The Beebe Estate is a historic property in

Melrose, Massachusetts Melrose is a city located in the Greater Boston metropolitan area in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Its population, per the 2020 United States Census, is 29,817. It is a suburb located approximately seven miles north of Boston. I ...

. Developed in 1828, the main house is a prominent example of

Greek Revival architecture The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

, with an ownership history of prominent local and

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

businessmen. Now owned by the city, it is used as an art gallery and cultural event center. The estate was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

in 1981.

Description and history

The Beebe Estate is located a short way west of downtown Melrose, on the north side of West Foster Street, just west of the railroad tracks and east of the Beebe School. The two story building is a sophisticated expression of Greek Revival architecture, with corner pilasters, and a front entry portico with fluted Doric columns and a gabled pediment. A railing surrounds the hip roof, which has a cupola at its center. The design of the cupola is based on the

Choragic Monument of Lysicrates The Choragic Monument of Lysicrates near the Acropolis of Athens was erected by the ''choregos'' Lysicrates, a wealthy patron of musical performances in the Theater of Dionysus, to commemorate the prize in the dithyramb contest of the City Dio ...

at the

Acropolis of Athens The Acropolis of Athens is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historical significance, the most famous being the Parthenon. ...

. The house was built in 1828 by William Foster, a Boston merchant, as a summer house, and was owned from 1854 to 1963 by members of the Bigelow and Beebe families. Both of these families included prominent businessmen, active in railroads and banking. The last owners, the Beebes, gave the property to the city in 1963. After serving for a time as school administrative offices, it now operates the house as a cultural center for the display of local art on Saturdays, which are sponsored by the Beebe Estate Association. The renovated front rooms are available for rental and are used for special events.

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* {{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Melrose, Massachusetts Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Middlesex County, Massachusetts Historic house museums in Massachusetts

Art museums and galleries in Massachusetts Massachusetts Museums and galleries Entertainment venues in Massachusetts Museums in Massachusetts ...

Museums in Middlesex County, Massachusetts Greek Revival architecture in Massachusetts Houses completed in 1828

Description and history

See also

References

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