Friday, February 08, 2013 at 11:39 PM

 

Inventory No: HRV.71   

Historic Name: Hildreth, Edwin House

Common Name:

Address: 15 Elm St

City/Town: Harvard

Village/Neighborhood: Harvard Center

Local No: 17C-36

Year Constructed: C 1900

Architect(s):

Architectural Style(s): Shingle Style

Use(s): Single Family Dwelling House

Significance: Architecture; Landscape Architecture

Area(s): HRV.O: Harvard Center Historic District

Designation(s): Nat'l Register District (9/22/1997)

 

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FORM B - BUILDING a s s e s s o r ' s # 17c-36

Massachusetts H i s t o r i c a l Commission 80 Boylston S t r e e t Boston MA 02116

Sketch Map

Recorded by: C l a i r e W. Dempsey

Organization: Harvard H i s t o r i c a l Commission

usgs quad Ayer

ar e a Common a d d i t i o n

Date: May 1993 RECEfVP

form # 071

Town Harvard

P l a c e Common a d d i t i o n

Address 15 Elm S t r e e t

H i s t o r i c Name: H i l d r e t h House

Use P r e s e n t r e s i d e n c e

O r i g i n a l r e s i d e n c e

Date of c o n s t r u c t i o n : c a. 1900

Source r e v e r s e

S t y l e S h i n g l e

Form gambrel block

A r c h i t e c t N/A

E x t e r i o r M a t e r i a l :

Wall/Trim wood

Roof a s p h a l t

Foundation stone

Outbuildings no See r e a r of form f o r more

d e t a i l e d d e s c r i p t i o n

A l t e r a t i o n s modest See r e a r of form f o r more

d e t a i l e d d e s c r i p t i o n .

Condition good

Moved no

Acreage 5.66

S e t t i n g v i l l a g e See r e a r of form f o r d e t a i l e d d e s c r i p t i o n

( Wi\ BUILDING FORM

ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION

The H i l d r e t h House i s a two-and-a-half s t o r y Shingle e s t a t e which stands i n the midst of an expansive 5 .66 acres. Two beehive-shaped stone p i e r s mark the Elm S t r e e t entrance t o t h i s e a r l y 2 0 t h century e s t a t e . The house's gambrel block form measures seven bays i n w i d t h and two p i l e s i n depth. The wrap-around porch i s d i s t i n g u i s h e d by post supports which r e s t on a low s h i n g l e d s k i r t . The r o o f ' s f r o n t slope i s p i e r c e d by a c e n t r a l shed dormer which i s f l a n k e d by polygonal tower dormers. Two, massive a s h l a r g r a n i t e b l o c k chimneys r i s e from e i t h e r side of the center bay. The p r o p e r t y i s reached by a meandering d r i v e which passes through a wooded area which t r a n s i t i o n s i n t o the f r o n t lawn and culminates w i t h a c i r c u l a r d r i v e i n f r o n t of the e s t a t e .

HISTORICAL NARRATIVE

This e s t a t e was owned by the H i l d r e t h s , a f a m i l y which achieved prominence i n the l a t e 19th century. Edwin H i l d r e t h , a 1864 graduate of the Lawrence S c i e n t i f i c School, j o i n e d the l o c a l a g r i c u l t u r a l machinery f i r m of George E. Burt. Burt, H i l d r e t h and Company produced horse-powered machines. I n 1881, Edwin and h i s b r o t h e r , Stanley, founded H i l d r e t h Brothers, a manufacturing e n t e r p r i s e which gained prominence f o r i t s saw ta b l e s and w o o d - s p l i t t e r . Both b r o t h e r s h e l d v a r i o u s e l e c t e d town o f f i c e s . Edwin served as s t a t e r e p r e s e n t a t i v e i n 1883. This p r o p e r t y was l o c a l l y renowned f o r i t s landscape and gardens.

REFERENCES

Anderson, D i r e c t i o n s of a Town, 1976. Nourse, H i s t o r y of Harvard, 1894. Essays on Common Area by Sawyer (1952) and Hersey ( 1 9 3 6 ) . Notes of Scourgie, HHS. Holman Map 1 8 3 1 , Beers A t l a s 1870, Richardson A t l a s 1898 . Royal and Maynard, "Cemeteries", 1940.

x Recommended f o r l i s t i n g i n the N a t i o n a l R e g i s t e r of H i s t o r i c P l a c e s . See N R — C r i t e r i a Statement form.