The Frederick Ayer Mansion is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

on 395 Commonwealth Avenue 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 ...

. The mansion was the home of

Frederick Ayer Frederick Ayer (December 8, 1822 – March 14, 1918) was an American businessman and the younger brother of patent medicine tycoon James Cook Ayer. Early life Ayer was born on December 8, 1822, in Ledyard, Connecticut, and was the son of F ...

, owner of the

American Woolen Company The American Woolen Company is a designer, manufacturer and distributor of men's and women's worsted and woolen fabrics. Based in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, the company operates from the 160-year-old Warren Mills, which it acquired from Loro P ...

, and features well preserved design work by

Louis Comfort Tiffany Louis Comfort Tiffany (February 18, 1848 – January 17, 1933) was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is associated with the art nouveauLander, David"The Buyable ...

. The house 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 2005.

Historical significance

The Ayer Mansion was built in 1900, designed by

in a partnership with Alfred J. Manning. It is one of three surviving examples of Tiffany designed interiors. The other two sites are the Samuel L. Clemens (

Mark Twain House The Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, was the home of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain) and his family from 1874 to 1891. The Clemens family had it designed by Edward Tuckerman Potter and built in the American High Got ...

) in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

(1881), and the Ferry House in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

(1903–1906). What makes the Ayer Mansion so unusual is that Tiffany also designed exterior mosaics for the property. The only other building known to have included this feature by Tiffany was his private residence,

Laurelton Hall Laurelton Hall was the home of noted artist Louis Comfort Tiffany, located in Laurel Hollow, New York a village in Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York. The 84-room mansion on of land, designed in the Art Nouveau style, combined Islamic motifs wi ...

, which was destroyed in a fire in the 1950s. Individual components from Laurelton Hall survive in museums, but the Ayer Mansion is now the only place that has intact ''

in situ is a Latin phrase meaning 'in place' or 'on site', derived from ' ('in') and ' ( ablative of ''situs'', ). The term typically refers to the examination or occurrence of a process within its original context, without relocation. The term is use ...

'' interior and exterior components designed by Tiffany. The mansion was sold by the family after Frederick's death in 1918 and converted to office space. The Trimount Foundation an
Bayridge Residence and Cultural Center
affiliates of the Roman Catholic

Opus Dei is an institution of the Catholic Church that was founded in Spain in 1928 by Josemaría Escrivá. Its stated mission is to help its lay and clerical members seek holiness in their everyday occupations and societies. Opus Dei is officially r ...

organization, purchased the Ayer mansion and adjacent buildings in 1964. They are currently operated as private residential facilities for area college students, although tours are occasionally given of the public spaces where Tiffany-designed elements have been preserved.

Preservation

Since its purchase by the Trimount and Bayridge Residence and Cultural Center, several renovations have been done to the buildings. The first renovation occurred in 1971–72 when the two buildings were joined. In 1999, Jean Carroon Architects conducted an assessment of the building's preservation needs as well as a detailed proposal on how to achieve it. The first of the projects outlined was the restoration of a 24-foot lay light which had been concealed for fifty years. Also renovated was the front living room in 2000. The

drop ceiling A dropped ceiling is a secondary ceiling, hung below the main (structural) ceiling. It may also be referred to as a drop ceiling, T-bar ceiling, false ceiling, suspended ceiling, grid ceiling, drop in ceiling, drop out ceiling, or ceiling til ...

installed when the building was converted into offices was removed to reveal the original floral-patterned ceiling, and the

parquet floor Parquet (; French for "a small compartment") is a geometric mosaic of wood pieces used for decorative effect in flooring. Parquet patterns are often entirely geometrical and angular—squares, triangles, lozenges—but may contain curves. T ...

was also restored. The mosaic on the interior hall was restored in 2002. Currently, efforts are being made to restore the exterior of the building. The project will include repairing 4 out of the 7 mosaics on the exterior balcony which have been damaged or lost due to water infiltration; recreation of the two missing stained-glass screens on the first floor; restoration of the remaining window on the first floor; and recreation of the missing stained-glass screen along the top floor.

Gallery

File:Entry1.jpg, The mansion's central stairway File:Detail of mosaic in the entrance hall of the Ayer Mansion.jpg, Detail of mosaic design in the central hall File:Ayer Tiffany originalCeiling.jpg, Detail of the original ceiling in the living room File:Ayer Tiffany centerStairLight.jpg, Center stair and original light designed by Tiffany File:Ayer-mansion-sign.jpg, Bayridge Residence & Cultural Center sign next to front gate of Ayer Mansion File:Ayer-mansion-detail.jpg, Exterior mosaic detail above the main entrance File:Ayer Mansion Study Window.jpg, Stained glass window seen in exterior detail image

References

External links

National Register Listing informationRegistration Form
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts National Historic Landmarks in Boston Houses in Boston Houses completed in 1900 American Woolen Company Historic district contributing properties in Massachusetts Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Suffolk County, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Boston

Historical significance

Preservation

Gallery

See also

References

External links