90 Summer Street (House), Pittsfield

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS MASS,2-PITFI,10-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The area surrounding the house at 90 Summer Street is significant as a planned subdivision originally laid out on the Childs Farm between and and developed over the next half-century. The Italianate Style dwelling is representative of the nineteenth-century structures in this neighborhood of single and multiple family residences. The house is architecturally significant for its unusual Queen Anne Revival Style porch. Historically, the house is significant for its association with the local furniture industry. Members of the Lawton and Yon families who sold furniture on North Street resided here as did neighbor Stephen T. Whipple. Another resident of the property, Jennette B. Hayes, milliner, operated an early woman-run business in Pittsfield's Academy of Music Block.

Alterations and demolitions reflect the neighborhood's decline, but significant structures remain at 108 and 124 Summer Street and the Octagon House is nearby at 58 Union Street. Description: This neighborhood is primarily residential, although the south side of Summer Street was redeveloped by urban renewal in the The Italianate wood-frame, clapboard house at 90 Summer Street is a two-story, gable-end entrance dwelling with rear wings on a foot lot. It has a highly detailed wrap-around porch with barrel vaults on the south and east sides. Queen Anne Style turned posts and a spindle frieze remain largely intact; although the balustrade is missing, evidence remains in the form of silhouettes of balusters on the posts.

The arched barrel vault of the porch fronting on Summer Street is aligned on center with the central, hooded first floor paired windows. Similar second floor windows are topped by a hood supported by two ornamental brackets, with a central occi window in the attic gable. Paired ogee brackets support the gable overhang. The floor plan of the picturesque telescope-form dwelling includes: 1) the main block with parlor, dining room and second floor bedrooms; 2) a kitchen ell with pantry, bathroom and back porch; 3) a store room; and 4) a privy. A full fieldstone foundation extends under the front two sections and the shed-roofed part of the dining room. During the later nineteenth century, the interior of the house was altered with the addition of partitions to accommodate multiple tenants.

Three doors (six-panel - three long above three short) remain, one with oak graining. History: Pittsfield was established as a permanent settlement in and incorporated as a town in 17 61. As the seat of Berkshire County, the town grew steadily, particularly after the construction of the Western (later the Boston & Albany) Rail Road in the Factories and mills built along the Housatonic River during the transformed Pittsfield into a manufacturing center. Summer Street was part of the development laid out on Childs Farm, ca.1854-62, including Jubilee Hill and Circular Avenue. Summer, Union, Bradford and Linden Streets run east-west, just north of the former railroad yards and west of North Street, Pittsfield's main commercial thoroughfare.

Victorian Italianate, Second Empire, and Queen Anne Style homes were built in this area between and Most multi-family dwellings in the area were built to accommodate an influx of factory workers between and1915 when many single-family homes became boarding houses. 90 SUMMER STREET (HOUSE) HABS No.MA-1302 (Page 2) In James Sears, a Pittsfield tinner, bought the original 90 Summer Street lot from Abraham Burbank for built the dwelling and sold it in for to Egremont native Charles Stanton Lawton and his wife Roby. After her husband's death in Roby Lawton mortgaged the property to Stephen T. Whipple. In Lyndon Lawton, another family member, boarded on Summer Street. He worked as a clerk in the Lawton family furniture business at 147 North Street, owned by Joshua R.

Lawton, a Rail Road Street neighbor. The house had its rear storeroom by the time of its sale in by Roby Lawton to Jennette B. Hayes, wife of George Hayes of Pittsfield. Jennette Hayes is listed in directories at J. Hayes, Milliners (8) Academy of Music Block, 104 North." Her husband George Hayes, who resided on Summer Street from to also worked at 104 North Street. The Queen Anne Style front porch appears ca.1889-95 during ownership by Phebe Whipple, whose furniture-making family lived next door at 108 Summer Street. Bedell, a prominent Pittsfield contractor since built the adjacent high-style Queen Anne house at 124 Summer St. in and may have assisted in the 90 Summer Street remodeling. The house then went through several absentee owners: E.A.

Clark, clerk of the Berkshire County Savings Bank; William W. Gamwell, steam & gas fitter; and Harry A. Demarest, a later resident of 108 Summer Street. Joseph T. Yon, who had occupied the house since ca.1910, bought the property in Joseph, with his brother Simeon, ran Yon Brothers Furniture store at Summer Street in the Yon Building from ca. to When the Yon Building was constructed ca.1910 at Summer, the house formerly at 54 Summer was moved to 102 Summer Street. Joseph T. Yon occupied 90 Summer Street, with other apartment tenants or boarders (in Delia Trask, William M. Higgins, Gertrude Shepardson, William Branstraw) until his wife Delia C.

Yon remained in the house until By Philip Archambault, Ernest F Charbonneau and Homer Burbank are listed as residents continuing its multiple occupancy. James E. and Roy Stevens owned the house from to They sold it to Robert J. and Diana M. Sullivan from whom the Commonwealth purchased it in

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS MASS,2-PITFI,10-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Bailey, and Hazen. Birds Eye Views of Pittsfield, Mass. Beers, Atlas of Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. NY: Beers & Co. Berkshire Athenaeum, vertical files, Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Map Drawer 1. Berkshire Registry of Deeds, Book/page: Boltwood, E. The History of Pittsfield Massachusetts. City of Pittsfield, Child, H. Gazeteer of Berkshire Co., Mass. Syracuse, NY City of Pittsfield Assessor's Records. to Honig, Bruce N. Building News & R.E. Transactions; Pittsfield Sun, Jan. 19, James Sears dwelling-house to Lawton. Pittsfield Public Library. Pittsfield City Directories. to Sanborn, David A. Insurance Maps of the Town of Pittsfield, to Smith, J.E.A. The History of Pittsfield, (Berkshire County. Massachusetts. From the Year I 800 to the Year I Springfield: Bryan & Co.,

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS MASS,2-PITFI,10-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Frederic C. Detwiller, McGinley Hart & Associates April, 90 SUMMER STREET (HOUSE) HABS No. MA-1302 (PageA') 3 Beers - Pittsfield, Atlas of Berkshire County, The area between River Street and North Street including Rail Road Street and Summer Street was laid out between and C. S. Lawton is on the north side of Summer St. next to S. T. Whipple, furniture dealer. 90 SUMMER STREET (HOUSE) HABS No. MA-1302 (Pag1) N roof I roof porch ~ ~o roof ' ' 'bath kitchen 'C ' I , ; __Ji !._ ___ I I i j i_,.' I - ' dining: hallway {_ bedroom roof library I I I I I i clos. ;- - -, ',~ __ ~ parlor ,. arch ~ arch " bedroom dressing roof " " -' :' arch !/metal !porch I I' ' I I I I I I ',1 'i .

c- -- - -- L::I'" - -- - -.,o-- --o - -- -- - - 1:1 ' FIRST FLOOR PLAN SECOND FLOOR PLAN 90 Summer Street House - Floor Plans, Sketch floor plans by McGinley Hart & Associates showing likely original room use. 90 SUMMER STREET (HOUSE) HABS No. MA-1302 (Page-8'.} 5 OASEY & DAOON t DllAI.1111!13 IN Groceries, Provisions, Crockery, GLASSWARE, AGENTS FOl\ 'l~lUJ OHNAltl>, IN!llAN, WillTE S'l'Alt1 ANOltOR AND NATIONAI. S'I'EAMSllIP LINlli!. No. 0'1 No1 th Sti eet, : PIU1ftetd, JOSHUA R. LAWT(>N, lllanufncturer and De1der In 147 North Street, PITTSF?!ll.D, KASS. 1>.&o on ' .. , Of va:rloua atyle11, and CO'Verlugll to sun taate of purchaser.

Sofas, Tctea, Olmfra, 1il1tay Cltah'.!11 Louu(Jes, WE MAKE UPKOUT RHtO A IPEOIAlTY, ?hereby giving our euatotners a better article tbau the Jl'actory CHAMBER SETS, '\V ALNU'.r, OAK GR.Al NEU. WARD RODE$ OF DIFFERENT 1111.AlH~B. DINING .. ROOM FU8NITURE, Side Boards, Extension Tables, Dining Chairs Ca.11& Seat Ohaire, Librarlo1, Book Oasn, ud Centre Tabtu. PUlUil llAUl. MA'l'TRASSES. HUSK AND Jil:(OELSIOR. SPRING BEDS, FE.A. THEt\S, LOOKING GLASSES, DltACl.tJC'l:S, ullJcturc Fr1uuh1g ht nil B1 nncbe Pittsfield City Directory, Lyndon Lawton, who boarded on Summer Street, was a clerk at 147 North Street where Joshua R. Lawton, a nearby neighbor at 8 Rail Road Street, ran the family furniture business. Joshua Lawton, Sr. ran a railroad coal yard. 90 SUMMER STREET (HOUSE) HABS No.

MA-1302 (Page..?') ~ TRE ACADEMY OF MUSTO. The Academy of Music Block, Pittsfield, to History of Pittsfield: by Joseph E.A. Smith, Vol. 2, p. 603 Two women owners of 90 Summer Street had connections with the Academy of Music Block. Jennette Hayes, Milliner, wife of George Hayes, operated "M. J. Hayes, Milliners". Phebe Whipple's family had a furniture showroom. Berkshire Athenaeum. 90 SUMMER STREET (HOUSE) HABS No. MA-1302 (Page~ 7 .. ' 8 S! GENERAL ESTABLISHED IN f ~,IRE I LIFR r ACCIDEN'l' I 54 North St:reet, 001 of Fenn, PI1''TS~IELD, S. T. 'WHIPPLE, Manufacturer and Pealer In " FURNI1 Ul~E. 1 UNDERTAKINC in all its Branches.

Auction and Commission Merchant

Acndt1.1u7 oC 1Uodl 1 06 tuui DS :No .. nt Slr ''' 'Residence- I 2 Summer Pittsfield. Mau. .,. . . . ,. ., ~ ' ... ""- - - Pittsfield City Directory,1876 Stephen T. Whipple, who lived next door at 12 Summer Street (now 108 Summer had a furniture establishment nearby in the Academy of Music Block on the east side of North Street just south of the tracks. 90 SUMMER STREET (HOUSE) HABS No. MA-1302 (Page.8} a 293 C. S~ FERRY & SONS, PE,\1.Elts Il> ALI, KINDS OF LUMBER, DOORS, SAS:.f, BLINDS AND GLASS. MOULDIN.GS A.HD BUILDIHC: PAPER 85 WEST IVIASS. H. H. RICHARDSON, SHOP, McKAY STREET, . PITTSFIELD. D.. O. BEDEZ...X..., CONTRACT I NO ~~r~enler ~nn Bullnar, DEPOT COR. or LIBBHYl Residence, 14 Summer PITTSFIELD, MASS. Pittsfield City Directory, Dillwyn C.

Bedell, carpenter who built his neighboring home at 14 (now Summer Street in may have had a part in the new porch added to the older home at number 90 Summer Street owned by Phebe Whipple. 90 SUMMER STREET (HOUSE) HABS No. MA-1302 (Page le) F. W. BARRIS, President. G. A. KENYON, Treasurer. BARRIS~KENYON. CO. HARDWARE & MILL SUPPLY CO. -

Wholesale and Retail-

Hardware, Paints, Tools, Cutlery, Oils, Belting, Mill Supplies. n6 AND 128 NORTH ~1 PITTSmLD, MASS. Quality-Service.

Yon Brothers Furniture

Reliable Goods. Lowest Ptiees. Prices naid hr Stx:ond Hand Furniture and Feathers. Establishnu:.-r~t of the kind in Western lVfassachusetts. . YON BROTHERS PITTSFIELD, MASS. Pittsfield City Directory, Joseph T. and Simeon Yon ran Yon Brothers Furniture Store in the Yon Building at 42 to 44 Summer Street, near North Street. The business was not far from Joseph T. and his wife Delia Yon's home at 90 Summer Street.