Pinebank Mansion

Pinebank Mansion was a Queen Anne style house sited on a hill overlooking Jamaica Pond in Boston, Massachusetts. Built in 1868 by John Hubbard Sturgis, it was the only mansion retained by Frederick Law Olmsted in his plans the Emerald Necklace park system.[1] It was the only original structure remaining in the park system[2] at the time of its demolition in 2007.

Pinebank Mansion
General information
Architectural styleQueen Anne
Town or cityJamaica Pond Park
Boston, Massachusetts
Country United States
Construction started1868
Completed1870[1]
DemolishedJanuary 2007
ClientEdward Perkins
Design and construction
ArchitectJohn Hubbard Sturgis

History

Perkins family home

The Queen-Anne Style Pinebank is the third house that sat on the site overlooking Jamaica Pond. The first house was built as a summer home in 1806 by James Perkins, senior partner in the China Trade shipping firms of James and Thomas Handasyd Perkins. His grandson, Edward Newton “Ned” Perkins, replaced the first house in 1848 with an elegant mansard-roofed home for year-round use. After this burned down in 1868, Ned instructed his cousin and architect John Hubbard Sturgis to build the third Pinebank house.

City of Boston
Pinebank Mansion in 1932

The city of Boston acquired Pinebank in 1892. It was damaged by a fire in 1895 and rebuilt, then used as the headquarters of the Boston Parks Commission.[1] In 1913, Pinebank became the first home of Boston Children's Museum, and served in that role until 1936. From 1936 to 1970, it was occupied by the engineering department of the Boston Parks Commission.[1] From 1970 to 1975, Pinebank was used for a city-sponsored community arts program. After that, fires in 1976 and 1978 destroyed the interior and seriously damaged the roof.

In 1978, Pinebank Mansion was listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places as part of the Olmsted Park System and in 1996, Historic Massachusetts listed Pinebank as one of the state's top ten most endangered historic places.

Demolition and afterward

The city released a structural analysis report that concluded that the building was unsalvageable on January 10, 2006[3] and expected the building to be demolished within the year. The Boston Landmarks Commission unanimously approved the demolition in a full vote on September 26, 2006.[4] At that meeting, three different memorial designs were presented by Victor Walker of Walker Kluesing Design Group.[5]

On December 19, 2006, the city's Inspectional Services Department ordered the Parks and Recreation Department to demolish the building, citing that the structure was a safety hazard.[6] Demolition began on January 3, 2007.[7] Some of the structure's debris was entombed in a vault in the foundation, to be used as reference material if the mansion is one day rebuilt.[8]

The memorial design chosen delineates the mansion's perimeter in granite, set flush with the ground, and the outline filled with grass. The front of the house will be marked with a low brick, granite-topped wall that can be used as a bench, and up to three metal signs will contain information on the former building.[9] The exterior steps taken from Hancock Manor will be included in the memorial work.

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gollark: Please stop being macronous.
gollark: ABR is perfect and without flaw.
gollark: BOW before its impeccable wisdom, see.
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References
  1. Porter, Bill (2006-09-11). "Saving a jewel of the Emerald Necklace". Boston Globe.
  2. Firestone, Allison (2006-02-06). "City of Boston Considers Razing Emerald Necklace's Last Building". Preservation.
  3. Preer, Robert (2006-01-15). "Demolition Yes, 'Disney' No". Boston Globe. An engineering report released last week determined that the city-owned building is falling down and cannot be restored.
  4. Ruch, John (2006-10-06). "Pinebank tear-down OK'd". Jamaica Plain Gazette.
  5. Ruch, John (2006-09-22). "Pinebank designs revealed". Jamaica Plain Gazette.
  6. Daniel, Mac (2007-01-05). "Pinebank mansion is on its way down". Boston Globe.
  7. Ruch, John (2007-01-19). "Pinebank comes down brick by loose brick". Jamaica Plain Gazette.
  8. Ruch, John (2007-07-06). "Outline, lawn to mark Pinebank spot". Jamaica Plain Gazette.
  9. Preer, Robert (2007-07-22). "Where Pinebank once stood, a memorial patch of green". Boston Globe.

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