You are here

Metropolitan Boston » Neponset River Valley » Milton » Suffolk Resolves House

Suffolk Resolves House

-A A +A
1764; c. 1785; 1950–1954, William Morris Hunt. 1370 Canton Ave.
  • Suffolk Resolves House (Keith Morgan)

Here in 1774 Massachusetts's citizens signed the Suffolk Resolves, a resolution opposing the taxation policies of the British government. Beyond its moment of fame, the house represents three major periods of construction history at three different locations. Daniel Vose built the first section (right half) in 1764 at a site near the Neponset River. In about 1785, Dr. Amos Holbrook moved it down Adams Street, doubled its size, and added the one-story portico and the central hallway with its staircase and wood paneling.

Converted to commercial purposes by 1889, the house deteriorated so radically by 1950 that demolition seemed inevitable. Dr. and Mrs. James B. Ayer had it moved to their Canton Avenue estate and restored between 1950 and 1954 by William Morris Hunt, grandson of the artist and son of architect Paul Hunt. This work also included restoration of the aboveground basement “counting room” to represent the period when the Suffolk Resolves document was signed, even though this space was actually added in 1846. The house was deeded to the Milton Historical Society in 1963.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Keith N. Morgan
×

Data

What's Nearby

William Ellery Channing Eustis House
Mrs. William Morris Hunt House
Milton Town Farm
Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory
McIntyre Farm

Citation

Keith N. Morgan, "Suffolk Resolves House", [Milton, Massachusetts], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/MA-01-MN13.

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, 548-548.

If SAH Archipedia has been useful to you, please consider supporting it.

SAH Archipedia tells the story of the United States through its buildings, landscapes, and cities. This freely available resource empowers the public with authoritative knowledge that deepens their understanding and appreciation of the built environment. But the Society of Architectural Historians, which created SAH Archipedia with University of Virginia Press, needs your support to maintain the high-caliber research, writing, photography, cartography, editing, design, and programming that make SAH Archipedia a trusted online resource available to all who value the history of place, heritage tourism, and learning.

,