Pinebank Mansion
Encyclopedia
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. It was the only original structure remaining in the park system
at the time of its demolition in 2007.
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.
, and served in that role until 1936. From 1936 to 1970, it was occupied by the engineering department of the Boston Parks Commission. 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 1987, Pinebank Mansion was listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places
and in 1996, Historic Massachusetts listed Pinebank as one of the state's top ten most endangered historic places.
report that concluded that the building was unsalvageable on January 10, 2006 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. At that meeting, three different memorial designs were presented by Victor Walker of Walker Kluesing Design Group.
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. Demolition began on January 3, 2007. 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.
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. The exterior steps taken from Hancock Manor
will be included in the memorial work.
Jamaica Pond
Jamaica Pond is a kettle pond, part of the Emerald Necklace of parks in Boston designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. The pond and park are in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, close to the border of Brookline...
in Boston, Massachusetts. Built in 1868 by John Hubbard Sturgis
John Hubbard Sturgis
John Hubbard Sturgis was an American architect active in the Boston area.Sturgis was born in Macau, China, the son of Russell Sturgis , a wealthy Boston merchant active in the China trade. After attending Boston Latin School, he travelled extensively in Europe when his father became a partner in...
, it was the only mansion retained by Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted was an American journalist, social critic, public administrator, and landscape designer. He is popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture, although many scholars have bestowed that title upon Andrew Jackson Downing...
in his plans the Emerald Necklace
Emerald Necklace
The Emerald Necklace consists of an chain of parks linked by parkways and waterways in Boston and Brookline, Massachusetts. It gets its name from the way the planned chain appears to hang from the "neck" of the Boston peninsula, although it was never fully constructed.-Overview:The Necklace...
park system. It was the only original structure remaining in the park system
at the time of its demolition in 2007.
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 ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
Trade shipping firms of James and Thomas Handasyd Perkins
Thomas Handasyd Perkins
Colonel Thomas Handasyd Perkins, or T. H. Perkins was a wealthy Boston merchant and an archetypical Boston Brahmin. Starting with bequests from his grandfather and father-in-law, he amassed a huge fortune...
.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
John Hubbard Sturgis
John Hubbard Sturgis was an American architect active in the Boston area.Sturgis was born in Macau, China, the son of Russell Sturgis , a wealthy Boston merchant active in the China trade. After attending Boston Latin School, he travelled extensively in Europe when his father became a partner in...
to build the third Pinebank house.
City of Boston
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. In 1913, Pinebank became the first home of Boston Children's MuseumBoston Children's Museum
Boston Children's Museum is a children's museum in Boston, Massachusetts, dedicated to the education of children. Located on Children's Wharf along the Fort Point Channel, Boston Children's Museum is the second oldest children's museum in the United States...
, and served in that role until 1936. From 1936 to 1970, it was occupied by the engineering department of the Boston Parks Commission. 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 1987, Pinebank Mansion was listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
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 analysisStructural analysis
Structural analysis is the determination of the effects of loads on physical structures and their components. Structures subject to this type of analysis include all that must withstand loads, such as buildings, bridges, vehicles, machinery, furniture, attire, soil strata, prostheses and...
report that concluded that the building was unsalvageable on January 10, 2006 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. At that meeting, three different memorial designs were presented by Victor Walker of Walker Kluesing Design Group.
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. Demolition began on January 3, 2007. 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.
The memorial design chosen delineates the mansion's perimeter in granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
, 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. The exterior steps taken from Hancock Manor
Hancock Manor
The Hancock Manor was a house located at 30 Beacon Street on Beacon Hill, Boston, Massachusetts. It stood near the southwest corner of what are today the grounds of the Massachusetts State House.-Description:...
will be included in the memorial work.