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Captain Peter Tufts House

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c. 1680. 350 Riverside Ave.
  • Captain Peter Tufts House (Keith Morgan)
  • (Damie Stillman)

Peter Tufts Sr. constructed this house, the oldest brick dwelling in New England. (The Jonathan Wade House—1683–1689, 13 Bradlee Road—was also built of brick.) Tufts acquired this land in 1677, which included a brickyard, and deeded a portion of it “with housings” to his son, Captain Peter Tufts, in 1680. Its brick construction, two end chimneys, early use of a modified gambrel roof, and oval windows make the house unusual. The interior has a central hall plan with a turned baluster staircase and chamfered beams. In an early preservation project for this region, Colonel Samuel Lawrence hired architect Lyman Sise in 1890 to rebuild sections of brick walls, remove the lath and plaster, and replicate some of the woodwork, such as portions of the staircase. This early restoration has complicated efforts to document the architectural evolution of the house. Owned by the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, the house is open by appointment only.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Keith N. Morgan
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Data

What's Nearby

Old Ship Street Historic District
Middlesex Fells Parkway
Mystic River Reservation
Isaac Royall House
Bigelow Block

Citation

Keith N. Morgan, "Captain Peter Tufts House", [Medford, Massachusetts], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/MA-01-MD4.

Print Source

Cover: Buildings of Massachusetts

Buildings of Massachusetts: Metropolitan Boston, Keith N. Morgan, with Richard M. Candee, Naomi Miller, Roger G. Reed, and contributors. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2009, 407-408.

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