BlockThe nomination, in full
Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.
FORM B - BUILDING MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION 80 BOYLSTON STREET, BOSTON, MA 02116 AREA FORM NO. 31/146-7 PHOTO: (3x3" or 3x5", black & white) staple to left side of form Photo number SKETCH MAP Show property's location in relation to nearest cross streets and/or geographical features. Indicate all buildings between inventoried property and nearest intersection. Indicate north. Iown Brookline MRA Address 9 Toxteth Street Historic Name William Ingersoll Bowditch House Use: Present Single-family residence . Original Single-family cottage DESCRIPTION: Date ca. 1843-1844 1844 Wadsworth SourceNorfolk County Deeds Bk.149.pp.93- 94 Style_Gothic Revival/Greek Revival Architect_possibly Joshua F. Fernald Exterior wall fabric aluminum siding Outbuildingsno Recorded by Greer Hardwicke Organization Brookline Hist. Comm.
Date_March 1985 Major alterations (with dates) rear ell removed (date unknown), front porch altered front bay moved, dormers added (1927) Moved No _Date N/A Approx. acreage Less than one acre Setting_ Corner lot overlooking Linden Square in a densely built neighborhood. Boston South Quadrangle UTM Reference: 19/325600/4688980 (Staple additional Mpa sheets: ,63 here) ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE (Describe important architectural features and evaluate in terms of other buildings within the commmity.) Number 9 Toxteth is an L-shaped vernacular Gothic Revival cottage with Greek Revival-style elements. The 1½-story house has full-length sidelights and two long first-story windows under the porch. All the original openings have square-headed drip moldings. The two original dormers have pointed arches. The.roof ridge hosts a brick chimney.
There is a single-story flat-roofed bay on the south facade. Although there have been alterations over the years, this simple house represents a modest example of the mid-century wooden cottages built in Brookline. It is similar to the Greek/Gothic Revival house next door at #1 Toxteth. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE (Explain the role owners played in local or state history and how the building relates to the development of the commmity.) Fronting on Linden Square, #9 Toxteth was built in 1844-1845 on land that was part of Thomas Aspinwall Davis' development of Linden Place. (See form for #29 Linden Place, Linden Square, and Linden Park.) William Ingersoll Bowditoh bought"#äl1:of lot 15, nearly all of lot 14 and part of lot 13 in A. W. Wadsworth's plan" from Davis in August of 1845. Along with the land, he also purchased a cottage and grove on said parcel, which was built by Joseph Fernald.
This cottage was one of seven which dotted the Linden Place development. William Ingersoll Bowditch was a conveyancer who had an office at 8 Railroad Exchange Building in Boston. He owned this property from 1845 to 1867 before moving to Tappan Street in Brookline. He extremely active in local Brookline politics, becoming a selectman and serving as moderator of Town Meeting for a number of years. Before the Civil War, he was affrm believer in abolition, becoming active in both Brookline and Boston efforts. He belonged to the Boston Vigilance Committee. Bowditch, along with Edward Atkinson and Edward Philbrick, participated actively in the fight against slavery. Besides trying to sway public opinion through meetings and lectures, Bowditch used his house for sheltering fugitive slaves.
In 1849-1850, a South Carolina (continued) BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES (name of publication, author, date and publisher) Deed, Norfolk County (Dedham), Book 141, p. 105, May 27, 1843; Book 149, p. 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, August 24, 1844. Brookline maps: 1844 (Wadsworth); 1858; 1871 Brookline atlases: 1874;- 1884; 1893 Brookline tax lists: 1861, 1867-1890 Brookline Engineering Plats: Aspinwall Land Company, May 1890 (L-10/B-35) ; Aspinwal1 Land Company, 1886 (1-3/D47). Brookline Building Permits Harrel1, Pauline Chase, "Anti-Slave Days in Brookline," Proceedings of the Brookline Historical Society, 1978. Curtis, John Gouls, History of the Town of Brookline, Boston: 1933, p. 204.
10M - 7/82 INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET nalcs vrrirmn, toge a/ v Commnity : Brookline MASSACHUSETTS HISTORI CAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston Property Name: 9 ToxTETH Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below. couple arrived in Boston on their way to freedom. They spoke at the Brookline Town Hall and stayed at #9 Toxteth. From there they went to other residences in town. At another time, Bowditch drove a slave from the brig Cameo from Boston to Concord and returned home in time for breakfast. Perhaps the illustrious guest during this period was John Brown's son - The young man hidden here after his father's execution for his involvement in the Harper's Ferry raid. The next owner of the house was Gustavus M. Finotti, the vice-consul of Italy and a merchant with an office selling it to the Aspinwall Land Company by 1884. o the As!
2f1/2 in downtown Boston. He bought the house, stable and 2 1/2 acres in 1867, The evidence is not clear, but there is speculation that he was related to Father Joesph Finotti, pastor of the Brookline's Parish and developer of Holyhood Cemetery. Father Finotti had built a parish ty aa vetl as the Hoighood Conetery house on a nearby Harrison Street mortgage to it to Finotti in 1857. Form No: 31 146-7 9 Toxteth meets NR criteria A,B & C, representing a site of the Underground Railnoad with one of the hidden being the son of John Brown of Harper's Ferry fame. It is also significant in being part of the original plan of the 1843 Linden Place development by Thomas Aspinwall Davis, a Mayor of Boston. Linden Place was one of the earlies planned communities in Brookline patterned intthe picturesque mode.
9 Toxteth meets Criterion B for its associations with William Ingersoll Bowditch, a prominent Brookline abolitionist and the house's original owner. Because of later construction in the area, the remaining components of Davis' development are being nominated individually. Staple to Inventory form at bottom - NPS Form 10-900-8 (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form OMB No. 1024-0018 Expires 10-31-87 UEA ivod 9-4f88 ate enterec Continuation sheet Item number Page Multiple Resource Area Thematic Group dnr-11 Name Brookline MRA State Norfolk County, MASSACHUSETTS Nomination/Type of Review oue e angel Date/Signature 10-13-85 1. Sevenels Substantive Review Keeper DOE/OWNER OBJECTION Attest Letermined Substentive Hev 2. Stoddard, Bela, House fiKeeper DOE/OWNER OBJECTION Attest 3.
United Parish-Harvard Subaisative SovIeTpKeeper Church DOE/OWNER OBJECTION Attest har inyd 1011-85 EPLS twer,lun Bayel 417155 4. Anderson, Larz, Park Historic District Sibs 5. Arcade Building Intered in tha National Registen atve TevTew CeK eeper Attest fReeper Bumhadnyo d/2/18 AelmurBgun 10/0/85 6. 7. 9. 10. Attest Beacon Street Historic District (add. info. accepted /-24-86) evTen Jukeeper - tumha eryd date Attest Beaconsfield Terraces Historic District Sirbered JnAdona!
Register fi eeper AelmuByean 10/2/65 Attest Bowditbh, William Ingersoll, Irtered in theiy House Jational Registen fKeeper AnucByur/101215 Attest Brandegee Estate Le Review Vkeeper Brahintrugd1211/85 Attest Building (30--34 Station St.) Enrhered Mattena] Begister fReeper DelmneaBger 10/02185 Attest WASO Form - 177 ("R" June 1984) 85003249 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET Bowditch, William Ingersoll, House (Brookline MRA) Norfolk County MASSACHUSETTS resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: J sample Reviewer's comments: Lrequest 4 1985 Working No.. Fed. Reg. Date:2/3/87 Date Due: Entered in the Action: ACCEPT National Regiaten -RETURN REJECT - Federal Agency: - 10-12-85 -appeal NR decision Recom./Criteria_ Reviewer .
Discipline Date .see continuation sheet Nomination returned for: .technical corrections cited below _substantive reasons discussed below 1. Name 2. Location 3. Classification Category Ownership Public Acquisition 4. Owner of Property 5. Location of Legal Description 6. Representation in Existing Surveys Has this property been determined eligible? yes no 7. Description Condition excellent good fair deteriorated ruins unexposed Check one unaltered altered Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance summary paragraph completeness clarity alterations/integrity dates boundary selection Status Accessible Present Use Check one Loriginal site moved date 8.
Significance Period Areas of Significance-Check and justify below Specific dates Builder/Architect Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) summary paragraph completeness clarity 432 applicable criteria justification of areas checked relating significance to the resource context relationship of integrity to significance justification of exception other 9. Major Bibliographical References 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property Quadrangle name UTM References Verbal boundary description and justification 11. Form Prepared By 12. State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: national state local State Historic Preservation Officer signature date title 13. Other Maps Photographs - Other Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to - Signed - Date.
- Phone: - Comments for any item may be continued on an attached sheet 9 Toxteth St Brookline (Ma)MRA Bouditeh, Witlan Engorsull, Hese 9 Toxtetust Broskline (Ma)MRA Bouctatea, Witien taçersoli, Htorse CREEMOUGHCIR PIERCE LAYGROUND SOLDIEI 300 EMERSOM ST EMERSOM GARDEN 04010 00 BOYLSTON PLAYGROUND to NUE SHIN ON APOTOSTRE Deja PLYGRD JE 0 GLEN PARKWAY AVENUE 110 S SEW ^ 9 Toxtath sT: (31/146-7) Brookune (Ma) MRA Town of Brookune Map Van 198I Joudl scale /2"= 200tT LITTELL 59400000 BINWALL 1 ST AP PARSONS FIELD @000 jo 400 TRE KENT ST. M/PLAYGRD. TREET 5oago PEARL STREET BROOKLINE AVE. PLAYGROUND WATER WORKS BROOKLINE PIVER STREE RIVERWAY NTINGTON AV. HUNTINGTON AVE. PARKW