The Crowninshield House is a historic house at 164 Marlborough Street in the

Back Bay Back Bay is an officially recognized Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, built on Land reclamation, reclaimed land in the Charles River basin. Construction began in 1859, as the demand for luxury housing exceeded the ...

neighborhood of

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. Built in 1870, it is the first residential design of the renowned architect

Henry Hobson Richardson Henry Hobson Richardson, FAIA (September 29, 1838 – April 27, 1886) was an American architect, best known for his work in a style that became known as Richardsonian Romanesque. Along with Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, Richardson is one ...

. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1972.

Architecture and history

The Crowninshield House stands at the southwest corner of Marlborough and Dartmouth Street. It is a four-story brick building, featuring a variety of trim in black brick, brownstone, and decorative green and blue tiles. It has a

mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called French roof or curb roof) is a multi-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper, and often punctured by dormer wi ...

, and a projecting two-story entrance section at the center of the main facade. The entry is flanked by sidelight windows and sheltered by a semicircular wrought iron hood. Commissioned by

Benjamin W. Crowninshield Benjamin Williams Crowninshield (March 12, 1837–January 16, 1892) was an American historian, businessman, and Union Army officer during the American Civil War. Life A member of the Boston Brahmin Crowninshield family, Benjamin Williams Crow ...

, the house was designed in 1868 and built in 1870 by H.H. Richardson. It is the earliest surviving example of Richardson's private residence work. Unlike many of his later works in the signature Romanesque style that he would develop, this house owes more to the

Second Empire style Second Empire style, also known as the Napoleon III style, is a highly Eclecticism in architecture, eclectic style of architecture and decorative arts originating in the Second French Empire. It was characterized by elements of many differe ...

. The house is, along with the former

Trinity Rectory Trinity Rectory is an historic building at the corner of Clarendon Street and Newbury Street in Boston, Massachusetts. It is a brick building built in 1880 by Henry Hobson Richardson and features flower-shaped reliefs carved directly into the ...

, one of two surviving Richardson houses in Boston.

Benjamin Crowninshield

Benjamin William Crowninshield (1837–1892) was a member of the

Boston Brahmin The Boston Brahmins are members of Boston's historic upper class. From the late 19th century through the mid-20th century, they were often associated with a cultivated New England accent, Harvard University, Anglicanism, and traditional Britis ...

Crowninshield family. He attended

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

, graduating in 1858, along with classmates H.H. Richardson and

Henry Adams Henry Brooks Adams (February 16, 1838 – March 27, 1918) was an American historian and a member of the Adams political family, descended from two U.S. presidents. As a young Harvard graduate, he served as secretary to his father, Charles Fran ...

. Adams' '' Education of Henry Adams'' (1918) includes descriptions of his friendship with Crowninshield. Crowninshield studied history, publishing and speaking on various topics, such as yachting and military history. Published works include ''A History of the First Regiment of Massachusetts Cavalry Volunteers'' (Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Co., 1891). In 1868, Crowninshield commissioned his friend Richardson to design and build the house on Marlborough Street in the newly land-filled

area of Boston.James F. O'Gorman. Living architecture: a biography of H.H. Richardson. Simon and Schuster, 1997.

References

Image gallery

Image:Richardson 164MarlboroughSt 6.JPG Image:Richardson 164MarlboroughSt 5.JPG Image:Richardson 164MarlboroughSt 4.JPG Image:164MarlboroughSt 2.jpg {{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Houses completed in 1872 Henry Hobson Richardson buildings Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in Massachusetts Back Bay, Boston Houses in Boston National Register of Historic Places in Boston Crowninshield family Historic district contributing properties in Massachusetts Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Suffolk County, Massachusetts

Architecture and history

Benjamin Crowninshield

See also

References

Image gallery