17 Beaumont Street - Dorchester Atheneum

No. 4576 17 Beaumont Street, photograph August, 2004.

Year Built: ca. 1884 mentioned in published material, need to try to find building permit

Architect: William Whitney Lewis mentioned in published material, need to try to find building permit

Style: Queen Anne

Street history:

entry for Beaumont Street in

A Record of the Streets, Alleys, Places, Etc., in the City of Boston. (Boston, 1910).

Beaumont Street, Dor., 1877; from 697 Adams Street to 26 Carruth Street; laid out, Oct. 13, 1909. Plan in Boston Engineering Department L4177, L 4178

The following comes from an unknown source, perhaps a house tour booklet?:

The development on Beaumont Street began with the Carruth’s building these four houses: on the left 24 Beaumont Street and 30 Beaumont and on the right 11 and 17 Beaumont Street.

The 1884 atlas shows no. 17 owned by the Heirs of N. Carruth.

By 1898 the three Carruth houses were owned by Roswell Downer. In 1904 17 Beaumont was owned by William H. Weeks, Jr. In 1910 17 Beaumont was owned by Katharine Abbott. In 1918 no. 17 Beaumont was owned by Edgar F. Hathaway. In 1933 no. 17 was owned by Emily Moor.

17 Beaumont Street is a Queen Anne house of regular form with a large, spectacular, arched and paneled stained glass window with a complex gable and hipped roof configuration. Modern siding materials have compromised some of the original charm of this house.

The following is from:

Ashmont: An Historical Guide to Peabody Square, Caruth’s Hill, and Ashmont Hill and the Architecture of Edwin J. Lewis, Jr. and John A. Fox. By Paul Douglass Shand-Tucci. Dorchester, Dorchester Historical Society, 1991. p. 52

… notice the next two Queen Anne-style houses, both built for Carruth by Whitney Lewis ca. 1884: 17 Beaumont, the Nightingale House, and 11 Beaumont, the Reade House, each very striking, and evidence that Lewis’s invention was pretty near nearly inexhaustible. Seventeen Beaumont, which takes its name from Samuel Nightingale, a partner in Nightingale and Childs, railroad suppliers, of Pearl Street, has been very badly abused over the years; not only has it been covered over by later siding, but also its two charming corner porches, each elaborately balustraded, have been utterly destroyed. On the other hand, its frontispiece survives–more than a hundred panes of glass arranged imaginatively into perhaps the most magnificent window fanfare in Ashmont.

The following is from the inventory form for Carruth Street – Peabody Square, Boston Landmarks Commission

Across the street at 17 and 11 Beaumont together with the rear wall of 30 Carruth Street form a memorable streetscape. 17 Beaumont Street is a Queen Anne house of irregular form with a large, spectacular, arched and panelled stained glass window with a complex gable and hipped roof configuration. Modern siding materials have compromised some of the original charm of this house. 11 Beaumont Street ranks among the finest examples of the Tudor style in Dorchester. The ground level brick walls are surmounted by a second floor and attic level covered with stucco and closely- spaced vertical and horizontal half-timbering.

The following is from the Dorchester Historical Society’s Dorchester House Tour Ashmont/Carruth Street Neighborhood, June 11, 2017

Year built: c. 1884

Architect: William Whitney Lewis

Style: Queen Anne

Built circa 1884, 17 Beaumont was first occupied by Samuel Nightingale, a partner in a railroad supply company in downtown Boston. Its design has been attributed to W. Whitney Lewis, an English architect responsible for a number of distinctive houses in the neighborhood, including it Beaumont next door and a half-dozen houses on Fairfax Street. He also designed the iconic O’Brien’s Market in Peabody Square, which also dates from 1884. Lewis came to the United States at an early age, joined one of the first classes at the School of Architecture at MIT (founded in 1865), and later formed his own practice in Boston, designing more than 20 houses in the Back Bay.

What 17 Beaumont lacks in grandeur of scale, it makes up for in dramatic street presence. Its main elevation is dominated by a fantastical two-story assembly of stained glass windows and decorative panels, set into a slightly projecting bay that holds the main interior staircase. A fancifully decorated two-story porch projects to the east and shelters the front door. (The upper sleeping porch has been enclosed and is now a charming sewing room.)

The house exhibits many Queen Anne characteristics, such as its asymmetrical massing, half-timbered front gable, and decorative window sash; a mixture of clap-board and wood shingle cladding includes a unique, staggered pattern of unusually small shingles that creates a shaggy effect on the second story. Much of this detail was hidden behind artificial siding until fairly recently; the historically-informed ochre and red paint scheme fits the house perfectly.

Inside, the front window dramatically lights an intimate and finely-detailed living hall in which circles and spheres are a repeating decorative theme. Circles appear in the panels of the front door, in the skirting of the main stair, and in the stained glass, and spheres feature in the chunky balusters and the fireplace mantelpiece. The floor plan is compact, but the double parlor is bright and airy thanks to several windows, including four in a shallow bay; note their varied and elaborate muntin patterns. The playfully decorated kitchen is tucked into the rear of the house; former pantry space includes a new bathroom. Upstairs, three cozy bedrooms, the sewing room, and the central bath fill up the remainder of this wonderful home, whose unique character is enhanced by the owner’s eclectic and whimsical collections.

Owners from atlases

1884 – atlas plate K, Hrs. N. Carruth – there is a house on the lot, but the outline may not be the same house that is there today lot 7495 sq. fd.

1889 – H. S. Carruth, 9795 sq. ft.

1894 – Annie E. Carruth owns 3 and 5 Carruth, now 11 and 17 Carruth (17 has 7495 sq. ft., but there is a vacant lot between 17 and the next house)

1898 – both what are now 11 and 17 Carruth are owned by Roswell C. Downer

1904 – now numbered 17 Carruth, owner: Wm H. Weeks Jr., 9795 sq. ft

1910 – Kathe L. Abbott, 9795 sq. ft.

1918 – Edgar F. Hathaway, 9795 sq. ft.

1933 – Emily Moor, 9745 sq. ft.

Dorchester Blue Books

1884 Beaumont Street – no street numbers given this year

first column

Samuel C. Nightingale

William T. Glidden

Samuel H. L. Pierce

second column

W. Nichols Smith

Herbert S. Carruth

Mrs. Nathan Carruth

Joseph R. Harris

17 Beaumont Street

1894 Mr. & Mrs. A. W. Pope

1896 Mr. & Mrs. A. W. Pope

1898 Mr. & Mrs. A. W. Pope (now numbered 19. There is a 15 Beaumont which may be an apartment in 17 Beaumont? Resident is Mr. & Mrs. A. H. Stearns)

1900 Arthur K. Pope (numbered 19. 15 Beaumont’s residents are Mr. & Mrs. Albert H. Stearns, Summer Residence Saunderston, R.I.)

1902 Mr. & Mrs. William H. Grueby (there is no entry for 15 Beaumont)

1904 Mr. & Mrs. William H. Weeks Jr Tel. Con.

1906 Mr. & Mrs. Gideon B. Abbott

1908 Mr. & Mrs. Gideon B. Abbott

1910 Mr. & Mrs. Gideon B. Abbott

1913 Mr. & Mrs. Edgar F. Hathaway

1915 Mr. & Mrs. Edgar F. Hathaway

Boston Directories:

1888 Arthur W. Pope (C. Brewer & Co.), ins. agent, 30 Kilby, h. 1147 Adams, L.M.

1889 Arthur W. Pope (C. Brewer & Co.), ins. agent, 30 Kilby, h. Beaumont

1890 Arthur W. Pope (C. Brewer & Co.), insurance, 30 Kilby, h. Beaumont

1891 Arthur W. Pope (C. Brewer & Co.), insurance, 30 Kilby, h. Beaumont

1892 Arthur W. Pope (C. Brewer & Co.), insurance, 30 Kilby, h. Beaumont

1893 Arthur W. Pope (C. Brewer & Co.), insurance, 30 Kilby, h. Beaumont

1894 Arthur W. Pope (C. Brewer & Co.), insurance, 30 Kilby, h. Beaumont

1895 Arthur W. Pope (C. Brewer & Co.), insurance, 30 Kilby, h. 19 Beaumont

1896 Arthur W. Pope (C. Brewer & Co.), insurance, 30 Kilby, h. 19 Beaumont

1897 Arthur W. Pope (C. Brewer & Co.), insurance, 30 Kilby, h. 19 Beaumont

1898 Arthur W. Pope (C. Brewer & Co.), insurance, 30 Kilby, h. 19 Beaumont

1899 Arthur W. Pope (C. Brewer & Co.), insurance, 30 Kilby, h. 19 Beaumont

1900 Arthur W. Pope (C. Brewer & Co.), insurance, 30 Kilby, h. 19 Beaumont

1890 US Census of Union Veterans and Widows of the Civil War

Arthur W. Pope

Census 1900

Carruth Street

Arthur W Pope, 55, b. Mass., insurance

Fannie H. Pope, 50, b. Mass

Arthur K. Pope, 20, b. Mass

Kenneth B. Pope, 15, b. Mass

Kate Harmon?, Servant, 32, b. Ireland

Census 1930

Agnes A. Moor, 45, b. Canada

R. Lenore Moor, daughter, 20, b. Canada

Marion Clare, lodger, 34, b. NY, buyer of clothes,

Glendon G. Morris, lodger, 31, b. Canada, bookkeeper wholesale oil

Census 1940

Agnes Moore, 55, b. Canada, sales in retail dept store

Lenore Florian, daughter, 30, b. Mass

Kenneth Florian, son-in-law, 38, b. Connecticut, promoter of electrical appliances

Linda Florian, granddaughter, 1

Boston Lists of Residents

1909 Gideon B. Abbott, merchant, 45

1922 Agnes A. Moore, saleswoman, 40

George E. Wentworth, manager, 46, formerly lived at 43A Carruth

Marion E. Wentworth, housewife, 43, formerly lived at 43A Carruth

1923 Agnes A. Moor, saleswoman, 40

George E. Wentworth, manager, 47

Marion E. Wentworth, housewife, 43

1924 Agnes A. Moor, housekeeper, 40

1925 Agnes A. Moor, housekeeper, 41

1926 Agnes A. Moor, housekeeper, 42

1927 ward 16 is not on line

1928 Agnes Moor, housekeeper, 43

Max Tetlou, chemist, 24

1929 no wards on line

1930 Mayme Clare, buyer, 33

Agnes Morris, housekeeper, 45

Glen Morris, merchant, 31

1931 Agnes Moore, housewife, 50

Leona Moore, teacher, 22

1932 Agnes A Moore, housewife, 47

1933 Emily Moore, saleswoman, 48

1934 Anges A. Moor, saleswoman, 49

1935 Eleanore Floriane, housewife, 25

Kenneth A. Florian, salesman, 32, formerly lived in Connecticut

Agnes Moor, saleswoman, 49

1936 Kenneth A. Florian, clerk, 33

Lenore Florian, housewife, 26

Agnes A. Moor, housewife, 50

1937 Kenneth A. Florian, salesman, 33

Lenore M. Florian, housewife, 27

Agnes M. Moor, saleswoman, 51

1938 Kenneth A. Florian, manager, 35

Leonora Florian, housewife, 28

Agnes M. Moor, housekeeper, 52

1939 Kenneth Florian, salesman, 39

Leonora Florian, housewife, 30

Agnes Moor, at home, 59

1940 Kenneth Florian, salesman, 40

Leonora Florian, housewife, 41

Agnes Moor, housekeper, 60

1941 Kenneth A. Florian, manager, 38

Lenore Florian, housewife, 31

Agnes A. Moore, saleswoman, 54

1942 Kenneth A. Florian, treasurer, 39

Lenore M. Florian, housewife, 31

Agnes A. Moore, housewife, 57

1943 Kenneth Florian, treasurer, 40

Lenore Florian, housewife, 34

Mazier Francis, rigger, 24, formerly lived in Northampton

Agnes A. Moore, saleswoman, 59

Kazimer Urbon, rigger, 34, formerly lived in Northampton

1944 Kenneth Florian, treasurer, 41

Lenore Florian, housewife, 35

Mazier Francis, rigger, 25

Agnes A. Moore, saleswoman, 60

Kazimer Urbon, rigger, 35

1945 Kenneth Florian, treasurer, 41

Lenore Florian, housewife, 35

Kazimer Urbon, rigger, 35

Mazier Francis, rigger, 25

Agnes A. Moore, saleswoman, 60

1946 Lenore Florian, housewife, 37

Agnes Moore, saleswoman, 61

Thomas Syme, machinist, 50, formerly lived in Cambridge

1947 Lenore F. Florian, teacher, 35

Agnes Moore, housekeeper, 63

Myra Reeve, saleswoman, 32, formerly lived in Minnesota

1948 Lenore M. Florian, teacher, 39

Eileen Lovett, secretary, 25, formerly lived in Washington

Wendell Lovett, student, 23

Agnes A. Moore, manager, 64

Thomas Sime, machinist, 53

1949 Lenore Florian, teacher, 40

Agnes A. Moore, manager, 65

Thomas W. Sime, machinist, 55

1950 Lenore Florian, teacher, 39

Agnes Moore, saleswoman, 64

1951 Lenore Florian, teacher, 40

Agnes Moore, saleswoman, 65

1952 Lenore M. Florian, teacher, 41

Marion Giffen, at home, 58

Agnes A. Moore, housewife, 68

1953 Lenore M. Florian, teacher, 43

Marian Griffin, secretary, 50

Agnes A. Moore, housewife, 69

1954 Agnes Moore, housewife, 70

Lenore Florian, teacher, 45

1955 Lenore Florian, teacher, 45

Agnes A. Moore, housewife, 71

1956 Lenore M. Florian, teacher, 45

Agnes A. Moore, housewife, 72

1957 Agnes A. Moore, housewife, b. 1883

1958 Lenore M. Florian, clerk, b. 1908