Harrison Gray Otis House
Encyclopedia
There are three houses named the Harrison Gray Otis House in Boston
, Massachusetts
. All were built by noted American architect Charles Bulfinch
for the same man, Harrison Gray Otis
.
in Boston's West End
. It is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
and, further, has been designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark
.
This house is now owned by the Historic New England
organization, and is open as a nonprofit museum.
Although similar to the other two houses, it is the simplest and in that way perhaps the most appealing. The design is said to be inspired by a William Bingham
house that Bulfinch saw in 1789 in Philadelphia, in turned derived from a London
example. The house is three stories, in five bays, with elegant string courses. Today's graceful entrance was added after 1801. Above it is a fine Palladian window, and above that a lunette
. The third floor is very short; ceilings are just over 6 feet tall. Floor plan is in the Colonial fashion, with two rooms on either side of the central hallway. The kitchen was in an ell.
The house was originally located about 40 feet from its present location, but was moved by the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (now Historic New England
) in the 1920s after it was threatened by the widening of Cambridge Street. The original cellar was lost during this move. The house is now connected to a group of row houses on Lynde Street, which serve as office and program space for Historic New England.
. It is listed on the National Register.
Here Bulfinch has made the 1st floor, with his characteristic recessed brick arch
es, here ornamented with Chinese fretwork balconies in iron. The facade has four bays, with somewhat odd use of Corinthian
pilaster
s on the 2nd and 3rd floors. There is a roof balustrade and a largish, octagonal cupola
. Otis lived here until 1806.
The 3rd Harrison Gray Otis House is located at 45 Beacon Street. Completed in 1806, it is now the home of the American Meteorological Society
. This is the last and largest of the houses, also built in the Federal style, and the residence of Otis until his death in 1848. Its four stories are organized into five bays. The center entrance has a small, rectangular portico
with delicate pairs of Ionic
fluted columns. The modest ground floor, now faced in stone, originally had the recessed brick arch
es typical of Bulfinch houses. When built, the house was freestanding, surrounded by the Boston Common and English gardens.
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. All were built by noted American architect Charles Bulfinch
Charles Bulfinch
Charles Bulfinch was an early American architect, and has been regarded by many as the first native-born American to practice architecture as a profession....
for the same man, Harrison Gray Otis
Harrison Gray Otis (lawyer)
Harrison Gray Otis , was a businessman, lawyer, and politician, becoming one of the most important leaders of the United States' first political party, the Federalists...
.
First Harrison Gray Otis House
The 1st Harrison Gray Otis House built in 1796 is located at 141 Cambridge Street, next to the Old West ChurchOld West Church, Boston, Massachusetts
The Old West Church at 131 Cambridge Street, is a historic church located in the West End of Boston, built in 1806 to designs by architect Asher Benjamin...
in Boston's West End
West End, Boston, Massachusetts
The West End is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, bounded generally by Cambridge Street to the south, the Charles River to the west and northwest, North Washington Street on the north and northeast, and New Sudbury Street on the east. Beacon Hill is to the south, and the North End is to the...
. It is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and, further, has been designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
.
This house is now owned by the Historic New England
Historic New England
Historic New England, previously known as the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities , is a charitable, non-profit, historic preservation organization headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It is focused on New England and is the oldest and largest regional preservation...
organization, and is open as a nonprofit museum.
Although similar to the other two houses, it is the simplest and in that way perhaps the most appealing. The design is said to be inspired by a William Bingham
William Bingham
William Bingham was an American statesman from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a delegate for Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress from 1786 to 1788 and served in the United States Senate from 1795 to 1801...
house that Bulfinch saw in 1789 in Philadelphia, in turned derived from a London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
example. The house is three stories, in five bays, with elegant string courses. Today's graceful entrance was added after 1801. Above it is a fine Palladian window, and above that a lunette
Lunette
In architecture, a lunette is a half-moon shaped space, either filled with recessed masonry or void. A lunette is formed when a horizontal cornice transects a round-headed arch at the level of the imposts, where the arch springs. If a door is set within a round-headed arch, the space within the...
. The third floor is very short; ceilings are just over 6 feet tall. Floor plan is in the Colonial fashion, with two rooms on either side of the central hallway. The kitchen was in an ell.
The house was originally located about 40 feet from its present location, but was moved by the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (now Historic New England
Historic New England
Historic New England, previously known as the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities , is a charitable, non-profit, historic preservation organization headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It is focused on New England and is the oldest and largest regional preservation...
) in the 1920s after it was threatened by the widening of Cambridge Street. The original cellar was lost during this move. The house is now connected to a group of row houses on Lynde Street, which serve as office and program space for Historic New England.
Second Harrison Gray Otis House
The 2nd Harrison Gray Otis House is located at 85 Mount Vernon Street. It is a fine, large, Federal-style mansion in densely developed Beacon HillBeacon Hill, Boston, Massachusetts
Beacon Hill is a historic neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, that along with the neighboring Back Bay is home to about 26,000 people. It is a neighborhood of Federal-style rowhouses and is known for its narrow, gas-lit streets and brick sidewalks...
. It is listed on the National Register.
Here Bulfinch has made the 1st floor, with his characteristic recessed brick arch
Arch
An arch is a structure that spans a space and supports a load. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.-Technical aspects:The...
es, here ornamented with Chinese fretwork balconies in iron. The facade has four bays, with somewhat odd use of Corinthian
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s on the 2nd and 3rd floors. There is a roof balustrade and a largish, octagonal cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
. Otis lived here until 1806.
Third Harrison Gray Otis House
American Meteorological Society
The American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
. This is the last and largest of the houses, also built in the Federal style, and the residence of Otis until his death in 1848. Its four stories are organized into five bays. The center entrance has a small, rectangular portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
with delicate pairs of Ionic
Ionic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
fluted columns. The modest ground floor, now faced in stone, originally had the recessed brick arch
Arch
An arch is a structure that spans a space and supports a load. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.-Technical aspects:The...
es typical of Bulfinch houses. When built, the house was freestanding, surrounded by the Boston Common and English gardens.
See also
- Harrison Gray Otis (lawyer)Harrison Gray Otis (lawyer)Harrison Gray Otis , was a businessman, lawyer, and politician, becoming one of the most important leaders of the United States' first political party, the Federalists...
- Charles BulfinchCharles BulfinchCharles Bulfinch was an early American architect, and has been regarded by many as the first native-born American to practice architecture as a profession....
, architect - Historic New EnglandHistoric New EnglandHistoric New England, previously known as the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities , is a charitable, non-profit, historic preservation organization headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It is focused on New England and is the oldest and largest regional preservation...
, headquarters in 1st Otis house, Cambridge St., Boston
External links
- Historic New England: Otis House Museum, 1796
- http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.ma0471