[MassHistPres] West Indies or Jamaica Planter style summer houses

[Dennis De Witt]

The columned core of Henry Hobson Richardson’s house at 25 Cottage St. Brookline, a.k.a. the Perkins-Richardson house, which is currently under threat of demolition, is normally dated to ca. 1803.  The two story northern wing was added/extended by Richardson.  The single story southern wing seems to be from the 1850s.  This specific summer house form, with a two-story columned semi-encompassing verandah, is often said to be somewhat peculiar to Brookline — although clearly not exclusively so.  Still extant, very close-by examples are Old Green Hill which acquired its columned southern wing ca. 1796 and Isabella Stewart Gardner’s Green Hill of ca. 1808.  These three houses are sometimes referred to as being in the West Indies or Jamaica Planter style, although I wonder if these terms might be retrospectively applied, as is so often the case.  Also, I wonder about two aspects of Perkins-Richardson columns the feel to me perhaps somewhat premature for 1803? They have Greek-Doric capitals and the columns have full length inset panels that feel to me somewhat Italianate. 

I would be interested in hearing from anyone who may have studied this type — which is not recognized as a style on Macris.  I would also like to about similar buildings (extant or gone) elsewhere in the state.  (Note: I am interested specifically in houses with similarly proportionately thin two-story columns wrapping around at least two sides of the building, and without a second floor balcony.)

Dennis De Witt
Brookline 

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