The Original Lenox Tub Parade – Harper’s Magazine – 1896
The Lenox Tub Parade 2018
The 28th “new” Lenox Tub Parade made its annual appearance this September. The “new” tub parade has now appeared longer than the Gilded Age original.
Colonial Carriage Society Secretary, Tjasa Sprague, recently gave a talk at Ventfort Hall on Lenox Tub Parade – Past and Present.
Lenox Tub Parade – Originally a Ladies’ Social
Anyone who’s read Edith Wharton knows that Lenox was among the husband shopping markets for young ladies of the Gilded Age. But these young ladies particularly liked Lenox because they had more freedom…..riding, driving, and hiking.
So it’s not surprising that they – somewhat spontaneously – created a social event around the light carriages they could easily drive themselves. Decorating the carriages and driving through town together was as good an excuse for a social event as any.
Like many goings on in Lenox, it was closely followed and reported in local papers as well as national newspapers and magazines.
Some described the people and rigs in detail. Others described social occasions such as “tea and a band at Sunset Terrace,” or “the young set went to Coldbrook where Mrs. Barnes gave a dance.”
What’s the “Tub” in the Lenox Tub Parade?
Governess Cart or “Tub”
Most of the ladies would have driven small carriages. “Tub” was a nickname for one type of cart – often called a governess cart. It is light and would have been easy for a pony to pull and a woman to handle. Passengers enter from the rear and sit on the sides.
Lenox Tub Parade – The Revival
In 1976, the Garden Club put on a tub parade as part of the bicentennial celebration. In 1983, the town organized a tub parade for Memorial Day. As is obvious in hindsight, guns and bands didn’t mix well with the horses. In 1989 the Colonial Carriage Driving Society was formed and tub parades have been held regularly since 1997.
In the early days of revived tub parades, large draft horses and wagons predominated. And they still appear.
Draft Horses in 2019 Tub Parade
A variety of horse drawn and human or motor powered entries rounded out the most recent parade.
2019 Tub Parade Included a Human Powered Period Vehicle
Thanks to Tjasa Sprague, Secretary Colonial Carriage Society and leader of the Lenox Tub Parade revival for this information (at Ventfort Hall 9-7-19)
Construction Workers at Shadow BrookGardeners at Ventfort HallGreenhouses at Ventfort Hall (Morgan Manor Today)
As America moved into the post Civil War Gilded Age, Lenox moved from the atmosphere of Little Women to the atmosphere of “Downton Abbey.” By the end of the 19th century, the visitors came to build and visit their lavish homes and grounds. Further from town (partly to accommodate the 100’s of acres of grounds) and much, much bigger and grander (topping out – Shadow Brook – at 250 rooms), visitors came to hunt, golf and party–sometimes for just a couple of weeks a year (for instance, Margaret Emerson at Holmwood).
Parallel Town Development
Unproven but likely generalization: at the beginning of the century the lives of ordinary Lenox residents were influenced by various local and national trends; by the end of the century, it was all about the estates.
Rationale?
In the early part of the 19th century, the population mix was changing in concert with national trends. The original families of Lenox were almost entirely descendants of The Great Migration (English Puritans). Some descendants of those early families remained into the 20th century(Sedgwick, Egleston, Walker, Tucker, Rockwell), but others had started to move on to better opportunities in the west shortly after Revolution (Paterson). At the same time, European revolutions and hardships were bringing in newcomers from Europe — particularly the Irish.
In the early part of the century, Lenox residents were evolving from strictly agriculture employment to serving the courts, serving the wealthier families or trade. In keeping with the rest of the northeast, employment was also moving into manufacturing (Lenox Furnace) – and particular to Lenox and Richmond – mining. The new arrivals from Europe moved into many of these serving and manufacturing jobs. Over time, they became managers and owners — of stables, of freight handling, etc. New names began to emerge as families of importance in town: O’Brien, Mahanna and others.
By the end of the century, Lenox Furnace manufacturing had
Sears and Cook with Their WagonPicking up Arrivals at Lenox StationLenox Town Band in Front of Peters Bike Shop
slowed and mining had ceased, but building had taken off. In addition to the Mahannas, some new names (Peters, Clifford, Bull) moved from doing the work to investing in real estate and managing construction, freightage and other industries that supported their fellow residents as well as the coming and goings of the estate families and their retinues. After they were built, the estates employed hundreds to manage their houses and grounds.
Jonathan Hinsdale – First European Settler of Lenox
A plaque across from Hawthorne Street celebrates the location of the first settler of Lenox – Jonathan Hinsdale. It was, for a long time, the primary north-south route to Stockbridge and it has beautiful views. So it is not surprising that this street was a major location for beautiful homes – in the early days up to today. Some remain, some are gone.
Rev. Justin Field House
The Original, Modest Rectory for Trinity
Not a “cottager”from a wealth stand point, but an important figure in Lenox’s Gilded Age era, Rev. Justin Field was a long-time (1862-1890) rector of Trinity Church and a leader in constructing the new church on Walker.
The space was also used as a boarding facility for students of Elizabeth Sedgwick’s school — including young Jenny Jerome (future mother of Winston Churchill).
20 Old Stockbridge Road as It Appears in 2016
In keeping with the newly robust and wealthy congregation, the space was upgraded to the Tudor-like structure that stands today at 20 Old Stockbridge Road as a private residence. In 1892 a new rectory was built on the Trinity Church grounds.
Miss Lippicott’s School
School or Perhaps Living Space for Lenox Academy and Other Private Schools
The building that still stands today as privately owned condominiums, was similarly, a re-work of an earlier structure and a facility for wealthy visitors. It has also been referred to as Tanner Cottage.
Moved and Changed
Rockwood (11 Old Stockbridge Road) – c. 1880
One of the first buildings you encounter on Old Stockbridge Road, now the Rockwood Inn, began life elsewhere. It was known as the Williams Tavern in 1825 and was located where Main and Cliffwood now meet. It would have been one of many taverns that did a land office business during Lenox’s busy court days.
Leonard Constance Peters
Around 1880, the building was purchased by Leonard Constance Peters who started a number of successful businesses in Lenox. He added the Victorian front of the building in the late 1880s. As with many successful Lenox businesses at the turn of the century, he catered to the estate owners by providing lodging for their secretaries and horses for hire.
Redwood
Redwood – 1881
Redwood was built about 1880 for S. Parkman Shaw. Later owners used the name Beechknoll.
Beaupre – Gone But Not Forgotten
Beaupre 1902-1961
George and Elizabeth Turnure built Beaupre in 1902 roughly where Turnure Terrace stands today. The house picture here reflects alterations to an 1867 structure. The 1961 fire was thought to have been caused by some Windsor School students.
George Turnure was a New York banker and the father of a 21 year old WWI flying ace. His son was killed and, in his honor, George built the Lenox Brotherhood Club on Walker St. that would become the Lenox Community Center.
Lithgow – Gone and No Photos
This described in David Woods’ Lenox Massachusetts Shire Town (1969) as being on the west side of Lanier Hill on Old Stockbridge Road. The house (apparently extant at that time) is dated to the late eighteenth century although “modernized” in 1870 by Alfred Gilmore.
Burton Harrison House
15 Hawthorne – Burton Harrison House – c. 1882; Now (Brook Farm Inn
In another example of cashing in on resort development, Frederick Rackemann bought a local farm in 1882 and constructed this house for rental. Rackemann was married to Elizabeth Dwight Sedgwick and lived at the Hive.
The first tenants were Burton Harrison and his wife Constance Cary Harrison. The cottage became known as “The Burton Harrison House.”
The Harrisons were originally from Richmond, Virginia. Burton Harrison served as the personal secretary to President Jefferson Davis. Constance was a direct descendant of Thomas Jefferson. After the Civil War the Harrisons moved north and became prominent members of New York society.
How Our Inn’s Berkshires History Is Tied to the Statue of Liberty
Like many of their contemporaries, the Harrisons chose to leave the city for the summer season. They rented the Lenox cottage and entertained their friends there. Guests included the Andrew Carnegies, Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, and the poet Emma Lazarus. Constance was a popular novelist and playwright. She enlisted some of her friends to act out parts of her plays in the library of the Lenox house.
In 1883 Constance chaired a fund-raising art exhibition. A statue was being given as a gift to the people of the United States, from the people of France, and New Yorkers were busy raising funds to construct a pedestal for the statue. Constance joined in this effort by gathering a portfolio of original literary works by leading American authors, which she planned to auction at the art exhibit. Constance asked her friend Emma Lazarus to write a sonnet for the occasion. Lazarus, a member of the Harrisons’ New York set, had been doing volunteer work at a Lower East Side settlement house. Constance suggested that Emma use that as inspiration and several days later received a copy of the famous poem
Frederick Rackemann died in 1900, and to his butler, James Whittenham. Whittenham was in the odd position of having the building, but no property on which to situate it. He purchased real estate on Hawthorne Street from Bertia Parsons, the widow of Julius Parsons. The cottage was moved down the hill, and found a permanent home at 15 Hawthorne Street. It is currently operated as a bed and breakfast.
Parenthetically, on its way down the hill, the house passed the famous elm tree where a fatal sled accident had occurred. Lenox resident Edith Wharton later based her novel, Ethan Frome, on the accident. The tree was eventually removed, but a grassy triangle still marks the spot at the intersection of Old Stockbridge Road and Hawthorne Street.
It was purchased in the 1970’s by Ruth Backes, a direct descendant of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Her family history is important because Emerson was involved in the original Brook Farm, a utopian cooperative community of the 1840’s; Ruth Backes changed the name of the inn to Brook Farm Inn. Nathaniel Hawthorne was also involved in the original Brook Farm, and based his novel, The Blithedale Romance, on his experiences there. How ironic that the inn is located on Hawthorne Street!
(from Brook Farm Inn website)
Plumstead
Plumstead When Home of Joseph Whistler
A jail was among the needs Lenox had when it was the county seat (1784 to 1867). Plumstead was the first site of the jail and the jailer’s house. The jailer is also described as owning Blossom Hill Farm. Part of the structures were burned down by a prisoner in 1814. By the late 19th century
Cortland Field Bishop (1870-1935) drove fast cars, invested in the Wright Brothers, wrote about history and collected books. Like several of his Lenox estate owning counterparts, both his father and mother came from wealthy families. His brother David committed suicide in 1911 and the entire family fortune came to Cortland. He used part of his fortune to buy up a number of properties in addition to those he inherited. His properties surrounded Bishop’s Estate (running from Old Stockbridge Road to Kemble Street across from Canyon Ranch) plus further up OSR (across from Elm Court) Interlaken. He razed The Perch(off Kemble) and built the Winter Palace
He razed Yokun Farm on Old Stockbridge Road and built Ananda Hall in 1927 (demolished 1940)
Yokun Farm – 1791
The original house on Yokun Farm had been built by the William Walker family (one of three Lenox properties William Walker owned) and passed to the Goodman family — perhaps after the Walkers moved to their house in town.
Ananda Hall was razed shortly after Cortland died and only a rock wall remains on Old Stockbridge Road. The Winter Palace he had built off Kemble remains. The Bishop family also built two houses (for all those overflow guests!) on Walker Street that stand today.
The rest of the former and standing estates start bleeding into Stockbridge, but their owners probably would have socialized toward Lenox.
Allen Winden
Allen Winden – 1882
Allen Winden was built next to where Yokun Farm had been and had a spectacular view. The house, apparently named for a town in Switzerland, was built in 1882 by Charles Lanier (1837-1926) and Sarah Egleston Lanier (1837-1898).
Allen Winden Stables
Sarah was a descendant of Azariah Egleston, one of Lenox’s Revolutionary War heroes and early town leaders. Lanier, a banker and investor, lived the good gilded age life with lavish hunt breakfasts and weddings in Lenox plus membership in the famous Georgia Jekyll Island Club and J.P. Morgan’s Corsair Club. Good thing – since J.P. Morgan, a frequent business partner, had to bail Lanier out a couple of times.
The elaborate house was demolished, after Lanier’s death, in 1926 and replaced by a plainer Henry Seaver design. The elaborate landscaping was divided up into lots and it is now the Winden Hill Condominium complex.
Elm Court
Elm Court – 1886
This shingle style spectacular was another product of two fortunes marrying. The original house was much smaller than the 90 room final product. Designed by Peabody and Frederick Law
Emily Vanderbilt and William D. Sloane
Olmsted, it was commissioned by William Douglas Sloane (1840 – 1915) and Emily Vanderbilt Sloane (1852-1946). He was the son of the prosperous Sloane furniture business and she was the granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt.
Miraculously, the property has survived and the current owners are seeking approval to build a luxury hotel around the gilded age complex.
Overlee
The Lenox Hunt at Overlee – Built 1903
Down the road toward Stockbridge, Samuel (1868-1923) and Elinor (1873-1961) Frothingham built Overlee in 1903. As with so many of its wannabe Elizabethan counterparts in Lenox, Overlee replaced a shingle style home called Glad Hill (no pictures). While
Overlee Residence of Samuel Frothingham – 1903
Overlee was being built the Frothinghams stayed at the Poplars across Old Stockbridge Road (also no pictures). As the hunt club gather shown above suggests, the Frothinghams were avid athletes and were active in the hunt club, golf and gardening.
Before settling into its current role as the Hillcrest Educational Center, it had been, along with so many other former estates, a boys’ boarding school.
Merrywood
Merrywood in 2011 – In Its Last Days? – 320 Old Stockbridge Road
Colonial Revival Merrywood was built in 1882 by Peabody and Sterns for Charles Bullard (1857-1911). He had grown up at Highwood and was the son of East India merchant William s. Bullard.
For awhile it was operated as a Music Camp. Its fate is uncertain.
Poplars
The Poplars
Known to have existed near Bean Hill Road (the Frothinghams lived here prior to the construction of Overlee) but limited additional information.
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For much more on the architecture of these houses and the people who lived in them, see
Houses of the Berkshires, 1870-1930, by Richard S. Jackson Jr. and Cornelia Brooke Gilder, Acanthus Press, 2006
The Berkshire Cottages, A Vanishing Era, by Carole Owens, Cottage Press, Inc. 1980
Groton Place – 1905 – Became the Summer Home of Grenville Lindall Withrop and His Two Daughters
Grenville LIndall Winthrop built Groton Place in 1905 as a summer home. It encompassed the stone villa on this site from 1858 (The Elms). The new Carrera & Hastings designed building replaced the old with a classical, symmetrical order preferred by Winthrop. He had all Victorian features removed.
The formality of the design is an interesting contrast to the Carrere & Hastings designed Bellefontaine (now Canyon Ranch on Kemble Street). The Groton Place building is not only more formal but is set in a more recessive landscape. The building and landscape seem uniquely appropriate for the somewhat reclusive, 9th generation Winthrop owner.
Winthrop was highly involved in the design of the grounds. At his direction, a landscape was created that was very sculptural with massed shrubs, ornamental ponds, decorative out buildings and highly tailored hedges…..no flowers.
Groton Place Library-Everet Hale Lincoln Photograph Collection Lenox LibraryDouble House at 15 E. 81st St. Winthrop Purchased to Accommodate His Collection (Museum City of New York)
Reportedly, Winthrop’s favorite room was the wood- paneled library.The house was full of clocks and artworks. (1)
Winthrop was a discerning and extensive collector who, in addition to his Lenox summer home, moved, in the 1920’s, to a double house at 15 East 81st St. in New York to accommodate his collection.
In addition to the 150 acres he owned for his summer house, he bought large tracts near Bald Head Mountain to protect his views. He was said to employ 40 men to mow the lawns and to keep 500 peacocks and pheasants that roamed the property (2).
After Winthrop’s death in 1943, Groton Place was purchased by the Bondy’s to be the home of the Windsor Mountain School. Currently, the property is owned by Boston University and used as a summer music school and also for Berkshire Country Day classes.
Groton Place Today
1. Houses of the Berkshires 1870-1930, by Richard S. Jackson Jr., and Cornelia Brooke Gilder, Acanthus Press, 2006, pps. 230-233
2. Harvard Magazine, “Unveiled – For the First Time, a Recluse’s Treasures Go Traveling,” by Christopher Reed, March-April 2003
An excellent example of the immigrants who came to work on the estates – and whose descendants populate modern Lenox.
L.C. Peters, one of 10 children, left Kent, England in 1870, when he was 20, to look for work in the United States. His first stop was Troy, NY where he had family and became part of the work crew that came to Lenox to build Ethelwynd. A skilled carpenter, he saved, and had, after four years, enough to bring over his fiancée, Martha Barnes and they raised three children to adulthood in Lenox.
Born to a wealthy New York family in 1835, Annie Haggerty Shaw represents both the Berkshire Civil War widows and the “first generation” of Lenox summer homeowners.
Her parents, Elizabeth Kneeland Haggerty and Ogden Haggerty (also buried at Church on the Hill) summered at Vent Fort. Pictured here, the building, no longer standing, was moved and replaced by the far grander Ventfort Hall built by Sarah Morgan in 1893 and still standing today.
This transformation was illustrative of the 19th century evolution of Lenox from a charming, intellectual watering hole for the Sedgewicks, Melvilles and Hawthornes to the “can you top this,” opulence of the Gilded Age.
In 1861 she met Robert Gould Shaw, the son of a wealthy Boston family active in the Abolitionist movement. The Shaw family used their influence to get Robert appointed as leader of the Union’s first all Black regiment, the Massachusetts 54th.
Annie and Robert married in 1863 and honeymooned briefly at Vent Fort before Shaw shipped out at the head of his regiment. As portrayed in the movie, “Glory,” Robert Gould Shaw and many of his troops were mowed down in the assault on Fort Wagner.
Annie Haggerty Shaw never re-married and died in Boston in 1907.
A.J. Jessup Mansion built in 1890 is a typical Lenox Gilded Age Mansion
Belvoir Terrace was designed by Rotch & Tilden and built between 1888-1890 for Morris K. Jesup, with landscaping by Frederick Law Olmstead. John Shepherd purchased the estate in the early 1920’s, making many renovations: the addition of two rooms, the enclosure of the porch, and the installation of a slate roof. Like Mr. Jesup, Mr. Shepherd and his family enjoyed summering at Belvoir. As a summer camp, Belvoir Terrace preserves the great lawn, wooded paths, and imported trees, while restoring the mansion and carefully developing new facilities.
In 2001, a study prepared by The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission and The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission stated, “Among the great estates, Belvoir Terrace is one of the best examples of an estate that maintains a reasonable balance between active use and preservation. The balance is attributable to the current owners’ singular knowledge of building preservation standards, adherence to a maintenance plan, and to the estate’s successful re-use as a summer arts camp. The estate is itself an important focal point on Cliffwood Street.”
From Surveys Completed 2011-2012 by the Lenox Historical Commission
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION:
This Colonial Revival style building has two stories, an asphalt shingle roof and has been altered. It now has a 4-bay, wood frame; mansard roof with a dentiled band at the cornice, gable roof dormers and shed dormer on the rear ell. It has wood clapboard siding. There are 4 brick chimneys-1 on front wall, 1 rear wall; 1 side wall & 1 interior on side/rear ell. The house has some early 12 over 1 and 6 over 1 windows. There is a full front porch with fluted Doric columns and dentils. The front door is surrounded with molded header, architrave, and 2/3-length side lights. The 2-story right side ell extends to the rear and probably incorporates the original kitchen wing off of the right rear corner (depicted on 1876 Beers Map). The rear porch has Doric columns at the interior corner of the main house & west side of rear ell. It has a 1-story faceted bay window on front of right side ell and authentic window blinds on the 2nd story windows on the front facade and bay window.
HISTORICAL NARRATIVE:
The original portion of the structure was the home of Israel Dewey, one of Lenox’s earliest settlers. Dewey, who established a home in the area by 1764, was one of the proprietors of Lenox and served in a number of public positions. Like many Berkshire householders, Dewey was licensed as an innkeeper. He left Lenox for Vermont in the early 1790’s, and after several changes in ownership the property was acquired by Zadock Hubbard in 1798. He enlarged the house and opened it as the Hubbard Tavern. In 1806 the building was sold to Azariah Egleston, a locally prominent man, and converted back to a private residence. The house was substantially enlarged and altered after Mary Loring bought it in 1868. In 1885 it was sold to Mr. and Mrs. Richard S. Dana of New York and was remodeled for use as a summer home. The Dana family retained ownership until 1953, when it was sold and returned to use as an inn.
The property was sold to Toner Associates Inc. in 1991 and then to Ellen Gutman Chenaux in 1999.
BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES:
Not shown on1854 Clark Map. 1939 Sanborn Map depicts current footprint.
The Book of Berkshire, Clark W. Bryan, 1886
Lenox – Massachusetts Shire Town, David H. Wood, 1969
County Atlas of Berkshire, Mass., F. W. Beers, 1876
Atlas of the Garden Spots of Berkshire, Barnes and Jenks, 1894
From Surveys Completed 2011-2012 by the Lenox Historical Commission
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION:
This is a 2-story, wood-framed house with wood clapboard and shingle siding prominently sited atop a hillock. It displays characteristics of both the Shingle and Queen Anne architectural styles. It has an asymmetrical arrangement of the front facade and irregular footprint. The roof is cross-gabled, clad with asphalt shingles, and features a number of dormers. A small dentil band on the cornice encircles the house. There are four massive brick chimneystacks (having multiple flues). There are a variety of shingles—the front gables have scalloped shingles with incised circles; the right side gable has sawtooth and tongue shingles alternating every row; and the second floor has rows of notched shingles over regular rectangular cut shingles. Scroll sawn brackets support all the projecting gables. Two projecting front gabled bays dominate the front facade. The larger of the two is on the right. It has a projecting gabled roof with a set off three attic windows, a broken pediment spanning all three. (This attic window arrangement is repeated on the right side of the house.) A canted bay window on the second floor is centered below, and below it is a 1-story sunporch with balcony atop. The left side pavilion is similar, except with a single 6-o-6 attic window and second floor French door that gives out onto a balcony that tops a fairly recent 1-story addition to the front. (It obscures the original front entry). The entrance, which was moved to the left (north) side, has a porch with two plain pillars and two pilasters with spindled balustrade atop, finials at its corners. The current entry door surround has a fanlight and 2/3-length sidelights. There is a 1-story ell on the left side of the rear ell. In 1885 a large 2-story rear addition was constructed. Attic windows are generally 6-light barn sash type, though on the right side, it has been replaced with a screen. There are a number of original Queen Anne style windows (small square panes surrounding a larger pane) and others with multi-paned transoms.
A large wood-framed carriage barn is sited well behind the house to the east. It has a gable roof with dormers and a cross-gabled right side ell. A greenhouse is also set back from the house, north and west of the carriage barn. A newer front gabled 2-stall garage is located behind the house and south of it is an in-ground swimming pool and gable-roofed pool house. The rear side yard in which the pool and pool house are located is fenced. A curvilinear driveway off Yokun Avenue with its entrance to the north of the house ascends the hill to a wide drop-off area at the front entrance, continues behind the house to access the garage, with a branch eastward to access the carriage barn. There are many mature coniferous and deciduous trees throughout the property.
Architect Henry M. Seaver (3/6/1873 –
The Edward A. Jones Memorial Building was designed by Pittsfield architect Henry M. Seaver. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1897 and began his own architectural firm in 1901.[1] By 1903 he had entered into a partnership with George C. Harding that lasted until Harding’s death in 1921.[2] During that period the firm designed the YMCA Building in Pittsfield; the Chapel at Colgate University in central New York; the Museum of Natural History and Art in Pittsfield; the Colby Academy in New London, New Hampshire; and the Lenox Town Hall.[3] After Harding’s death in 1921, Seaver kept the office open through 1933, during which time he designed the Jones building at the House of Mercy. Other buildings for which he was responsible in this period include the R.J. Flick Residence; an addition to the Berkshire Life Building in Pittsfield; and an addition to the Pittsfield Boys Club Building. He was also an associate architect on the Pittsfield High School Building.[4]
Architect Charles Follen McKim FAIA (August 24, 1847 – September 14, 1909)
McKim, with the aid of Richard Morris Hunt, was instrumental in the formation of the American School of Architecture in Rome in 1894, which has become the American Academy in Rome, and designed the main campus buildings with his firm McKim, Mead, and White.
“KING EDWARD HONORS CHARLES F. McKIM”. NY Times. June 9, 1903.
Moore, Charles (1929). The Life and Times of Charles Follen McKim. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. pp. 204-241. The royal gold medal was awarded for the restoration of the White House. In 1902 Congress appropriated $475,445 for this purpose to be spent at the discretion of President Theodore Roosevelt.
HISTORICAL NARRATIVE:
This house was built for Miss Mary DePeyster Carey. In 1917, it was sold to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Strong and in 1931 to Miss Anna R. Alexandre, daughter of John Alexandre builder of Spring Lawn. In 1994 Miss Alexandre sold the house to Dr. and Mrs. Milos Krofta. In 2004 it was acquired by Barbara Crosby.
BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES:
Valuation of the Property, Lenox Library
Wood David, Lenox: Shire Town, P193.
Book of Berkshire P144
Lenox Assessor’s database
[1] Berkshire Athenaeum/Pittsfield Library, History Department, Architects file.
[2] Henry F. Withey, AIA and Elsie Rathburn Withey, Biographical Dictionary of American Architects (Deceased)(Los Angeles: Hennessey & Ingalls, Inc., 1970) p 264.
[3] Massachusetts Cultural Resource Inventory System (MACRIS) online at: <http://mhc-macris.net>
[4] Berkshire Athenaeum/Pittsfield Library, History Department, Architects file.
From Surveys Completed 2011-2012 by the Lenox Historical Commission
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION:
This house displays a transitional architectural style from Gothic Revival to Queen Anne. The wood-framed building originally had an upright and wing form with cross-gable roof. Verge boards have scroll sawn ends, and there are exposed rafter ends. A broken-eave front gabled dormer is at the center of the roof. There is an exposed brick side wall chimney on the right facade. Cladding is wood clapboard on the first floor, wood shingle on the second. The front gabled right bay has an oculus in the gable, tall, narrow paired windows on the second floor over a canted bay window on the first. Modillions and a scroll sawn bracket ornament the underside of this second floor overhang. The foundation is constructed of large rough-faced cut stones and there is a basement-level entry under the porch. In addition to this being converted to a dwelling, the front gabled section on the left side has been added above the exposed basement. It has a 1-story extension off its left side at the first floor level that is supported by piers/pillars. The front porch, with a front gable entry feature and millwork railing, is another addition or reconstruction. Although it is complementary in style to the original building, the architectural details are larger in scale and the fenestration slightly different in this addition. Windows and doors are all likely replacements.
A 1.5-story barn is located southeast of the house. It has a cross-gable roof that extends over a rear ell. A broken-eave dormer with 6-light window is located on the street facade of the rear ell. Wood clapboard siding is on the first floor and vertical board and batten siding is above with a scalloped lower edge. There are three vehicle bays oriented to the north (facing the dwelling) and a 1-story, 1-stall garage has been added to its right side. It has a fieldstone foundation. An in-ground swimming pool is located behind the barn, south of the house. A semi-circular driveway has two access points on Yokun Avenue. A stream runs through the property south of the buildings.
HISTORICAL NARRATIVE:
This building was originally one of a group of three dependencies (accessory buildings) on the Stonover estate. It may have served as a caretaker’s dwelling, as well as other utilitarian needs such as a greenhouse on the basement level. This set of buildings predates the elaborate Stonover Farm, located in the far western part of the estate. The Stonover Mansion was located northeast of the site of this property; it was demolished in 1940. The 1876 Beers and 1904 Barnes and Farnham maps illustrate a group of three outbuildings as a part of the John E. Parson’s Estate.
Mr and Mrs. Ronald Woodger acquired the property in 1942. It was acquired by Mark Liponis in 1995.
BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES:
1876 Beers, 1894 Barnes and Jenks, 1904 Barnes and Farnham Maps, 1894 Barnes and Jenks Map
