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

[Elizabeth Randall]

I was at the Richardson House a number of times working on a Charette to
help save it, and getting a contractor to help stabilize a stained glass
window.  I can attest that especially the Studio/bedroom has all of the
elements of Richardson, including the eye hooks in the ceiling that he
would use to hoist himself up out of bed, and the various samples of tiles
on the stove. There is also the cork lined walls that his employees would
pin drawings to, for him to study.  I was so fortunate to work at Harvard
as a Preservation Construction Manager and renovated Sever Hall, one of his
greatest and most subdued works.  We replicated the hardware on the
windows, some of which was missing.  When I was at Richardon's house I saw
the exact same hardware closures on one of the windows, but different ones
on other windows.  One got the impression that he got samples for different
projects and used them on different windows!

I also had an odd occurrence that had me thinking that Richardson's spirit
was definitely alive in that space.  I will not relate it here for fear of
being dubbed the "crazy lady" but it was very spiritual and special.

Alas, I do not have deep pockets to save it, but I am hoping someone will
come up with some creative way to help out.

Thank you, Dennis, for continuing to keep this important endeavor alive!

- Elizabeth Randall
Preservation Consultant

On Fri, Dec 24, 2021 at 12:01 PM Dennis De Witt <abtdewitt at rcn.com> wrote:

> 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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