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

Back Bay Back Bay is an officially recognized neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, built on reclaimed land in the Charles River basin. Construction began in 1859, as the demand for luxury housing exceeded the availability in the city at the time, and t ...

neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. 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 United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

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, 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 Crowni ...

, 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 eclectic style of architecture and decorative arts, which uses elements of many different historical styles, and also made innovative use of modern materials, such as i ...

. The house is, along with the former Trinity Rectory, 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 or Boston elite are members of Boston's traditional upper class. They are often associated with Harvard University; Anglicanism; and traditional Anglo-American customs and clothing. Descendants of the earliest English coloni ...

Crowninshield family Crowninshield may refer to the following: * Crowninshield family, long-standing American family * USS Crowninshield, a World War I era American destroyer * Crowninshield Island Crowninshield Island, also known as Brown's Island, is a small islan ...

. He attended

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

, 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 Fr ...

. Adams' ''

Education of Henry Adams ''The Education of Henry Adams'' is an autobiography that records the struggle of Bostonian Henry Adams (1838–1918), in his later years, to come to terms with the dawning 20th century, so different from the world of his youth. It is also a s ...

'' (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