| Somerville Historic Preservation Commission Director's Awards
By Pat Healy 61 Preston Road Margaret Sanfilippo just got to know her house. She has lived there for almost 20 years, but it wasn’t until the past one that a massive decorative facelift helped her understand the way it was supposed to look. In its current presentation the combination of colors almost make the house shiny. The majority of the house, an 1896 Colonial Revival, is Alexandria beige, with Montgomery white trim and cottage red detail. And the huge oak front door is almost like a mouth that constantly says, “welcome.” Giving up owning a car, she sunk a lot of money and a lot of work into restoring the house on 61 Preston, and was pleasantly surprised to receive a Director’s Award from the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission for her efforts. “I was reaching for a dream and having it come true anyway without the award, which is just the last thing that really brings it all together,” she says. “It makes sense that when you care about how a house looks and you get a sense of how it almost breathes and works that it will look the way it should, and it feels delightful to be recognized because this is not a house of very great detail.” She nods to her neighbor’s house modestly, pointing out how it has much more detail in its Victorian accoutrements than her house. In truth the house at 61 Preston, and Margaret’s commitment to it have inspired many of her neighbors. One set of neighbors loves what she has done so much that they are even contacting the same contractor Margaret used to have their house restored. Another set of neighbors contacted the Preservation Commission when they saw what Margaret had done. “My husband and I nominated Margaret for the outstanding job she performed in researching and restoring the glory of her home,” says neighbor Joan Lastovica. “It is truly an architectural treasure in the neighborhood.” To be considered the architectural treasure in the neighborhood is no small feat either, as no two houses on Preston Street look the same. They are all huddled close together on land that was once an orchard. Margaret’s house was built by George Ireland. 81 Eustus Street Jeff Meese converted the Davenport Tavern into condominiums, and for his efforts he won a Preservation Award from the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission. Wait, why on earth would the Historic Preservation Commission commend somebody for turning an old tavern into condos? First of all the Davenport Tavern hadn’t been an actual watering hole for years, and secondly, Meese returned the building to a condition that it hadn’t been in for almost as many years. The building was constructed in 1808 as an addition to the Cooper Tavern. It was moved to its current location on the corner of Eustis and Harris Streets in the late 1800s, when it became known as the Davenport Tavern. Over the years the Davenport Tavern had been used as a single-family residence and a two-family residence, but when Meese bought the building he wanted to look more like it used to but with a new function. “Our goal was to preserve the exterior while completely renovating the interiors,” he says. According to Meese there weren’t many original artifacts on the interior anyway, but those he did find, like original fireplace mantles and wide pine wood flooring, were kept. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the building is a residential Federal Style. To achieve its historical makeover Meese added new windows and doors compatible with the period, rebuilt a crumbling chimney, painted the exterior and re-graded the site. Gutters and downspouts were added as needed. A new door was put on the north wall in an existing location that had been covered over. Meese also says he was careful when adding various exhaust vents to place them in locations that minimized the visible alterations to the house. Since the site had also become overgrown with weeds, part of the project became adding a pea stone driveway and terrace, planting beds and a lawn. Large bluestone slabs completed the landscape work. A large lilac was pruned and several trees were added. He says future plans for the Davenport Tavern include adding a picket fence similar to one found in an historic photograph. 45 Walnut Street Until recently the Louville Niles House on 45 Walnut Street sat like a sun-worn photograph of itself. Built in 1890, the house’s drab gray and white paint did nothing to highlight the lavish architectural details of the 5-bedroom Queen Anne Victorian. That is until September 2000 when David and Luann Wilkins Abrahams moved in and started brainstorming of the ways they could make the house into the eye-catcher it once was. “We spent several months researching period paint schemes and, using Moss and Winkler’s Victorian Exterior Decoration, we created a custom six-color palette to bring out the best features of the house,” says Luann. The couple chose dark green for the first and second stories, the third floor gables are terracotta and the main trim is sesame. Details are picked out in amber and red, which was also used for the doors, and window sashes are painted black. It is because of this attention to detail that David and Luann recently received a 2003 Preservation Award from the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission. Since it has returned to its vibrant self, the house has even confused a few passers by. “Because of the National Register plaque on the front, we occasionally get people who think it's a museum ringing our bell,” laughs Luann. The house has many hallmark features of the Queen Anne style, including a conical turret with copper finial, half-timbered gables, decoratively carved brackets and cornice panels, stained glass windows, and asymmetrical massing. As for the conical turret, the question that begs to be asked is how difficult is it to replace those curved windows. “It’s a real pain,” says David, rolling his eyes and pointing to a BB divot in the glass that has remained there for quite some time. The house was designed by Edwin K. Blaikie as a residence for Louville Niles, a local developer of the late 19th Century. Blaikie designed several other houses on Prospect Hill, which were commissioned by Niles. In the 1960s the house was converted into a two family house, and David and Luann said having tenants has made it much more affordable for them to own. Other items of note about the Louville Niles House include the fact that it was once used in an episode of “Spenser: For Hire” in the 1980s, and that Kennedy used to play pool at this very house while at Harvard. Since Joseph, John, Robert and Teddy all attended Harvard, Luann said it is uncertain which one used to visit the house she currently owns. “Which Kennedy it was depends on who is telling the story,” she smiles. 25 Willoughby Street For Barry Callis, restoring his Colonial Revival at 25 Willoughby Street has been an ongoing process that has lasted almost 10 years that has included a little bit more undoing than doing. He says he spent most of the restoration process uncovering the house’s natural artifacts and restoring what was covered or replaced with less than correct materials and design. One of five similar two-family homes in a row running from Willoughby onto Sycamore Streets, the house was built in 1912 by Charles J. Elliot. It is a warm rusty color with vanilla trim. Underneath its strong pointed roof is a set of ornate windows that come to a similar sharp angle. Barry says when he was house hunting in the early 1990s he knew the house at 25 Willoughby was the one for him as he ascended onto the front porch. He also knew that when he stepped inside that he’d have his work cut out for him. “The remodels of the 1970s were well intact with faded colors of the times, dropped ceilings, carpets, paneling, and ornate fixtures that shed awkward light,” he says. “The core structure was solid and in need of much repair.” Recently distinguished with a Director’s Award from the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission, Barry says he now sees it as being revived, and has begun to concentrate his energies more on the yard. He says he values the opportunity to create a garden with various “rooms” and a rear porch from which to enjoy that garden. “Much of what existed was overgrown with multiple mounds of wasted wood, leaves, and debris of seasons past,” he says of the backyard. And what has he learned from this ‘slowly but surely’ process? “Overall, owing this home has been an opportunity to learn important lessons in design and pacing of projects as well as how it could have been done differently,” he says. “Taking down the dropped ceilings, pulling up carpeting, tearing down panel covered walls and replacing with new ones has added a refreshing interior to live in.” |
|