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The Robert Treat Paine Estate, known as Stonehurst, is a
country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...
set on in
Waltham, Massachusetts Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, th ...
. It was designed for philanthropist
Robert Treat Paine Robert Treat Paine (March 11, 1731 – May 11, 1814) was an American lawyer, politician and Founding Father of the United States who signed the Continental Association and the Declaration of Independence as a representative of Massachusetts. ...
in a collaboration between 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 ...
and landscape architect
Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the USA. Olmsted was famous for co- ...
. It is located at 100 Robert Treat Paine Drive. Since 1974 the estate has been owned by the City of Waltham and its grounds kept as a public park, and is believed to be the only residential collaboration by Richardson and Olmsted that is open to the public.


History

In 1866, Boston lawyer Robert Treat Paine Jr. and his wife Lydia (Lyman) commissioned architect
Gridley James Fox Bryant Gridley James Fox Bryant (August 29, 1816 – June 8, 1899), often referred to as G. J. F. Bryant, was a Boston architect, builder, and industrial engineer whose designs "dominated the profession of architecture in ostonand New England." ...
to build a mansarded
Second Empire Second Empire may refer to: * Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783 * Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396) * Second French Empire (1852–1870) ** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...
summer house in Waltham. The house and its site were paid for by George Lyman, Lydia's father and owner of an adjacent summer residence, the
Lyman Estate The Lyman Estate, also known as The Vale, is a historic country house located in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is now owned by the nonprofit Historic New England organization. The grounds are open to the public daily for free; an ad ...
. This house was deemed too small for the Paines and their seven children. In October 1883, Richardson and Olmsted made their first visit to the property to discuss relocating the house and expanding it. In July 1884, Olmsted and Richardson produced sketches for a new site atop a rocky ridge with sweeping views to the southeast. In the spring of 1885, construction began while the Paine family traveled to Europe with
Phillips Brooks Phillips Brooks (December 13, 1835January 23, 1893) was an American Episcopal clergyman and author, long the Rector of Boston's Trinity Church and briefly Bishop of Massachusetts. He wrote the lyrics of the Christmas hymn, "O Little Town of ...
, a family friend and pastor of Trinity Church in Boston. When Richardson died at age 47 in April 1886, the commission was close to completion. The terrace and some interior finishes were completed over the summer. Robert Treat Paine Jr. died in 1910, and the Paine family continued to occupy the house until the mid-1960s. In 1974 Theodore Lyman Storer donated the property to the city of Waltham. Episode #2104 of ''
This Old House ''This Old House'' is an American home improvement media brand with television shows, a magazine, and a websiteThisOldHouse.com. The brand is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The television series airs on the American television networ ...
'' featured a tour of the estate.


Image gallery

File:PaineEstate sitting area.jpg , Close-up of sitting area File:PaineEstate sundial detail.jpg , Sundial detail on house File:Robert_Treat_Paine_Estate_view_from_house_P1030774.jpg , View from the patio File:Forest_trail_Robert_Treat_Paine_Estate_P1030788.jpg , Forest trail on the grounds


See also

*
List of National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has a total of 191 National Historic Landmarks (NHLs) within its borders. This is the second highest statewide total in the United States after New York, which has more than 250. Of the Massachusetts NHLs, 57 ar ...
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Waltham, Massachusetts This is a list of properties and historic districts in Waltham, Massachusetts, that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The locations of National Register properties and districts (at least for all showing latitude and longit ...


References


Bibliography

* Margaret Henderson Floyd, "H. H. Richardson, Frederick Law Olmsted, and the House for Robert Treat Paine", ''Winterthur Portfolio'', Vol. 18, No. 4 (Winter, 1983), pp. 227–248. *Ann Clifford and Thomas M. Paine. ''Stonehurst, The Robert Treat Paine Estate: An American Masterwork by H.H. Richardson and F.L. Olmsted''. Waltham, Massachusetts: Robert Treat Paine Historical Trust, 2007.


External links


Stonehurst
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Historic house museums in Massachusetts Paine Estate Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in Massachusetts Houses in Waltham, Massachusetts National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts Houses completed in 1866 Museums in Middlesex County, Massachusetts Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Waltham, Massachusetts 1866 establishments in Massachusetts