[MassHistPres] H.H. Richardson's home needs a well funded sympathetic owner

[Dennis De Witt]

Henry Hobson Richardson's home is looking for a well funded sympathetic owner

Brookline new Olmsted-Richardson thematic LHD will prevent demolition of the remaining principal part of the Perkins-Hooper-Richardson House — the home of H.H. Richardson and site if his practice from 1873 until his death in 1886.  Of course, the LHD has no control over the interior, including the important Studio-Bedroom and stairs leading to it that Richardson added to this otherwise ca. 1805 ascetically-columned house.  The developer intends to gut the interior, including the Studio-Bedroom.  They assert “the market” only wants the sort of high end McMansions they normally produce.  

However, their representative has stated they would be willing to talk with a serious potential buyer who wanted to preserve the interior.  The house is in seriously neglected condition and will need both a lot of work as well as an addition where a ramshackle 18th century rear wing was removed by a prior owner ca, 2007.  

The developer is also proposing to shift the house about 200 feet to create a larger abutting lot.  Its current address is 25 Cottage Street.  Such a shift would place it closer to the corner of Cottage and Warren Streets, on part of the larger lot of 222 Warren, the Second John Charles Olmsted House (“Cliffside”).  Although they cannot do that by right, they claim they need to do it to finance restoring the exterior.  That is still subject to negotiation.  The house is in a 40,000 square foot lot zone in an “estate” area.  

Design review is ongoing, so time is of the essence.  Any interested party would also need very substantial resources.

If no such buyer appears, the only other option for saving the Studio-Bedroom would be removal and recreation in a museum.  Thus far, a few explorations of that idea have suggested that some museum’s might tend categorize that as “period room” — and thus, apparently, a dated concept.

Attached again, for reference, is a compressed version the LHD study report.

Dennis De Witt
Brookline

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