Beck-Warren House

Last updated
Beck-Warren House
CambridgeMA BeckWarrenHouse.jpg
USA Massachusetts location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location1 Prescott St.,
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°22′22.6″N71°06′51.2″W / 42.372944°N 71.114222°W / 42.372944; -71.114222 Coordinates: 42°22′22.6″N71°06′51.2″W / 42.372944°N 71.114222°W / 42.372944; -71.114222
Arealess than one acre
Built1833 (1833)
Architectural styleColonial Revival, Greek Revival
MPS Cambridge MRA
NRHP reference No. 96000520 [1]
Added to NRHPMay 20, 1996

The Beck-Warren House, also known as the Warren House, is a historic house located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Now on the campus of Harvard University, this large Greek Revival wood-frame house was built in 1833 for Professor Charles Beck, and was later purchased and adapted by the physically disabled Henry Clarke Warren, a Sanskrit scholar. Since 1899 it has belonged to Harvard University, for whom it presently houses offices. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. [1]

Contents

Description and history

The Warren House stands in the eastern part of the Harvard campus, on the west side of Prescott Street, as part of an entire city block (just east of Harvard Yard) of Harvard-owned buildings. It has a 2+12-story main block, which is covered by a front-facing gable roof, with single-story side-gabled wings extending to the sides that are flush with the front facade. The main facade faces west, into a pedestrian area providing access to the other Harvard buildings on the block. The main block's corners are pilastered, while those of the wings have wooden quoining. The gable is fully pedimented, with a half-round window at the center. A single-story porch extends across the central three bays, its flat roof and entablature supported by smooth Doric columns. The interior features a distinctive blend of Greek Revival and Colonial Revival features, the latter done during the ownership of Henry Warren, handicapped by a spinal deformity from childhood. The second-floor alterations were particularly made to adapt to his needs. [2]

The house was built in 1833 by Charles Beck, a Professor of Latin at Harvard. It was built on land that was previously part of the large estate of Francis Dana and subdivided by his heirs. It was acquired in 1891 by Henry Clarke Warren, serving as his home until his death in 1899. Warren made numerous alterations to the interior to accommodate his physical disability, including an overly sized heating system which he was said to run up to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. [2]

When Henry Clarke Warren died in 1899 he bequeathed the house to Harvard. [2] When first acquired, it was used to house the philosophy library, and then the English department. It was moved in 1900 (within its historic lot) to make room for the construction of the Harvard Union to the south. Since 1997, it has served as offices for other Harvard organizations. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Building at 104–106 Hancock Street</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Building at 104–106 Hancock Street is an historic cottage in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Built in 1839, it is a significant local example of transitional Greek Revival/Gothic Revival architecture, and one of the earliest houses built after the subdivision of Dana Hill. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universalist Society Meetinghouse</span> Historic church in Massachusetts, United States

The Universalist Society Meetinghouse is an historic Greek Revival meetinghouse at 3 River Road in Orleans, Massachusetts. Built in 1834, it was the only Universalist church built in Orleans, and is architecturally a well-preserved local example of Greek Revival architecture. The Meeting House is now the home of the Orleans Historical Society and is known as the Meeting House Museum. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannondale Historic District</span> Historic district in Connecticut, United States

Cannondale Historic District is a historic district in the Cannondale section in the north-central area of the town of Wilton, Connecticut. The district includes 58 contributing buildings, one other contributing structure, one contributing site, and 3 contributing objects, over a 202 acres (82 ha). About half of the buildings are along Danbury Road and most of the rest are close to the Cannondale train station .The district is significant because it embodies the distinctive architectural and cultural-landscape characteristics of a small commercial center as well as an agricultural community from the early national period through the early 20th century....The historic uses of the properties in the district include virtually the full array of human activity in this region—farming, residential, religious, educational, community groups, small-scale manufacturing, transportation, and even government. The close physical relationship among all these uses, as well as the informal character of the commercial enterprises before the rise of more aggressive techniques to attract consumers, capture some of the texture of life as lived by prior generations. The district is also significant for its collection of architecture and for its historic significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Unitarian Church (Somerville, Massachusetts)</span> Historic church in Massachusetts, United States

The former First Unitarian Church is a historic church building at 130 Highland Avenue in Somerville, Massachusetts. The stone church was built in 1894 for a Unitarian congregation. It was designed by Hartwell & Richardson and is a good example of Richardsonian Romanesque design. The building presently (2022) houses the Mission Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathaniel Thayer Estate</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Nathaniel Thayer Estate is a historic house in Lancaster, Massachusetts. Built in 1846 and extensively restyled in 1902, it is a particularly fine example of Georgian Revival architecture, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Since 1946, the estate has been owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which operated Atlantic Union College there until its 2018 closure. The main house is presently home to Thayer Conservatory, bringing community together through music and the arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inness–Fitts House and Studio</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Inness–Fitts House and Studio is a historic house at 406 Main Street in Medfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1836, it is a modest transitional Federal-Greek Revival structure. Southeast of the house stands a barn, probably built in the mid-18th century, which was adapted c. 1860 by artist George Inness for use as a studio. Inness lived here from 1860 to 1864. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crowley House (North Adams, Massachusetts)</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Crowley House is a historic house located in North Adams, Massachusetts. It is one a small number of houses in North Adams built in a transitional Federalist-Greek Revival style, and one of its relatively small number of early 19th-century houses. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William B. Sherman Farm</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The William B. Sherman Farm is a historic farmhouse located at 1072 State Road in North Adams, Massachusetts. Built in the 1820s, it is one of the city's few surviving 19th-century houses, with relatively few alterations since its elaborate Italianate porch in the 1870s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sibley–Corcoran House</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Sibley–Corcoran House is a historic house at 387 Upper Valley Road in Washington, Massachusetts. Built about 1813, it is a well-preserved example of a rural Federal style farmhouse, with later Greek Revival alterations. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 12, 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Damon House</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Joseph Damon House is a historic house in Reading, Massachusetts. Built about 1754, this 2+12-story wood-frame house is good local example of a Georgian colonial house with later Federal period alterations. It also demonstrates a typical pattern of shared ownership by multiple descendants of one of its owners. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodland Street Historic District</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

The Woodland Street Historic District is a historic housing district in the Main South area of Worcester, Massachusetts. It consists of 19 Victorian houses that either face or abut on Woodland Street, between Charlotte and Oberlin Streets. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Located directly adjacent to the campus of Clark University, some of the buildings are used by Clark for housing and administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warren Sweetser House</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Warren Sweetser House is a historic house at 90 Franklin Street in Stoneham, Massachusetts. It is one of the finest Greek Revival houses in Stoneham, recognized as much for its elaborate interior detailing as it is for its exterior features. Originally located at 434 Main Street, it was moved to its present location in 2003 after being threatened with demolition. The house was found to be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, but was not listed due to owner objection. In 1990 it was listed as a contributing resource to the Central Square Historic District at its old location. It was listed on its own at its new location in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Copeland House</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Samuel Copeland House is a historic house located at 31 Harvard Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. Built c. 1847, the elaborate Greek Revival house is one two in the city with a full temple front. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 5, 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captain Goodwin–James Eustis House</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The Captain Goodwin–James Eustis House is a historic house in Wakefield, Massachusetts. Built about 1760 and enlarged around 1830, it is a good local example of Greek Revival architecture, which was owned by a prominent local businessman and civic leader. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 2, 1990, where it is listed as the "Captain Goodwin–James Custis House".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House at 15 Wave Avenue</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

15 Wave Avenue is a well-preserved Italianate style house in Wakefield, Massachusetts. It was built between 1875 and 1883, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 6, 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reuben Foster House and Perley Cleaves House</span> Historic houses in New Hampshire, United States

The Reuben Foster House and Perley Cleaves House are a pair of nearly identical Greek Revival houses at 64 and 62 North State Street in Concord, New Hampshire. Built 1848–1850, they are among New Hampshire's best examples of Greek Revival architecture, having undergone only relatively modest alterations. The houses were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The Cleaves House is further notable for its association with Mary Baker Eddy, and now serves as a historic house museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dr. Daniel Adams House</span> Historic house in New Hampshire, United States

The Dr. Daniel Adams House is a historic house at 324 Main Street in Keene, New Hampshire. Built about 1795, it is a good example of transitional Federal-Greek Revival architecture, with a well documented history of alterations by its first owner. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jotham Woodruff House</span> Historic house in Connecticut, United States

The Jotham Woodruff House is a historic house at 11 Alyssa Court in Southington, Connecticut. Probably built about 1790, it is a good local example of late Georgian architecture with later Greek Revival alterations. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building (West Newbury, Massachusetts)</span> United States historic place

The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building in West Newbury, Massachusetts is a historic American Civil War memorial building at 363 Main Street. Built in 1900, it is a distinctive local example of Gothic Revival architecture. It has served as a meeting place for veterans organizations and housed the local public library for 12 years. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockledge (Swanton, Vermont)</span> Historic house in Vermont, United States

Rockledge is a historic summer estate house on Vermont Route 207 in Swanton, Vermont. Architect Charles Saxe in 1918 designed alterations to an early 19th-century farmhouse, that is the principal surviving element of an early 20th-century gentleman's farm. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 "NRHP nomination for Beck-Warren House". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2017-01-09.
  3. "Warren House". Harvard University. Retrieved 2014-03-06.