eegtetes RECOM./CRITERIA REVIEWER TELEPHONE DISCIPLINE DATE DOCUMENTATION see attached comments Y/N see attached SLR Y/N Frances ilsabella Qpts. Bostor, MA Photo 1 of 5 Frances 4 lsabella lps. Boskn, MA Phots 20f5 Frances & Isabella Qpts Bostan, MA Photo 30f5 Frances s lsabella Apts Bostan, MA Phot 40f5 Frances 4 Isabella Apls Bostn, MA Photo5of5 RECEIVED 2280 "JAN 9 2002 NAT.
REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES NATIONAL PARK SERVICE The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Massachusetts Historical Commission October 23, 2001 Ms. Carol Shull National Register of Historic Places Department of the Interior National Park Service Mail Stop 2280, Suite 400 1849 C Street, NW Washington, DC 20240 Dear Ms. Shull: Enclosed please find the following nomination form: Francis and Isabella Apartments, 430-432 and 434-436 Dudley Street, Boston (Suffolk), MA The nomination has been voted eligible by the State Review Board and has been signed by the State Historic Preservation Officer. The owners of the property in the Certified Local Government community of Boston were notified of pending State Review Board consideration 60 to 90 days before the meeting and were afforded the opportunity to comment.
Sincerely, Detey tuede Amedbery Massachusetts Historical Commission enclosure CC: Caritas Communities, Inc. Christine Beard, Tremont Preservation Services David Payne, Boston CLG coordinator Thomas Menino, Mayor, City of Boston John Bowman, Boston Landmarks Commission RRADIATED 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02125 (617) 727-8470 - Fax: (617) 727-5128 www.state.ma.us/sec/mhc
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