Nathaniel Jeremiah Bradlee
Encyclopedia
Nathaniel Jeremiah Bradlee (June 1, 1829 – December 17, 1888) was a prominent 19th century Boston
architect
.
Bradlee designed many of the townhouse
s in Boston's South End, and was president of the Cochituate Water Board. The Bradlee Basin at the Chestnut Hill Reservoir
, Newton, Massachusetts
, completed in 1870, was named in his honor.
From 1866 to 1896 his family lived in the Alvah Kittredge House
, a Greek Revival mansion (built 1836) at 10 Linwood Street, Roxbury, Massachusetts
. He vacationed in Altamonte Springs
, Florida
in what is now known as the Bradlee-McIntyre House
(built 1885), probably the best example of Victorian Cottage Style architecture
in Central Florida
. In 1885, Henry Herman Westinghouse, younger brother of George Westinghouse
, built a nearby house whose plan was a mirror image of the Bradlee-McIntyre House. Westinghouse also had Bradlee design homes of 12 to 15 rooms near Boston Avenue in town.
Bradlee died unexpectedly in Bellows Falls
, Vermont
while on a train from Boston to Keene
, New Hampshire
. His papers are archived in the Boston Athenæum
.
department store, an ornate brownstone edifice with a landmark corner clock tower in what is now known as Boston's Downtown Crossing
, sparked a major historic preservation movement in the city when it was torn down in 1975. Local architect Leslie Larson had founded a coalition called the City Conservation League to try to save the old building — one of the few survivors of the Great Boston Fire of 1872
— but it made way for a low modern brick structure that sits there today as Macy's. Some outraged customers cut up their credit cards in protest of the demolition. These protests and preservationist grassroots efforts led to the creation of the Boston Landmarks Commission.
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...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
.
Life
Bradlee was born in Boston to Elizabeth Davis and Samuel Bradlee. He married Julia Rebecca Weld on April 17, 1855. Their children were Joseph Williams Bradlee, Caroline Lousia Bradlee, Elizabeth Lydia Bradlee, Eleanor Collamore Bradlee, and Hellen Curtis Bradlee.Bradlee designed many of the townhouse
Townhouse
A townhouse is the term historically used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and in many other countries to describe a residence of a peer or member of the aristocracy in the capital or major city. Most such figures owned one or more country houses in which they lived for much of the year...
s in Boston's South End, and was president of the Cochituate Water Board. The Bradlee Basin at the Chestnut Hill Reservoir
Chestnut Hill Reservoir
Chestnut Hill Reservoir is a reservoir created in 1870 on existing marshes and meadowland to supplement the city of Boston's water needs. It is surrounded by Chestnut Hill, a neighborhood which consists of parts of Boston, Brookline, and Newton. The reservoir, though, is located entirely within...
, Newton, Massachusetts
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
, completed in 1870, was named in his honor.
From 1866 to 1896 his family lived in the Alvah Kittredge House
Alvah Kittredge House
Alvah Kittredge House is an historic house at 12 Linwood Street in Boston, Massachusetts.The house was built in 1836 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973....
, a Greek Revival mansion (built 1836) at 10 Linwood Street, Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was one of the first towns founded in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, and became a city in 1846 until annexed to Boston on January 5, 1868...
. He vacationed in Altamonte Springs
Altamonte Springs, Florida
Altamonte Springs is a city in Seminole county in the U.S. state of Florida, which had a population of 41,496 at the 2010 census. Located primarily in Seminole County, the city is in the northern suburbs of the Orlando–Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area, which the United States...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in what is now known as the Bradlee-McIntyre House
Bradlee-McIntyre House
The Bradlee-McIntyre House is a Victorian Cottage Style house. It is now located in Longwood, Florida at 130 West Warren Avenue, after being moved there from Altamonte Springs. On March 28, 1991, the house was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.The Bradlee-McIntyre House was...
(built 1885), probably the best example of Victorian Cottage Style architecture
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
in Central Florida
Central Florida
Central Florida is a regional designation for the area surrounding Orlando in east central Florida, United States. The area represents the third largest population concentration in Florida, after the South Florida and Tampa Bay regions, respectively....
. In 1885, Henry Herman Westinghouse, younger brother of George Westinghouse
George Westinghouse
George Westinghouse, Jr was an American entrepreneur and engineer who invented the railway air brake and was a pioneer of the electrical industry. Westinghouse was one of Thomas Edison's main rivals in the early implementation of the American electricity system...
, built a nearby house whose plan was a mirror image of the Bradlee-McIntyre House. Westinghouse also had Bradlee design homes of 12 to 15 rooms near Boston Avenue in town.
Bradlee died unexpectedly in Bellows Falls
Bellows Falls, Vermont
Bellows Falls is an incorporated village located in the town of Rockingham in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,165 at the 2000 census...
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
while on a train from Boston to Keene
Keene, New Hampshire
Keene is a city in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,409 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Cheshire County.Keene is home to Keene State College and Antioch University New England, and hosts the annual Pumpkin Fest...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. His papers are archived in the Boston Athenæum
Boston Athenæum
Boston Athenæum is one of the oldest independent libraries in the United States. It is also one of only sixteen extant membership libraries, meaning that patrons pay a yearly subscription fee to use the Athenæum's services...
.
Legacy
Bradlee's early 1860s Jordan MarshJordan Marsh
Jordan Marsh & Company was a department store in Boston, Massachusetts, which grew to be a major regional chain in the New England area of the United States. In 1996, the last of the Jordan Marsh stores were converted to Macy's. The store was formerly part of Allied Stores and then Federated...
department store, an ornate brownstone edifice with a landmark corner clock tower in what is now known as Boston's Downtown Crossing
Downtown Crossing
Downtown Crossing is a shopping district in Boston, Massachusetts, located due east of Boston Common and west of the Financial District. It features large department stores as well as restaurants, music stores, souvenir sellers, general retail establishments, and many street vendors...
, sparked a major historic preservation movement in the city when it was torn down in 1975. Local architect Leslie Larson had founded a coalition called the City Conservation League to try to save the old building — one of the few survivors of the Great Boston Fire of 1872
Great Boston Fire of 1872
The Great Boston Fire of 1872 was Boston's largest urban fire, and still ranks as one of the most costly fire-related property losses in American history. The conflagration began at 7:20 p.m. on November 9, 1872, in the basement of a commercial warehouse at 83—87 Summer Street in Boston,...
— but it made way for a low modern brick structure that sits there today as Macy's. Some outraged customers cut up their credit cards in protest of the demolition. These protests and preservationist grassroots efforts led to the creation of the Boston Landmarks Commission.
Gallery
- 1853-1854 - First Church in Jamaica Plain, Unitarian-Universalist, a National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
(NRHP) site. At Centre and South Sts. Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. - 1855 - William F. Schultz House, 53 Beacon Street, Boston, Massachusetts.
- Early 1860s - Jordan MarshJordan MarshJordan Marsh & Company was a department store in Boston, Massachusetts, which grew to be a major regional chain in the New England area of the United States. In 1996, the last of the Jordan Marsh stores were converted to Macy's. The store was formerly part of Allied Stores and then Federated...
department store, 450 Washington Street, Boston, Massachusetts (demolished in 1975) - 1861-1862, Phillips School, Boston, Massachusetts. A rare substantial surviving Italianate school building.
- 1869, the Cochituate Standpipe. Modernized Roxbury's water system.
- 1870 - Mount Auburn Reception House, Mount Auburn CemeteryMount Auburn CemeteryMount Auburn Cemetery was founded in 1831 as "America's first garden cemetery", or the first "rural cemetery", with classical monuments set in a rolling landscaped terrain...
, Cambridge, MassachusettsCambridge, MassachusettsCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. One of only two existing buildings in Cambridge, MassachusettsCambridge, MassachusettsCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
by Bradlee. - 1874, Railway Station, North Conway, New HampshireNorth Conway, New HampshireNorth Conway is a census-designated place in eastern Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,349 at the 2010 census. A year-round resort area, North Conway is the largest village within the town of Conway, which is bounded on the east by the Maine state line. The White...
. - 1874- Second Church, BostonSecond Church, BostonThe Second Church in Boston, Massachusetts was first a congregational church, and then beginning in 1802, a unitarian church. The congregation occupied a number of successive locations around town, including North Square, Hanover Street, Copley Square, and the Fenway. Ministers included Increase...
, on Boylston Street, between Dartmouth and Clarendon - 1874-1877 - Danvers State HospitalDanvers State HospitalDanvers State Hospital, also known as the State Lunatic Hospital at Danvers, The Danvers Lunatic Asylum, and The Danvers State Insane Asylum, was a psychiatric hospital located in Danvers, Massachusetts....
, 450 Maple Street, Danvers, MassachusettsDanvers, MassachusettsDanvers is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Located on the Danvers River near the northeastern coast of Massachusetts, Danvers is most widely known for its association with the 1692 Salem witch trials, and for its famous asylum, the Danvers State Hospital.-17th century:The land...
. A massive complex designed to care for the mentally ill. - 1875, commercial building (workshops), 6 East Springfield Street, South End, Boston
- 1876 - Boston Young Men's Christian UnionBoston Young Men's Christian UnionBoston Young Men's Christian Union is an historic building at 48 Boylston Street in Boston, Massachusetts and a liberal Protestant youth association. When Unitarians were excluded from the Boston YMCA they founded the Boston YMCU in 1852...
, 48 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts. An outstanding example of the High Gothic style, another NRHP site. - 1878 - Unitarian Church, Brunswick, MaineBrunswick, MaineBrunswick is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,278 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area. Brunswick is home to Bowdoin College, the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, , and the...
. - 1879 - 542-550 Columbus Avenue, South End, Boston. Single family row houses.
- Late 1870s - Palladio Hall, 60-62 Warren Street, Boston, Massachusetts. An Italian Renaissance-style commercial block designed and owned by Bradlee.
Published works
- Nathaniel J. Bradlee, History of the Introduction of Pure Water into the City of Boston, with a Description of Its Cochituate Water Works, Boston: Alfred Mudge & Son, 1868.