No. 15290 17 Harley Street, photograph May 28, 2012.
Date of construction: by 1894
Appears in the 1894 atlas.
Architect: Edwin J. Lewis, Jr.
In the appendix to The Second Settlement, Tucci cites a mention in AA Aug. 20, 1892 – Edwin J. Lewis, Jr. architect, G. W. Bailey builder, F. Hartford owner.
The following is from Ashmont by Douglass Shand-Tucci, p. 79
… Lewis, who also designed the two houses next door: 21 and 17 Harley. Both are early houses, and 21, which dates from 1887, may be Lewis’s first design. Very simple (it cost only $3,000 to build), it is a Shingle Stye bungalow of considerable charm, unaltered except for its glassed-in front porch. Notice the gentle and almost imperceptible swelling out of the shingled skin over the windows.
The following is from: Codman Square House Tour Booklet 1997
Number 17 Harley Street, at the left-hand corner of Walton Street, is an Edwin J. Lewis work. While most representative of the Shingle style, it also quotes from other sources of inspiration, notably the Romanesque Revival as popularized by H.H. Richardson. Particularly compelling in this regard is the south-facing (left side) attic dormer.
The following is from: Ashmont Hill Association House Tour Guide, Sunday, May 22, 1977
Believed to be an Edwin J. Lewis design, this 1888 house conveys the sense of light and spaciousness typical of Shingle Style homes, although it is not, in fact, particularly large. Outside, observe the arch over the front porch, and the horizontal lines of the porch, the roof and the living room bay to the left. Inside, the woodwork, floors and ding room window seat are of interest, as is the placement of the house’s windows: the building was designed and sited so the sun comes into every window at some point during the day.
After leaving this sop, look back to the side of the house to see the third-floor dormer with its unusual pointed cap.
Owners from atlases:
17 Harley Street
1889 no house on lot
1894 Mary S. Hartford
1898 Mary S. Hartford
1904 Mary S. Hartford
1910 Mary S. Hartford
1918 Emma C. Rich
1933 Emma C. Rich
Deed
April 14, 1887 from George Derby Welles to Mary S. Hartford, wife of David F. Hartford, 1767.173 lots 80 & 81
Parcel of land
Boston Directory
1887, 1888, 1889, 1890, 1891 D. Frank Hartford (Hartford Bros.), 102 South, h. Alban
1892 D. Frank Hartford (Hartford Bros.), 102 South, h. 52 Alban.
Dorchester Blue Books
1896 Mr. & Mrs. Thomas T. Hartford (but weren’t they at 25 Harley?)
1898 Rev. & Mrs. Carey W. Chamberlin At home Mondays.
1900 Rev. & Mrs. Carey W. Chamberlin At home Mondays.
1902 Mr. & Mrs. Frank A. Edwards and Ashton F. Edwards
1904 Mr. & Mrs. Frank A. Edwards and Ashton F. Edwards
1906 Mr. & Mrs. Frank A. Edwards and Ashton F. Edwards
1908 Mr. & Mrs. Frank A. Edwards and Ashton F. Edwards
1910 no entry for 17 Harley Street
1913 Mr. & Mrs. Harry M. Hope
1915 Mr. & Mrs. Harry M. Hope
Boston Blue Book
1909 17 Harley Street
Mr. & Mrs. Frank A. Edwards