Friday, February 08, 2013 at 11:42 PM

 

Inventory No: HRV.54   

Historic Name: Bigelow, K. M. House

Common Name:

Address: 25 Fairbank St

City/Town: Harvard

Village/Neighborhood: Harvard Center

Local No: 17D-50; 258

Year Constructed: C 1900

Architect(s):

Architectural Style(s): Colonial Revival; Queen Anne

Use(s): Single Family Dwelling House

Significance: Architecture

Area(s):HRV.A: Harvard Common Historic DistrictHRV.O: Harvard Center Historic District

Designation(s):Local Historic District (3/27/1975); Nat'l Register District (9/22/1997)

 

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FORM B - BUILDING a s s e s s o r ' s 17D-50

Massachusetts H i s t o r i c a l Commission 80 B o y l s t o n S t r e e t Boston MA 02116

usgs quad Ayer

a r e a Common

form f&i

Sketch Map

A

Recorded by: C l a i r e W. Dempsey

O r g a n i z a t i o n : Harvard H i s t o r i c a l Commission •> :

Date: May 1993 JUL 15 1993

D

7? Town Harvard

P l a c e Common

Address 25 F a i r b a n k S t r e e t

H i s t o r i c Name: Bigelow House

Use P r e s e n t r e s i d e n c e

O r i g i n a l r e s i d e n c e

Date of c o n s t r u c t i o n : c a . 1900

Source r e v e r s e

S t y l e V i c t o r i a n E c l e c t i c

Form four square

A r c h i t e c t N/A

E x t e r i o r M a t e r i a l :

Wall/Trim wood

Roof a s p h a l t

Foundation s t o n e

O u t b u i l d i n g s no See r e a r of form f o r more

d e t a i l e d d e s c r i p t i o n

A l t e r a t i o n s modest See r e a r of form f o r more

d e t a i l e d d e s c r i p t i o n .

C o n d i t i o n good

Moved no

Acreage .54 a c r e s

S e t t i n g v i l l a g e See r e a r of form f o r d e t a i l e d d e s c r i p t i o n

MASS: HIST. COMM.

BUILDING FORM

ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION

The Bigelow House a t 25 Fairbank s i t s on an ample h a l f acre l o t at the edge of the c l u s t e r e d v i l l a g e . The house i s s i t e d close t o the road, w i t h an asphalt p a r k i n g area t o the r i g h t and a l a r g e lawn to the l e f t of the house. Evergreen bushes run across the f r o n t of the house and a hedge screens the sode yard. The house i s one of a hand f u l of b u i l d i n g s added t o the v i l l a g e d u r i n g the t u r n o f the 19th to the 20th century, an e x c e l l e n t example of the " t r a n s i t i o n a l " f o u r square, r e t a i n i n g some of the picturesque features of i t s end house antecedents. The main block of the house i s n e a r l y square, w i t h a pyramidal r o o f , t hree bays across the f r o n t , and double p i l e i n depth; a new chimney has been added t o the l e f t l a t e r a l w a l l . The clapboarded b u i l d i n g i s surrounded by a molded b e l t course. The facade has recessed p o r t i o n s on the f i r s t f l o o r , the e n t r y bay as a porch, the side w a l l s of the polygonal bay windows are canted under the upper w a l l planes. Brackets v i s u a l l y support the upper s t o r y and run along the cor n i c e l i n e as w e l l . A t h i r d t i e r of rooms i s enclosed i n the gabled, two-story e l l t h a t extends from the r e a r of the house.

HISTORICAL NARRATIVE

This l o t remained empty, probably associated w i t h the house next door a t 23 Fairbank S t r e e t . When i t f i r s t appears on h i s t o r i c maps i t i s l a b e l l e d "Mrs. K.M. Bigelow."

REFERENCES

Anderson, D i r e c t i o n s of a Town, 1976. Nourse, H i s t o r y of Harvard, 1894 . Essays on Common Area by Sawyer (1952) and Hersey ( 1 9 3 6 ) . Notes of Scourgie, HHS. Holman Map of 1 8 3 1 . Beers A t l a s of 1870 . Richardson A t l a s of 1898.

I

I _x_ Recommended f o r l i s t i n g i n the National R e g i s t e r of H i s t o r i c P l a c e s . See NR C r i t e r i a Statement form f o r the Ha-cyard, Common Area

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5. Lot size:

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Approximate frontage

Approximate distance of building from street

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Organization "

Date

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7. Original owner (if known)

Original use Mom

CM

Subsequent uses (if any) and dates

8. Themes (check as many as applicable)

Aboriginal Agricultural Architectural The Arts • Commerce Communication Community development

Conservation Education Exploration/

settlement Industry Military Political

Recreation Religion Science/

invention Social/

humanitarian Transportation

9. Historical significance (include explanation of themes cheeked above)

10. Bibliography and/or references (such as local histories, deeds, assessor's records, early maps, etc.)