1856, Nathaniel J. Bradlee. 53 Beacon St.
Nathaniel J. Bradlee provided the widow of Samuel Appleton with a refined expression of the latest architectural fashion on a traditional bowfront town house. A rusticated basement level contains a round-arched window and a matching round-arched doorway. The three floors above are faced with smooth ashlar brownstone. The windows on each level reflect traditional functions: floor length for the piano nobile, standard height for the bedrooms, and smaller round-arched windows at the attic level. A wide overhanging cornice with modillions completes the composition by providing the narrow building with a strongly articulated roofline, an elegant solution for a narrow urban lot.