Nomination for House at 17 Cranston Street

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 8-86) OMB No. 1024-0018 RECEA VED United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form JUL 2 41987 NATIONAL REGISTER This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations of eligibility for individual properties or districts. See instructions in Guidelines for Completing National Register Forms (National Register Bulletin 16). Complete each item by marking "x" in the appropriate box or by entering the requested information. If an item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, styles, materials and areas of significance, enter only the categories and subcategories listed in the instructions. For additional space use continuation sheets (Form 10-900a). Type all entries. 1.

Name of Property historic name 17 Cranston Street other names/site number 2. Location street & number city, town state iassachusetts 17 Cranston Street Boston (Jamaica Plain) code 025 county Suffolk code N/A] not for publication N/A vicinity 025 zip code 3. Classification Ownership of Property X private public-local public-State public-Federal Category of Property X building(s) district site structure object Name of related multiple property listing: Number of Resources within Property Contribyting Noncontributing buildings sites 1 _structures -objects 1 1 Total Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register - 4.

N/A State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, I hereby certify that this request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the NationalRegister ofHistoric Places and meetsthe procedural andprofessionalrequirements set forth in 36CFR Part 60. in my opinion, the property x meets does not meet the National Register criteria. See continuation sheet. illtliar +118 Signature of certifying official shpo Date Massachusetts Historical Commission State or Federal agency and bureau In my opinion,the property meets does not meet the National Register criteria. See continuation sheet. Signature of commenting or other official Date State or Federal agency and bureau 5.

National Park Service Certification hereby, certify that this property is: entered in the National Register. See continuation sheet. determined eligible for the National Register. See continuation sheet. determined not eligible for the National Register. removed from the National Register. other, (explain:) Signature of the Keeper Date of Action 17 Cranston Street, Boston (Jaraica Plain) 6. Function or Use Historic Functions (enter categories from instructions) Current Functions (enter categories from instructions) Domestic - single dwelling Domastic - single dwelling 7. Description Architectural Classification (enter categories from instructions) Late Victorian - Italianate Materials (enter categories from instructions) foundation stone walls - Asphalt/Wood roof other Slate Describe present and historic physical appearance.

Located in the Boston neighborhood of Jamaica Plain, 17 Cranston Street is sited in a residential area on high ground atop a ridge formerly known as Cedar Hill, overlooking the commercial node of Hyde Square at the intersection of Perkins and Centre Streets. Built as a single family dwell ing, the house is in good condition and occupies roughly half of its lot, which measures 4,128 square feet. 17 Cranston Street, built in 1871, is a unique and flamboyant wood frame residence. Carpenter Gothic and Italianate design motifs characterize its detail, while its format defies classification in traditional building terms. Built on a tri-hexagonal plan approximating a "Y," the house's axes thrust west-southwest, toward the cliff delineating the rear of the property. Standing two stories above street level, the house is surmounted by a . central, hexagonal cupola.

Changes to the building's early appearance have been relatively minimal and include the addition of asphalt siding. The structure's one addition, an enclosed porch that extends to the roadside from the original front door, though quite prominent, makes some gesture to the original elements. A short driveway passes to the north side of the house. Surrounding the property is a cha inl ink fence. At the cliffside there is a small shed traceable to a building permit issued in 1919 to a contemporary resident. From the cupola the house commands a dramatic panoramic view of Boston and environs. This vista is obscured somewhat in the southeast by an 1870 structure and neighbor ing homes of slightly later construction. The trees that gave the hill its name mayhave originally provided seclusion for the and adjacent triple-deckers have visually crowded it from 1901 on.

The earsy 1970s saw the demolition of two dwe1lings that once stood on the next lot to the north. [X See continuation sheet NPS Form (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number - Page 117 Cranston Street, Boston (Jamaica Plain) In addition to the two stories seen facing Cranston Street, number 17 reveals another semi -excavated ground floor accessed at the rear of the sloping plot by a projecting, one-story entry. The foundation of the house is bedrock in the front. Aside from the oak and pine used for the exterior and underlying balloon frame, there is a cement-coated rubble course that constitutes the ground floor wall to the rear.

This structure exhibits a series of consciously repeated, interrelated The triangular peaked casement window "folds" across the convex corners of each of the three bays, alternately at first-second-first floor levels, and becomes the dominant rhythmic element. Twice within the opening pattern of the first floor, its shape is used to create a door. The main street side entrance consists of two heavy french-style doors pierced by twelve window panes (two across, six down), the top row of each peaked to repeat the outline of the doorway. A third, no longer used, rear door is suspended a few feet over the ground of the back yard; its original stoop and stairs have been removed.

This door and the windows of the first and second floors have been fitted with rectangular storm screens, which to some degree obscure their unusual forms and make the hexagonal, stained-glass detail set in their peaks only noticeable from within the house. Below the cupola, each of the three axes of the slate roof is hipped and extended by a gabled wall dormer, which frames a second-floor window. The heav iness of this accent is echoed by the thick, molded trim of the other openings on the facade. The transition from wall to roof is made by a deep, flushboard cornice, the curve of which is enhanced by fancifully cut and rounded, single leaf brackets. An unexpected and delightful decorative statement is found underneath the 1930s asphalt siding. Interlocking wooden, hexagonal panels cover the exter ior of the first and second stories.

Each un it measures 12 1/4" along a single bevelled side, the six of which are alternately fitted with a groove or spline. Spot checks indicate that though shrinkage and cracking have occured, this "tiling" is intact. The focal cupola serves to summarize 17 Cranston Street's distinctive, architectural blend. Each of its six faces is perforated by a triangular, s ingle casement window, reflecting in two dimensions the three-dimensional treatment of those below. Siding is polychromatic slate, cut in a fishscale pattern. The carved foliate detail of the brackets visually supporting the ma in roof is repeated by a thick vergeboard running beneath the cupola's scalloped rim. The cupola's rooftop is flat and contains a hexagonal skylight/access porthole. Aligned with the cupola windows, the blunt peaks of the roof may have been intended to have further finial ornamentation.

Continued OMB Approyel No. 1024-0018 7/24. NPS Form 10-900-8 (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number _ OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 124/87 Page 2 17 Cranston Street, Boston (Jamaica Plain) The later (ca. 1957) front porch addition displays a sensitivity to elements existing in the main structure. Its general configuration approximates that of the original dwell ing, but the windows and outer door are rectangular in form. The interior, as revealed through photographs, retains original elements such as a winding stair with balustered railing. Further investigation is required to determine the extent of the original fabric, some of which has been altered by laterpanel ing additions. A shed fills a large part of the backyard and sits near the edge of the cliff at the rear of the property.

17 Cranston Street, Boston (Jamaica Plain) 8. Statement of Significance

Statement of significance

Certifying officialhas considered the significance of this property in relation to other properties: nationally statewide X] locally Applicable National Register Criteria A XIc D Criteria Considerations (Exceptions) Jc G Areas of Significance (enter categories from instructions) Architecture Community Planning and Developmetn Period of Significance ca. 1891- 1925 Significant Dates ca. 1871 Cultural Affiliation N/A Significant Person Architect/Builder Scott Archibald State significance of property, and justify criteria, criteria considerations, and areas and periods of significance noted above. Number 17 Cranston Street is significant as an architecturally unique dwelling in the city of Boston, maintaining much of its original Italianate/Carpenter Gothic appearance and extraordinary form.

The building's historical significance lies in its association with the rapid development of Boston's streetcar suburbs in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It possesses integrity of location, design, materials, and workmanship and meets criteria A and C of the National Register of Historic Places. Duringthe period when Boston annexed first Roxbury and then West Roxbury, subdivision occured rapidly along the former boundaries. House lots were carved out of farmland along Sheridan Avenue, which straddled the former Boston and West Roxbury line. The avenue crept upward across the north face of Cedar Hill where hillside vistas made development attractive. Deed and mortgage records indicate that John and Archibald Scott, in 1871, acquired a lot of land at 17 Cranston Street (then named Terrace Avenue) from Boston builder Timothy F. Bowe.

Bowe had purchased property and laid out Terrace Avenue (which became Cranston St.) in 1870, and soon thereafter he was putting up houses nearby on Cedar Hill. The narrow lane had houses standing on eighteen of its twenty-two lots by 1874. Generally, these were small-scale, clapboard-sided, with slate-covered mansard roofs. At the site of 17 Cranston Street, the lot and buildings thereon were under mortgage from the Scotts to Bowe, who assigned the mortgage to other parties, including Somerville bookkeeper William Locke, with provisions for sale of the Default did occur and in 1874, announcements of the mortgagee's sale were published in the Boston Globe and the Norfolk County Gazette. Locke, at that time, became the owner.

The evidence in the deeds as well as Bowe's background as a brick mason and the rather straightforward style of residences attributed to him seem to rule him out as the builder of the highly individualistic house at 17 Cranston St. On the other hand, Archibald Scott (b. 1831, Nova Scotia, Canada) was listed as early as 1860 as an organ factory worker, and in 1870 as an organ builder, and dur ing the 1870s alternately as a carpenter and organ builder. He may have been responsible for the design of the house, whichdofes cpatipyation fheet eccentric attitude toward architectural form and a vigorous handl ing of shape and detail that may indicate a building tradition outside that of housing construction. continued NPS Form 10-000-e (8-86) OMB Approval No.

1024-0018 724,8, United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number - Page - _ 17 Cranston Steet, Boston (Jamaica Plain) Apparently, neither Archibald nor John Scott lived at 17 Cranston Street, and city directory listings reveal that between 1860 and 1880, Archibald Scott resided at a number of different lower Roxbury addresses. Number 17 Cranston Street did not enjoy any long-term continuing ownership as the house changed hands many times between 1874 and 1914. Non-owner occupants seem to have dominated the occupancy pattern until the ear ly 1900s. From 1876 to 1879, the Sloan family Teased the house. Father and son were piano makers. Scandinavian newspapers found in the attic provide ev idence of this period of boarders.

Early records list the property as being 4,263 square feet in size; it measures only 4,128 now. The trees growing out from the ledge seem to indicate a hedge once ran along the rear of the lot, now victim to land eros ion. The Seamans purchased the house in 1925 and are believed to be responsible for the asphalt siding. In the 1940s the house was sold to the Barrys, who in turn sold to Mr. and Mrs. Bean. A photograph provided by a local realtor shows the house without the front entry porch, taken before Mr. and Mrs. Magee's purchase in 1957. appears they are also responsible for the chainlink fence and the installation of the storm windows. In 1980 the present owner, Jonathan Raisz, acquired the house. He bought the adjacent lot to the north in 1982 and is planning to improve the house as funds become available.

The initial impression one receives from the structure is that of its eccentric polygonal forms. Influence of the octagonal house fad of the mid-1800s is possible. Noted phrenologist and publisher Orson Fowler wrote A Home for All, published in 1848, advocating the eight-sided house as the way for every man to be able to control at least those domestic aspects of his lifestyle. He emphasized economy through a construction method involving "plank walls": timbers horizontally stacked to define the structure's sides. In addition to creating a strong, insulating wall, such a format was considered to closely resemble the perfection of the circle and contain a maximum interior space using a minimum of peripheral building material. Fowler also endorsed many then-modern conveniences such as hot air furnaces, dumbwaiters, ventilators, and indoor water closets.

continued NPS Form 10-000-e (8-86) CMB Aoproyel No. 10240018 24/87 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number - Page 17 Cranston Street, Boston (Jamaica Plain) While a few octagonal houses patterned after his suggestions appeared dur ing the next few decades, they were not for the most part built by the intended modest income owner. One known example of an essentially octagonal dwelling is 118 Cush ing Ave. (Jones' Hill area of Dorchester, Boston). The house at number 17 Cranston St. is unique in Boston. If indeed Scott referred to Fowler's manual, he chose to do several things differently. The basic unit chosen was the hexagon rather than the octagon.

Limited research into other six-sided buildings turned up only one: the Hexagon House in Mineral Wells, Texas, which postdates this structure by a quarter of a century. Scott also chose balloon-frame construction over plank walls as did many otherwise devoted Fowler followers. The biggest variance Scott makes from the theor ems of the octagonal mode is the extravagant decorative treatment the house received,inside and out. In keeping with the implied purism of basic geometrics, Fowler did not intend that his design's simplicity be cluttered with such spectacular ornamentation as seen on 17 Cranston Street. The foliate brackets and vergeboard, the prominent hooded molding of the openings on the facade, and the folded version of a triangular arched casement window are in keeping with the more expensive nature of the earlier Gothic Revival trends.

More contemporary Victorian overtones are evidenced by the apparent juggling of opposites of form (organic and geometric), the polychromatic slate, and the more massive, overall treatment of trim detail. Initial paint analysis indicates that the wooden, hexagonal pieces patterning the exterior seem to have been given a multiple-part paint application that made their origina finish brown and stone like appears to support this interpretation. The contrasting heavy watertable and hooded trim may have sported a light-toned version of the same sort of pa inting. The effect could then be seen to approach another theme, that of the church. As anorgan carpenter, Archibald Scott would certainly have had contact with the current religious aesthetic. The interior of this house may have drawn on it.

Elements such as the darkstain applied to highly ornate moldings, vaulted ceil ings on the first and second floors, the radiating format of the wings, and the stained glass detail suggest the influence of ecclesiastical a cademic purism on everyday life. continued NPS Form 10-000e (8-86) OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 7,248 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number Page _ 3 17 Cranston Street, Boston (Jamaica Plain) Archaeological potential: It is doubtful that the houselot at 17 Cranston Street contains archaeological data that meet any of the National Register criteria of significance. Be caus e of absentee ownership during the nineteenth century, any archaeologica l deposits from this period could probably not be associated with identified res ident households.

Much of the lot is covered with structures, and portions of the site are either eroded or consist of bedrock.

The rest of the file

Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.

Major Bibliographical References See continuation sheet Previous documentation on file (NPS): preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67) previously listed in the National Register previously determined eligible by the National Register designated a National Historic Landmark recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey # recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # 10.

Geographical Data Acreage of property less than one acre QUAD:Boston South SCALE 1:25000 UTM References A LL 9 3| 2 6|1 5 0 Zone Easting 14,6|8,7|3,2,5 Northing C L X See continuation sheet Primary location of additional data: State historic preservation office Other State agency Federal agency Local government University Other Specify repository: B D Zone Easting Northing See continuation sheet Verbal Boundary Description The nominated property conforms to Boston Assessor's Parcel#19/00204/000 (attached). See continuation sheet Boundary Justification The bounds of the nominated property are the historic boundaries of the lot purchased by John and Archibald Scott in 1871. See continuation sheet 11.

Form Prepared By name/title Carol Kennedy, Director of Survey and Planning, Boston Landmarks Commissin, organization Betsy Friedberg, National Register Director, date_ June 1987 street & number Massachusetts Historical Conmission telephone 617-727-8470 city or town 80 Boylston Street, Boston, ^ state MA _ zip code 02116 NPS Form10-900- (8-86) OMG 1090/2 4 10240018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number - Page - 17 Cranston Street, Boston (Jamaica Plain) MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES Babcock, Mary. Organs and Organ Builders of Christ Church, 1736-1945. Boston, 1945. (MHS Archives) Boston City Hall: Bldg. Engineering and Assessors' Depar tments Boston Directories: 1868-1880. Boston Globe: May 18, 1874. P. 5, col. 6 (Mortagee's sale) Boston Landmarks Conmission.

Building Information Form, 17 Cranston St. 1983. Boston Public Library Rare Books Room and Fine Arts Library Boul ton, Alexander. Age of the Octagon. American Heritage, August-September 1983, pp. 12-24. Bromley. Atlases: 1884, 1890, 1896, 1914. West Roxbury. El dredge, Joseph L., F.A.I.A. Architecture Boston. Barre: Barre Publishing, 1976. Fowler, Orson S. The Octagon House: A Home for All. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1973. (After Fowler & Wells, 1848). Gordon, Edward, Carol Kennedy, and Rosalind Pollan. Project Completion Report Jamaica Plain. Boston Landmarks Conmissian, 1982. Hopkins. Atlas. 1874. West Roxbury. Jamaica Plain Bicentennial History. Boston: Boston 200 Neighborhood History Project, 1976. Lancaster, Clay.Architectural Follies in America. Ruthland, Vt.: Charles Tuttle Co., 1960, PP 146-147.

continued NPS Form 10-000e (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 2 Page OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 7/248 17 Cranston Street, Boston (Jamaica Plain) Newton, James A. Crows' Nests or Eagles' Aeries? The Octagon Houses of E.A. Brackett and H.P. Wakefield, Old time New England, Vol. IXVII, Nos. 3-4. Boston: Bulletin of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, 1977, PP 57-72. Nor folk County Deeds: 405/28 -- Bowe to Scott. April 3, 1871. 405/29 -- Scott to Bowe. March 23, 1871. Old Time New England. Round Houses of New England. April-June 1953, PP 85. Rounds, Ruby M. Octagon Buildings in New York State. Roxbury Directories: 1856, 1860. SENEA Library: Photos and Maps Stanley, E.O. Boston and Its Suburbs. Boston, 1888.

State Archives Research Room: Census Stern, Madeliene B. Heads and Headl ines: The Phrenological Fowlers. Suffolk County Deeds: 1030/end -- Plan of lots in Boston and West Roxbury owned by I.F. Bowe. Boston, December 16, 1870. 1222/20. Default. July 8, 1874. 1222/21. Affidavit - Mortgagee's Sale. July 8, 1871. Walch, Margaret. Colour Source Book. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1971. Walling. Map. 1866 Warner, Sam B., Jr.. 1870-1900. Streetcar Suburbs: The Process of Growth in Boston New York: Atheneum, 1975. continued NPS Form 10-900-# (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number. Page 3 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 1/24/87 17 Cranston Street, Boston (Jamaica Plain) Whitehill, Walter Muir. Boston: A Topographical History, 2nd ed. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1959. Woodward, George F.

Woodward's Country Homes. N.Y. Woodward, Office of Horticul turist, 1866. Zimmer, Edward F. Luther Briggs and the Picturesque Pattern Books. Old Time New England, Vol.. IXVII, Nos.3-4. Boston: Bulletin of SENEA, 1977, Pp. 36-56. Personal Interviews Raisz, Jonathan: Owner of 17 Cranston St.., Jamaica Plain. Weekly, October-December, 1983. Lehaise, M.A.: Long-time resident of Cedar Hill. 45 Cranston St.., Jamaica Plain. November 21, 1983. Lehaise, Mrs.. H: Wife of current organ building company chief, once associated with 19th century Hook Co. 81 Carroll St., West Roxbury. Nov. 21, 1983. Woodal1, Alice: Local historian and member of Loring-Greenough Historic Society. Jamaica Plain Branch Library, Nov. 10, 1983. Keith, Cary: "Ask Mr.. Fowler" Realtors, 743 Centre St.., Nov. 12, 1983. TENNIS COURTS STREET 5490 485 44,933 N 4 OLe STREET 9750 sie 422- 3802 ~ 58/8 3456 5440 OAK VIE.

5570 555g 4488 36CC - SQUARE SHERIDAN HYDE 6gia 2077 2010 3741 3699 2164 TREE STREE 2000 8935 5232 133530 -90E 16 CRANSTON 3722 375/ 119 °o.

4947 10,205 3840 36/8 PAUL ROCK 7000 2700 $500 3800 HILL GORE 5728 20 500, <849 0800 06161 6720 8550 8067 17 CPANSTON STREET Jamaica Plain (Boston) MA Map #18N-8E City of Boston tic Series Photogramma- 1"=100' 50 3252 3 20 6, 5341 2564 3061 2, *175 11,730 3700 2500 4293 4A20 3980 3980 5700 4::08 4590 3785 RMINE 2308 Nº65O 4030 4530 :48 3950 5392 S2EOC 6982 427/ 3950 2716 3946: 3034 11000 8175 7400 7622 5438 8000 24 1/77 7800 87001398 WASO Form - 177 ("'R" June 1984) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET House at 17 Cranston Street Suffolk County MASSACHUSETTS resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: Reviewer's comments: Lsample SuDeCetrtve HovSeu request WJ appeal Working No. JUL 24 1987 Fed. Reg. Date:.

Date Due: 8 Ru/87 - 9/7/87 Action: - _ ACCEPT RETURN 9-4-87 _REJECT_ Federal Agency: decision Recom./Criteria- Reteru Reviewer Disciplineurele nasenal Date 9/4/87 contimuation sheet History 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 I unaltered Jaltered Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance summary paragraph completeness clarity alterations/integrity dates boundary selection Status Accessible Present Use Check one J original site moved date 8.

Significance Period Areas of Significance-Check and justify below Specific dates Builder/Architect Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) omnndlemning ia summary paragraph ease completeness ubstenbiate the unpact on clarity applicable criteria justification of areas checked relating significance to the resource context relationship of integrity to significance justification of exception I other sathe guorted lanurp spea oxta A the date of 1891 a typo undu period o faignificence? Should it read ca. 107/-19252 Please clanjy and revisees necersey. 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 _ peth, Savage (202) 343-1550 Signed. fatirek Andurs . Date 9/4/00 _ Phone: GPO 918-450 Comments for any item may be continued on an attached sheet NPS Form 10-900 (Rev. 8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form OMB No. 1024-0018 RECEIVED JUL 241987 NATIONAL REGISTER (Form 10-900a). Type all entries. 1. Name of Property historic name other names/site number 17 Cranston Street 2.

Location street & number city, town state Massachusetts 17 Cranston Street Boston (Janaica Plain) code 025 county Suffolk code N/A ] not for publication N/A vicinity 025 zip code 3. Classification Ownership of Property [X private -public-local Lpublic-State _public-Federal Category of Property X building(s) district site structure object Name of related multiple property listing: N/A Number of Resources within Property Contributing Noncontributing buildings 1 sites structures objects 1 1 _Total Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register 0 4.

State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, I hereby certify that this X nomination LJrequest for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property X meets does not meet the National Register criteria. See continuation sheet. dlmace Signature of certitying official ShpO fuly 20,1987 Massachusetts Historical Commission State or Federal agency and bureau In my opinion, the property Jdoes not meet the National Register criteria. See continuation sheet. Signature of commenting or other official Date State or Federal agency and bureau 5.

National Park Service Certification I, hereby, certify that this property is: Mentered in the National Register. See continuation sheet. determined eligible for the National Register. See continuation sheet. determined not eligible for the National Register. latuick w tadus 1/20/82 removed from the National Register. other, (explain:) Signature of the Keeper Date of Action 17 Cranston Street, Boston (Jamaica Plain) 6. Function or Use Historic Functions (enter categories from instructions) Domestic - single dwelling Current Functions (enter categories from instructions) Domestic - single dwelling 7. Description Architectural Classification (enter categories from instructions) Late Victorian - Italianate Materials (enter categories from instructions) foundation stone walls Asphalt/Wood roof other Slate Describe present and historic physical appearance.

Located in the Boston neighborhood of Jamaica Plain, 17 Cranston Street is sited in a residential area on high ground atop a ridge formerly known as Cedar Hill, overlooking the commercial node of Hyde Square at the intersection of Perkins and Centre Streets. Built as a single family dwell ing, the house is in good condition and occupies roughly half of its lot, which measures 4,128 square feet. 17 Cranston Street, built in 1871, is a unique and flamboyant wood frame residence. Carpenter Gothic and Italianate design motifs characterize its detail, while its format defies classification in traditional building terms. Built on a tri-hexagonal plan approximating a "Y," the house's axes thrust north, east-southeast, toward Hyde Square, facing onto Cranston Street, and west-southwest, toward the cliff delineating the rear of the property.

Standing two stories above street level, the house is surmounted by a central, hexagonal cupola. Changes to the building's early appearance have been relatively minimal and include the addition of asphalt siding. The structure's one addition, an enclosed porch that extends to the roadside from the original front door, though quite prominent, makes some gesture to the original elements. driveway passes to the north side of the house. Surrounding the property is a chainl ink fence. At the cliffside there is a small shed traceable to a building permit issued in 1919 to a contemporary resident. From the cupola the house commands a dramatic panoramic view of Boston and environs. This vista is obscured somewhat in the southeast by an 1870 The trees that gave the hill its name may have originally provided seclusion for the house, and adjacent triple-deckers have visually crowded it from 1901on.

The early 1970s saw the demolition of two dwellings that once stood on the next lot to the north. X See continuation sheet NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approyal No. 1024-0018 724/17 Section number - - Page -1 -17 Cranston Street, Boston (Jamaica Plain) In addition to the two stories seen facing Cranston Street, number 17 reveals another semi-excavated ground floor accessed at the rear of the sloping plot by a projecting, one-story entry. The foundation of the house is bedrock in the front. Aside from the oak and pine used for the exterior and underlying balloon frame, there is a cement-coated rubble course that constitutes the ground floor wall to the rear. This structure exhibits a series of consciously repeated, interrelated motifs.

The triangular peaked casement window "folds" across the convex corners of each of the three bays, alternately at first-second-first floor levels, and becomes the dominant rhythmic element. Twice within the opening pattern of the first floor, its shape is used to create a door. The main street side entrance consists of two heavy french-style doors pierced by twelve window panes (two across, six down), the top row of each peaked to repeat the outline of the doorway. A third, no longer used, rear door is suspended a few feet over the ground of the back yard; its original stoop and stairs have been removed. This door and the windows of the first and second floors have been fitted with rectangular storm screens, which to some degree obscure their unusual forms and make the hexagonal, stained-glass detail set in their peaks only noticeable from within the house.

Below the cupola, each of the three axes of the slate roof is hipped and extended by a gabled wall dormer, which frames a second-floor window. heav iness of this accent is echoed by the thick, molded trim of the other openings on the facade. The transition from wall to roof is made by a deep, flushboard cornice, the curve of which is enhanced by fancifully cut and rounded, single leaf brackets. An unexpected and delightful decorative statement is found underneath the 1930s asphalt siding. Interlocking wooden, hexagonal panels cover the exter ior of the first and second stories. Each un it measures 12 1/4" along a single bevelled side, the s1x of which are alternately titted with a groove or spline. Spot checks indicate that though shrinkage and cracking have occured, this "tiling" is intact. The focal cupola serves to summarize 17 Cranston Street's distinctive, architectural blend.

Fach of its six faces is perforated by a trlangular, single casement window, reflecting in two dimensions the three-dimensional treatment of those below. Siding is polychromatic slate, cut in a fishscale pattern. The carved foliate detail of the brackets visually supporting the ma in roof is repeated by a thick vergeboard running beneath the cupola's scalloped rim. The cupola's rooftop is flat and contains a hexagonal sk ylight/access porthole. Aligned with the cupola windows, the blunt peaks of the roof may have been intended to have further finial ornamentation. Continued NPS Form 10-900-e (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service OMB Approyal No. 1024-0018 7/2//87 National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number Page - 17 Cranston Street, Boston (Jamaica Plain) The later (ca.

1957) front porch addition displays a sensitivity to elements existing in the main structure. Its general configuration approximates that of the original dwelling, but the windows and outer door are rectangular in The interior, as revealed through photographs, retains original elements such as a winding stair with balustered rail ing. Further investigation is required to determine the extent of the original fabric, some of which has been altered by later panel ing additions. A shed fills a large part of the backyard and sits near the edge of the cliff at the rear of the property. 17 Cranston Street, Boston (Jamaica Plain) 8.

Statement of Significance Certifying official has considered the significance of this property in relation to other properties: nationally statewide IXlocally Applicable National Register Criteria ID Criteria Considerations (Exceptions) Lc -D JE LF LG Areas of Significance (enter categories from instructions) Architecture Period of Significance ca. 1871- 1925 Significant Dates ca. 1871 Cultural Affiliation N/A Ninticant Person Architect/Builder Scott Archibald State significance of property, and justify criteria, criteria considerations, and areas and periods of significance noted above. Number 17 Cranston Street is significant as an architecturally unique dwelling in the city of Boston, ma inta ining much of its original Italianate/Carpenter Gothic appearance and extraordinary form.

The building's historical significance lies in its association with the rapid development of Boston's streetcar suburbs in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It possesses integrity of location, design, materlals, and workmanship and meets criter ia C of the National Register of Historic Places. Dur ing the period when Boston annexed first Roxbury and then West Roxbury, subdivision occured rapidly along the former boundar ies. House lots were carved out of farmland along Sheridan Avenue, which straddled the former Boston and West Roxbury line. The avenue crept upward across the north face of Cedar Hill where hillside vistas made development attractive. Deed and mortgage records indicate that John and Archibald Scott, in 1871, acquired a lot of land at 17 Cranston Street (then named Terrace Avenue) from Boston builder Timothy F. Bowe.

Bowe had purchased property and laid out Terrace Avenue (which became Cranston St.) in 1870, and soon thereafter he was putting up houses nearby on Cedar Hill. The narrow lane had houses standing on eighteen of its twenty-two lots by 1874. Generally, these were small-scale, clapboard-sided, with slate-covered mansard roofs. At the site of 17 Cranston Street, the lot and buildings thereon were under mortgage from the Scotts to Bowe, who assigned the mortgage to other parties, including Somerville bookkeeper William Locke, with provisions for sale of the property at public auction if the Scotts defaulted. Default did occur and in 1874, announcements of the mortgagee's sale were published in the Boston Globe and the Norfolk County Gazette. Locke, at that time, became the owner.

The evidence in the deeds as well as Bowe's background as a brick mason and the rather straightforward style of residences attributed to him seem to rule him out as the builder of the highly individualistic house at 17 Cranston St. On the other hand, Archibald Scott (b. 1831, Nova Scotia, Canada) was listed as early as 1860 as an organ factory worker, and in 1870 as an organ builder, and dur ing the 1870s alternately as a carpenter and organ builder. have been responsible for the design of the house, whichdofes contipuatign aheet eccentric attitude toward architectural form and a vigorous handling of shape and detail that may indicate a building tradition outside that of hous ing construction. continued 9.

Major Bibliographical References See continuation sheet Previous documentation on file (NPS): -preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67) has been requested previously listed in the National Register previously determined eligible by the National Register designated a National Historic Landmark recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey # recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # 10.

Geographical Data Acreage of property less than one acre QUAD:Boston South SCALE 1:25000 UTM References A [1, 9 1326150 Zone Easting 14,6| 8,7 3,2,5] Northing CL X See continuation sheet Primary location of additional data: ]State historic preservation office Other State agency Federal agency Local government University Other Specify repository: See continuation sheet Verbal Boundary Description The nominated property conforms to Boston Assessor's Parcel #19/00204/000 (attached). See continuation sheet Boundary Justification The bounds of the nominated property are the historic boundaries of the lot purchased by John and Archibald Scott in 1871. See continuation sheet 11.

Form Prepared By name/title Carol Kennedy, Director of Survey and Planning, Boston Landmarks Commissin, organization Betsy Friedberg, National Register Director,_date June 1987 street & number Massachusetts Historical Commission telephone 617-727-8470 city or town 80 Boylston Street, Boston, 1 _ zip code _02116 NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 7/24/87 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 8 Page 1 , 17 Cranston Steet, Boston (Jamaica Plain) Apparently, neither Archibald nor John Scott lived at 17 Cranston Street, and city directory listings reveal that between 1860 and 1880, Archibald Scott resided at a number of different lower Roxbury addresses. Street did not enjoy any long-term continuing ownership as the house changed hands many times between 1874 and 1914.

Non-owner occupants seem to have dominated the occupancy pattern until the ear ly 1900s. From 1876 to 1879, the Sloan family leased the house. Father and son were piano makers. Scandinav ian newspapers found in the attic provide evidence of this period of boarders. Early records list the property as being 4,263 square feet in size; it measures only 4,128 now. The trees growing out from the ledge seem te indicate a hedae once ran along the rear of the lot, now victim to lano er os ion. The Seamans púrchased the house in 1925 and are believed to be responsible for 'the asphalt siding. In the 1940s the house was sold to the Barrys, who in turn sold to Mr. and Mrs. Bean. A photograph provided by a local realtor shows the house without the front entry porch, taken before Mr. and Mrs. Magee's purchase in 1957.

It appears they are also responsible for the chainlink fence and the installation of the storm windows. In 1980 the present owner, Jonathan Raisz, acquired the house. He bought the adjacent lot to the north in 1982 and is planning to improve the house as funds become available. The initial impression one receives from the structure is that of its eccentric polygonal forms. Influence of the octagonal house fad of the mid-1800s is possible. Noted phrenologist and publisher Orson Fowler wrote A Home for All, published in 1848, advocating the eight-sided house as the way for every man to be able to control at least those domestic aspects of his lifestyle. He emphasized economy through a construction method involving "plank walls": timbers horizontally stacked to define the structure's sides.

In addition to creating a strong, insulating wall, such a format was considered to closely resemble the perfection of the circle and contain a maximum interior space using a minimum of peripheral building material. Fowler also endorsed many then-modern conveniences such as hot air furnaces, dumbwaiters, ventilators, and indoor water closets. continued NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) OMB Approvel Ng. 1024-0018 724/87 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number Page 2 _ 17 Cranston Street, Boston (Jamaica Plain) While a few octagonal houses patterned after his suggestions appeared dur ing the next few decades, they were not for the most part built by the intended modest income owner. One known example of an essentially octagonal dwelling is 118 Cushing Ave. (Jones' Hill area of Dorchester, Boston).

The house at number 17 Cranston St. is unique in Boston. If indeed Scott referred to Fowler's manual, he chose to do several things differently. The basic unit chosen was the hexagon rather than the octagon. Limited research into other six-sided buildings turned up only one: the Hexagon House in Mineral Wells, Texas, which postdates this structure by a quarter of a century. Scott also chose balloon-frame construction over plank walls as did many otherwise devoted Fowler followers. The biggest variance Scott makes from the theorems of the octagonal mode is the extravagant decorative treatment the house received, inside and out. In keeping with the implied pur ism of basic geometrics, Fowler did not intend that his design's simplicity be cluttered with such spectacular ornamentation as seen on 17 Cranston Street.

The foliate brackets and vergeboard, the prominent hooded molding of the - openings on the facade, window are in keeping with the more expensive nature of the earlier Gothic Revival trends. More contemporary Victorian overtones are evidenced by the apparent juggling of opposites of form (organic and geometric), the polychromatic slate, and the more massive, overall treatment of trim detail. Initial paint analysis indicates that the wooden, hexagonal pieces patterning the exterior seem to have been given a multiple-part paint application that made their original finish brown and stonelike Their masonry like bevel appears to support this interpretation. The contrasting heavy watertable and hooded trim may have sported a light-toned version of the same sort of painting. The effect could then be seen to approach another theme, that of the church.

As an organ carpenter, Archibald Scott would certainly have had contact with the current religious aesthetic. The interior of this house may have drawn on it. Elements such as the dark stain applied to highly ornate moldings, vaulted ceil ings on the first and second floors, the radiating format of the wings, and the stained glass detail suggest the influence of ecclesiastical a cademic purism on everyday life. continued NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 7/24/87 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number. Page 17 Cranston Street, Boston (Jamaica Plain) Archaeological potential: It is doubtful that the houselot at 17 Cranston Street contains archaeological data that meet any of the National Register criteria of significance.

Because of absentee ownership during the nineteenth century, any archaeological deposits from this period could probably not be associated with identified resident households. Much of the lot is covered with structures, and portions of the site are either eroded or consist of bedrock. (IPS Form 10-900a United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMB Approval No, 1024-001 7/24/87 Section number Page . 17 Cranston Street, Boston (Jamaica Plain) MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES Babcock, Mary. Organs and Organ Builders of Christ Church, 1736-1945. Boston, 1945. (MHS Archives) Boston City Hall: Bldg. Engineering and Assessors' Depar tments Boston Directories: 1868-1880. Boston Globe: May 18, 1874. P. 5, col. 6 (Mortagee's sale) Boston Landmarks Conmission. Building Information Form, 17 Cranston St. 1983.

Boston Public Library Rare Books Room and Fine Arts Library Boul ton, Alexander. Age of the Octagon. American Heritage, August-September 1983, pp. 12-24. Bromley. Atlases: 1884, 1890, 1896, 1914. West Roxbury. El dredge, Joseph L., F.A.I.A. Architecture Boston. Barre: Barre Publishing, 1976. Fowler, Orson S. The Octagon House: A Home for All. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1973. (After Fowler & Wells, 1848). Gordon, Edward, Carol Kennedy, and Rosalind Pollan. Project Completion Report Jamaica Plain. Boston Landmarks Conmission, 1982. Hopkins. Atlas. 1874. West Roxbury. Jamaica Plain Bicentennial History. Boston: Boston 200 Neighborhood History Project, 1976. Lancaster, Clay.Architectural Follies in America. Ruthland, Vt.: Charles Tuttle Co., 1960, pp 146-147.

continu ed NPS Form 10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Catinal Ron Sheof Historic Place Section number Page 17 Cranston Street, Boston (Jamaica Plain) Newton, James A. Crows' Nests or Eagles' Aeries? The Octagon Houses of Nor relano a gu ties, 18 2, te 95ay tor the ereiaori a ot Nor folk County Deeds: 405/28 -- Bowe to Scott. April 3, 1871. 405/29 -- Scott to Bowe. March 23, 1871. Old Time New England. Round Houses of New England. April-June 1953, pp 85. Rounds, Ruby M. Octagon Buildings in New York State. Roxbury Directories: 1856, 1860. SENEA Library: Photos and Maps Stanley, E.O. Boston and Its Suburbs. Boston, 1888. State Archives Research Room: Census Stern, Madeliene B. Heads and Headlines: The Phrenological Fowlers. Suffolk County Deeds: 1030/end -- Plan of lots in Boston and West Roxbury owned by I.F. Bowe. Boston, December 16, 1870.

1222/20. Default. July 8, 1874. 1222/21. Affidavit - Mortgagee's Sale. July 8, 1871. Walch, Margaret. Colour Source Book. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1971. Walling. Map. 1866 Warner, Sam B., Jr.. Streetcar Suburbs: The Process of Growth in Boston 1870-1900. New York: Atheneum, 1975. continued (IP8s Fomm 10.900a United States Department of the Interior National Park Service vationa Reaister of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number _9 Page OMB Approvel No. 1024-0018 1/24/87 17 Cranston Street, Boston (Jamaica Plain) Whitehill, Walter Muir. Boston: A Topographical History, 2nd ed. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1959. Woodward, George F. Woodward's Country Homes. N.Y. Woodward, Office of Horticul turist, 1866. Zimmer, Edward F. Iuther Briggs and the Picturesque Pattern Books. Old Time New England, Vol.. IXVII, Nos.3-4. Boston: Bulletin of SINEA, 1977, pp. 36-56.

Personal Interviews Raisz, Jonathan: Ovner of 17 Cranston St.., Jamaica Plain. Weekly, Oc tober-December, 1983. Lehaise, M.A.: Long-time resident of Cedar Hill. 45 Cranston St.., Jamaica Plain. November 21, 1983. Lehaise, Mrs.. H.: Wife of current organ building company chief, once associated with 19th century Hook Co. 81 Carroll St., West Roxbury. Nov. 21, 1983. Woodal1, Alice: Local historian and member of Loring-Greenough Historic Society. Jamai ca Plain Branch Library, Nov. 10, 1983. Keith, Cary: "Ask Mr.. Fowler" Realtors, 743 Centre St.., Nov. 12, 1983.

05E -,TÉNNIS COURTS 5 STREET 5490 485 44,933 -01 4OLE STREE |3C33 9750 (* 3354 17,592 SHERIDAN 4400 3465 SQUARE 69la 3699 2164 2379 2077 3741 8935 5208 2892 290, 2000 20,:00 2902 5341 061 3 4590 4::08 1788 TREET CRANSTON E2896] 18530 799) 97S1 3840 2, =173 11,730 - 3738 10,205 HILL 3700 PAUL 78944 ROCK GORE 5728 300,2 7000 2700 3600 2500 30 $500 4849 .0590 D 6:61 4293 4A20 422- 3802 3818 7456 + 6720 4908 5440 E57o 955g 4 8550 3980 3980 4488 36CC CRANSTON STREET 17 Jamaica Plain (Boston) MA #18N-8E Map City of Boston Photogramma- 1"=100' SlA tic Series 2308 1N9650 4030 4530 5768 3950 939= 3ECC 36 ESEE 10y42 69/, 4271 3050 2716 (2iES: (3046 3934 11000 8175 7400 DESO 7622 7 ,124/07 5438 7601 8000 7800 .-; RESUBMISSION WASO Form - 177 ('R" June 1984) House at 17 Cranston Street Suffolk County MASSACHUSETTS UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET Bevier resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: sample Irequest Lappeal a Cntanct demtng.

fam trng 2. Location 3. Classification Category Ownership Public Acquisition Status Accessible 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 J unaltered altered Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance summary paragraph completeness clarity alterations/integrity dates boundary selection Working No._ 7-241187 Fed. Reg. Date: _ 377/80 Date Due: . 11/20/87 Action:ACCEPT/-20-87 -RETURN _REJECT_ Federal Agency: - NR decision Present Use Check one - original site moved date 8.

Significance Period Areas of Significance-Check and justify below Specific dates Builder/Architect Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) J summary paragraph completeness clarity applicable criteria justification of areas checked J 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: _ GPO 918-450 Comments for any item may be continued on an attached sheet 17 Cranston Street Jamaica Plain (Boston), Mass. Rosalind Pollan, 1983 Negative filed at Boston Landmarks Commission Boston City Hall Photo number 1 of 2 view from Cranston St. (Camera facing west) 17 Cranston Street Jamaica Plain (Boston), Mass. Rosalind Pollan, 1983 Negative filed at Boston Landmarks Commission Boston City Hall Photo number 2 of 2 view from Cranston Street (Camera facing south) 3 cpeia 1685548139 ISVD LI The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of the Secretary of State Michael Joseph Connolly, Secretary Massachusetts Historical Commission Valerie A. Talmage Executive Director State Historic Preservation Officer July 20, 1987 Carol Shull National Register of Historic Places Department of the Interior National Park Service P.O. Box 37127 Washington, D.C. 20013-7127 Dear Ms.

Shull: Enclosed you will find the following nomination forms: Boston (Jamaica Plain), 17 Cranston Street Boston (West Roxbury), Westerly Cemetery, Centre Street Boston, Timothy Hoxie House Needham, Emery Grover Building, 1330 Highland Avenue All have been voted eligible by the State Review Board and have been signed by the State Historic Preservation Officer. Owners were notified of pending State Review Board consideration 30-75 days before the meeting and were afforded the opportunity to comment. Comments received to date are attached to the nomination form.

Sincerely, Betay Fredlerg Betsy Friedberg Na tional Register Director Massachusetts Historical Commission CEIVE JUL 2 4 1987 Enclosure 80 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116 (617) 727-8470 80093544734 The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of the Secretary of State Michael Joseph Connolly, Secretary Massachusetts Historical Commission Valerie A. Talmage Executive Director State Historic Preservation Officer September 29, 1987 Ms. Carol Shull National Register of Historic Places Department of the Interior National Park Service P.O. Box 37127 Washington, D.C. 20013-7127 Dear Ms.

Shull: Enclosed please find the following nomination forms returned after substantive review by your staff: Boston, 17 Cranston Street Boston, Hoxie, Timothy, House, 135 Hillside Street Boston(Roxbury), Westerly Burial Ground, Center Street Concord, Thomas Mott Shaw Estate, 317 Garfield Road Pittsfield, Providence Court, 379 East Street Southbridge, Southbridge Town Hall, 41 Elm Street corrections have been made by the Massachusetts Historical Commissio staff. All have been signed by the State Historic Preservation Officer. Sincerely, Betay Frieaherg riedberg National Register Director Massachusetts Historical Commission encl. OCT 5 1987 80 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116 (617) 727-8470