BlockThe nomination, in full
Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.
AREA FORM B - BUILDING MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION 80 BOYLSTON STREET, BOSTON, MA 02116 FORM NO. 31/148-4 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. Towa Brookline MRA Address_ 67 Harvard St., 3,5 Linden P1 Historic NameSaint Mary of the Church, Rectory, School and Convent Use: Present religious . Original religious DESCRIPTION: Church 1880-86; Rectory 1881-82; Date Schoo1 1906; Convent (c.1843) , 1899 Source Bldg. Permits, Atlases, Parist History Style see reverse Architectsee reverse Exterior wall fabric see reverse Outbuildings see reverse Major alterations (with dates) see reverse Recorded by Greer Hardwicke Organization Brookline Hist.
Comm. Date 5/85 Moved Convent: yes*. Date 1899 Approx. acreage approximately 2 acres Setting Adiacent to Brookline Village commercial area and abutting a dense residential area of single, double and triple decker houses. triangular Linden Park. Boston South Quadrangle UTM Reference: 19/325360/4688950 (Staple additional sheets here) Map #: 76 ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE (Describe important architectural features and evaluate in terms of other buildings within the commmity.) The Saint Mary's complex includes four buildings: the Church, a Victorian Gothic structure built 1n 1880-86 to the designs of Peabody and Stearns the Rectory of 1001-o2, also a feabody and Stearns Victorlan Gothic design; the School, a 1906 Neo-Gothic design by Boston architect, F. Joseph Untersee; and the Convent, a c.
1843 Greek Revival house built at the time of the Linden Place subdivision, moved from Harvard Street to Hurd Road in 1899 and subsequently enlarged and veneered with brick. Also standing on the lot are a garage and a c. 920 neo-Gothic schoo1.rbecause 0I thear alteratlons, recent HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE (Explain the role owners played in local or state (con't) history and how the building relates to the development of the commmity.) Saint Mary of the Assumption church was the first Catholic church eatabished in Brookline. In June, 1852, the growing number of Irish immigrants in Brookline met in Lyceum Hall in Brookline to form a parish. The migration of Irish_to Brookline was, in part, due to the opening of the Brookline branch of the Boston and Worcester Railroad, on which many Irish were employed as construction workers.
The parish initially included the Brighton area of Boston as well. Services were held in Lyceum Hall for 1½ years until a board and batten Gothic Revival church was constructed in Andem Place, three blocks southeast of the present church, in 1853-4. The first pastor of the church, Rev. Michael 0"Beirne, was replaced in December, 1856 by the Rev. Joseph Finotti. When the Andem Place church burned, Finotti rebuilt it, enlarging its seating capacity to 1000 persons. During this period, Finotti resided at the Catholic rectory in Boston. In 1857, he constructed an Italianate rectory near the church (now Kent Street) on land purchased from James Young and William I. Bowditch (see 9 Toxteth Street, 31/146-7; MHC 63).
The parish continued to expand due to the ongoing influx of Irish immi- grants who found work in the building trades, shops, public service and BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES (name of publication, author, date and publisher) (con't.) - Brookline Chronicle, Mary 26, 1894, and January 20, -1900 The Story of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish and the History of the Catholic America. South Hackensack, N.J., 1977 - Brookline Building Permits Brookline Directories Brookline Atlases Brookline Tax Records 10M - 7/82 INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston Commnity: BROOKLINE Form No: 31/148-4 Property Name: St. Mary's Complex Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below. construction outside the period of significance, the Convent, garage and garage are considered noncontributing.
Saint Mary of the Assumption church is a red brick Victorian Gothic structure with Longmeadow brownstone trim. a tower rising 146 feet next to the west transept and a circular projecting apse- The tower contains open lancet windows with hood moldings, pier buttresses, stringcourses and four pinnacles at each of its corners. There is also a bay attached to the tower which contains a ground floor The entrance, projecting from the main gable, consists of two arched openings and a niche containing a statue of the Virgin Mary. Other features of the design include rose windows, dormers with trefoil designs, steeply Pitched roots, brownstone hood moldings and stringcourses, and a slate roof. The interior contains a groin vaulted roof súpported by ten colums. The walls are lined with Kilkenny marble and onyx trim. The altar is of Caen stone with marble trim.
Saint Mary's Rectory is a brick, 3½ story Victorian Gothic structure with Panel Brick corbelling at the eaves. The steep pitched slate 100f has two end chimneys.. a wall dormer with a peaked arch. ITwo peaked dorners sit on the front slope, Iwo porches flank the building, while the main entrance features a semi-circular porch probably added ca. 1966. In style and material, the Rectory is a harmonious complement to the nearby church and school. Saint Mary's School is a brick schoolhouse designed in an H-plan, with a rear ell containing the auditorium. It is designed in Neo-Gothic style. The 2½ story structure has two end projecting wings and a central entrance. aeetranindtrefolitarcade andbas relleasculerracottathree front The three front gables and two side gables have stepped eaves with terra cotta coping. A variety of window shapes and detailing add interest to the bullding.
Windows, 6/6 or diamond paned, are set within hood moldings or ogee arched en framements. There have been almost no alterations to the church: the only change to that building was the insertion of a triple arched stained glass window on the facade in 1906. Alterations to the rectory have been minor: in 1925 the east piazza was enclosed and a sun porch added on the east side. In 1960, a 25'x16' addition was made to the building and in 1966 a door (possibly the present entrance) was installed and two windows removed. The only alteration to the school was the installation of a new front door (no date). (continued) Staple to Inventory form at bottom INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston Commmi ty: BROOKLINE Form No: 31/148-4 Property Name:St. Mary's Complex Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below.
on the estates and farms in nearby Brookline Village and South Brookline. By 1865, of the 32% foreign born population in Brookline, 85% were Irish. Father Finotti was an important figure in the religious development of the area, being responsible not only for Saint Mary's founding, but also for the establishment of Saint Columba's Church in Brighton (now Saint Columbkille) and for the founding of Holyhood Cemetery in 1857 (see 123/429; MHC 27). In 1873, Father Lawrence Morris became the church's priest. It was during his long tenure that the present church was completed, the rectory built and the school established. in Lowell, where his parents had immigrated. sith the deose Honer soearepaar street and totden Plars cartlag with the George Homer estate.
The Homer House served for a time as the rectory for the parish and later was moved, bricked over and enlarged to serve as the convent, in which capacity it still serves today (Hurd Road; considered non-contributing to the compiex). In 1880, when all conai dezed non-conitril uting the land purchases had been paid for, Father Morris commissioned Peabody and Stearns to design a new church. Although the church was designed in 1880, it was not dedicated üntil 1886. The Pope sent a chalice to the Parish in honor of the new Church, the first in America to be named Saint Mary of the Assumption. Soon after the construction of the church was begun, Father Morris began the conversion of another existing house on the property (Woodridge HOuse, 1844, part of the Linden Place subdivision; see 31/147-9; MHC 39) employing Peabody and Stearns to do the modifications.
It seems that the original house was greatly enlarged and veneered in brick; only the rear ell of the Rectory exhibits the earlier structure with its 6/6 windows and hood molds. Morris was active in other capacities as well, founding Brookline's second Catholic parish, Saint Lawrence on Boylston Street, and serving for five years (1884-89) on the School Committee. He was buried in Holyhood Cemetery after his death in 1900. A school he started in 1899 grew to be the current Saint Mary's School. In b, ground was broken for the Saint Mary's School. Originally housed in rooms in the basement oi the Hurd Road convent, the school Morrisy outgrew its first quarters. t Under the supervision of Father successor, Father McManus, the construction of the 12-room school was accomplished.
Also included in the school is a hall seating 1000 persons- Saint Mary's School has served as a grammar school for Brookline Catholic as well as being a site tor meetings and social events. In the 1920s, a separate High School was built behind the grammar school. The construction of the HIgh School, a simple neo-Gothic brick structure, expanded the capacity of the educational aspect of the complex and is complementary to the complex, architecturally. Its architect is unknown. Saint Mary of the Assumption complex meets criteria A, B, and C the National Register, for its important historical associations with the Staple to Inventory form at bottom (continued) INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston Commmity : BROOKLINE Form No: 31/148-4 Property Name: St.
Mary's Complex Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below. establishment, growth and maturation of the Irish community in Brookline, for its associations with figures notable in Brookline's religious and cultural development, namely Father Joseph Finotti and Father Law- rence Morris, and for the distinction of its architecture, designed by noted Boston architects Peabody and Stearns and F. Joseph Untersee. Architecturally, the complex contains structures which represent, the growth of the parish and which reflect the evolution of the Gothic Revival style from the 1880s through the 1920s. Individually and in their relation to each other, the buildings are distinguished by their high quality of design, materials and construction.
Staple to Inventory form at bottom NPS Form 10-900-a (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Continuation sheet Item number OMB No.1024-0018 Exp. 10-31-84 For NPS use only received date entered 9/4/03 Page Multiple Resource Area Thematic Group Name Brookline MRA State MASSACHUSETTS Nomination/Type of Review 61. Milestone (Boylston St.) 62. Murphy, William, House 63. Orrock, Rev. John, House 64. Paine Estate 65. Perkins Estate 66. Reservoir Park 67. Ritchie Building 68. Roughwood 69. Saint Aidan's Church and Rectory 70.
Saint Mary of the Assumption Church, Rectory, School and Convent Entared ia the National Regiater TKeeper Attest fKeeper Date/Signature AilupAgen 10/018 Etered in the Natiomal Regiater delomeBye 11.1/31 Attest Entered national Register dulmmBya 112h Exrtered 1m bae Natloael Regiuter Entered in the National Register Enbered in tha National Begiatea Entered in the Natiomal Register Entered in the Nationel Registen Farbnsc 1fa td: caza] Ierister Attest fReeper AlelusByen2l85 Attest dtreeper AllamByun10/265 Attest freeper Aelmaßigan 10/1/85 Attest fateeper deemßgun412/5= Attest fKeeper AlelmBzan 14/2/85 Attest Ok eeper AlmeßBijun 10/2/05 Attest fikteper Attest AelamBgun 14/21/85 Fartoxed ia the Matiorral Register 85003311 WASO Form - 177 ("R" June 1984) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET Saint Mary ofthe Assumption Church, Rectory, School and Convent (BrooklineMRA) Norfolk County MASSACHUSETTS resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: L sample Reviewer's comments: request SEP Working No.
Fed. Reg. Date: 23/8 Date Due: -0/3/81 Action: -ACCEPT Embared 1n the _RETURN National Register REJECT Federal Agency: Lappeal - NR decision Recom./Criteria Reviewer _ Discipline Date _ see continuation sheet 4 1985 10/19/53 10-12-81 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 - original site I 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 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 NE MAY ENTER RectoRy o) si Mau's § Linoden Sí Brookline (MA) MRA Prestige Prints by Berkey AR 1"91% MÄR 1978 Prestig by BE MAI St. Mary's Church 3 Linden St. Brookline (MA) MRA St Mary's School 67 Harvard St. Brooleline (MA)MRA 2-85 D LL -0 ON 13 eopl 30 S7PP BPP8 GREENGUCHCIR 0/080 67 Haward ST. 5T. School (3(148-5) Brookline (Ma) MRA Town ot Brookhne MaBcale 12-200fT PLAYGROUND STREET DANA AVENUE EET N00 PALE SOLDIEA MOMUMEN LIBRAR 0005 WAVERLY COOYI P LIBRARY ICE HQ RSON ST.
AT EMERSOM GARDEN FI 9900000000 0 29.9 1A000 0 TOWN, HALL STREET BOYLSTON PLAYGROUND .NUT aBeea AVENUE 00 F00200dnen 0A0F0E BOYSTOnS Mbal a221 PIITA STREET HAPHOS TREE E2A 00000 PHÍLBRICK SQUARE PLYGRD 12 HALL Bo HAWTHORNE ROAD ROAP STREE ER ST. MARYS MEALTAC PLERCE VIIA ATION AVENUE GLEN PARKWAY POND I CHL AND LEVERETT aBaD PEARL STRE SPINWALL 8 BEyuAcH 008 -M KENT ST. MPLAYGRD REET BF BF OOKLIN RIVERY SO. HUNTINGTON AV. HUNTING