1 Somerset Road is one of only five houses built on the land of the former Blake estate since the second phase of the Blake Park development ended in 1941. The residents of this house, which was not built until after the period surveyed for this project, have not been included here.
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Architect: | |
Builder: | |
Cost to Build: | |
Owner (On Permit Date): |
1 Somerset Road is one of only five houses built on the land of the former Blake estate since the second phase of the Blake Park development ended in 1941. The residents of this house, which was not built until after the period surveyed for this project, have not been included here.
10 Hancock Road, situated at the top of the Gardner Path steps leading up from Washington Street, was the first of six houses built on this cul-de-sac street near the highest point of the Blake Park development. The architect was Frederick H. Gowing, author of "Building Plans for Modern Houses." Gowing had designed 9 Greenough Street in Blake Park two years earlier. See 9 Greenough Street for more about him.
The residents of this house from 1929, when they were first listed in the Street List, until the early 1960s were Margaret and H. Spencer Moody. Spencer Moody was in the real estate business with his Brookline-based H.S. Moody Company.
The 1930 U.S. Census listed the residents as: Henry S. Moody Jr., 29, operator (real estate); Margaret F. Moody, 28; and Marilyn E. Moody, <1. The house was valued at $20,000.
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Year Built:
Permit Date: |
1927 8/1/1927 |
Architect:
|
Fred H. Gowing |
Builder:
|
Mr. Bodge (no first name given) |
Cost to Build:
|
$12,000 |
Owner
(On Permit Date): |
Henry Spencer Moody, Jr., 772 Washington Street |
First Residents:
|
Margaret F. & Henry Spencer Moody |
10 Hancock Road, situated at the top of the Gardner Path steps leading up from Washington Street, was the first of six houses built on this cul-de-sac street near the highest point of the Blake Park development. The architect was Frederick H. Gowing, author of "Building Plans for Modern Houses." Gowing had designed 9 Greenough Street in Blake Park two years earlier. See 9 Greenough Street for more about him.
The residents of this house from 1929, when they were first listed in the Street List, until the early 1960s were Margaret and H. Spencer Moody. Spencer Moody was in the real estate business with his Brookline-based H.S. Moody Company.
The 1930 U.S. Census listed the residents as: Henry S. Moody Jr., 29, operator (real estate); Margaret F. Moody, 28; and Marilyn E. Moody, <1. The house was valued at $20,000.
This house was one of four built in 1940 on the south side of Blake Road, on land that had remained part of the Blake Estate after the rest of the estate was sold for the earlier stage of development. All were built by the builder/architect team of Simon Black and Ralph I. Williams. (The two were also responsible for four houses on Welland Road built after the death of Frances Blake and the sale of the remaining property.)
The first owners were Benjamin and Edith Rodman. Benjamin was a merchant, possibly in the meat business. He died in 1984, the last year the family was listed at this address in the Street List. Edith died in 1988. She had been an executive secretary with the New England Stationery Co. of Boston.
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Year Built:
Permit Date: |
1940 7/31/1940 |
Architect:
|
Ralph I. Williams |
Builder:
|
Simon S. Black |
Cost to Build:
|
$10,000 |
Owner
(On Permit Date): |
Simon Black |
First Residents:
|
Benjamin & Edith Rodman |
This house was one of four built in 1940 on the south side of Blake Road, on land that had remained part of the Blake Estate after the rest of the estate was sold for the earlier stage of development. All were built by the builder/architect team of Simon Black and Ralph I. Williams. (The two were also responsible for four houses on Welland Road built after the death of Frances Blake and the sale of the remaining property.)
The first owners were Benjamin and Edith Rodman. Benjamin was a merchant, possibly in the meat business. He died in 1984, the last year the family was listed at this address in the Street List. Edith died in 1988. She had been an executive secretary with the New England Stationery Co. of Boston.
One of 10 houses in Blake Park constructed by the builders Burdo & Boyd, including five in a row at this end of Welland Road, 99 Welland Road was the home at first of Israel and Ida Liebman and their family.
Israel Liebman (1887-1976), and his wife Ida (born c1892 in New York) were both the children of Russian immigrants. Israel Liebman was a florist and later a flower broker. A 1960 profile of him in the Christian Science Monitor (the Liebmans were still in Brookline at the time but no longer on Welland Road) described how, at the end if his working day, he would give away hundreds of unsold flowers to passerby on the streets of Brookline "rather than see them sold...for practically nothing."
"He's been selling flowers all his life," wrote the Monitor, "even as a small boy clandestinely peddling them on Boston streets, one step ahead of the friendly policeman."
The Liebmans were listed at this address until the late 1940s. The 1930 U.S. Census listed the residents of 103 Welland Road as: Israel Liebman, 42, florist; Ida Leibman, 38, born New York; Marc Liebman, 15; Barbette Liebman, 12; and Catherine Cassidy, 20, servant, born Irish Free State. The house was valued at $15,000.
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Year Built:
Permit Date: |
1929 6/22/1929 |
Architect:
|
Burdo & Boyd |
Builder:
|
Burdo & Boyd |
Cost to Build:
|
$12,000 |
Owner
(On Permit Date): |
Burdo & Boyd, 123 Sutherland Road, Brighton |
First Residents:
|
Israel & Ida Liebman |
One of 10 houses in Blake Park constructed by the builders Burdo & Boyd, including five in a row at this end of Welland Road, 99 Welland Road was the home at first of Israel and Ida Liebman and their family.
Israel Liebman (1887-1976), and his wife Ida (born c1892 in New York) were both the children of Russian immigrants. Israel Liebman was a florist and later a flower broker. A 1960 profile of him in the Christian Science Monitor (the Liebmans were still in Brookline at the time but no longer on Welland Road) described how, at the end if his working day, he would give away hundreds of unsold flowers to passerby on the streets of Brookline "rather than see them sold...for practically nothing."
"He's been selling flowers all his life," wrote the Monitor, "even as a small boy clandestinely peddling them on Boston streets, one step ahead of the friendly policeman."
The Liebmans were listed at this address until the late 1940s. The 1930 U.S. Census listed the residents of 103 Welland Road as: Israel Liebman, 42, florist; Ida Leibman, 38, born New York; Marc Liebman, 15; Barbette Liebman, 12; and Catherine Cassidy, 20, servant, born Irish Free State. The house was valued at $15,000.
One of the first houses to be built after the resumption of work in Blake Park in 1925, 104 Gardner Road was the home of Jacob and Pauline Barbey. They apparently divorced or separated shortly after moving into the house. Jacob was listed elsewhere in Brookline in the Street List after 1927 while Pauline continued to live in this house. Jacob, who was financial vice-president of the New England Mutual Life Association, died at the Hotel Beaconsfield in 1956.
Pauline de M. Barbey, who was born in Tennessee, was the only person listed at this address in the 1930 Census. The house was valued at $35,000.
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Year Built:
Permit Date: |
1925 8/13/1925 |
Architect:
|
Albert Hardtke or Hordtke |
Builder:
|
Lewis & Hillman |
Cost to Build:
|
$16,000 |
Owner
(On Permit Date): |
Lewis & Hillman, Boston |
First Residents:
|
Jacob A. & Pauline de M. Barbey |
One of the first houses to be built after the resumption of work in Blake Park in 1925, 104 Gardner Road was the home of Jacob and Pauline Barbey. They apparently divorced or separated shortly after moving into the house. Jacob was listed elsewhere in Brookline in the Street List after 1927 while Pauline continued to live in this house. Jacob, who was financial vice-president of the New England Mutual Life Association, died at the Hotel Beaconsfield in 1956.
Pauline de M. Barbey, who was born in Tennessee, was the only person listed at this address in the 1930 Census. The house was valued at $35,000.
This house was one of six designed by Joseph Selwyn and build by Jacob Hurwitz on Somerset Road in 1941. They were among the last houses built in the development of Blake Park (not counting three homes added in the 1950s).
The first residents of 104 Somerset Road were Herman and Jennie Vershbow and their family who moved here from Boston. Herman Vershbow (1891-1975) was born in Poland and came to the U.S. in 1902. He was (probably) the owner of Modern Die & Machine Co. in Dorchester. Herman and Jennie (born c1895) had two sons, Arthur and Daniel. Both sons graduated from MIT. Arthur Vershbow (born c1923) was later vice president and labor relations director of Modern Die and Machine. He was also president of the Boston Athaneum from 1982 to 1996. Daniel Vershbow (1924-2003) served as an executive officer at the Serve-O-Lift Corp. of Boston.
The Verbshow family was listed at this address from 1943 until the late 1960s.
]]>Year Built: Permit Date: |
1941 8/8/1941 |
Architect: | Joseph Selwyn |
Builder: | Jacob Hurwitz |
Cost to Build: | $10,000 |
Owner (On Permit Date): |
Jacob Hurwitz, Dorchester |
First Residents: | Herman & Jennie Vershbow |
This house was one of six designed by Joseph Selwyn and build by Jacob Hurwitz on Somerset Road in 1941. They were among the last houses built in the development of Blake Park (not counting three homes added in the 1950s).
The first residents of 104 Somerset Road were Herman and Jennie Vershbow and their family who moved here from Boston. Herman Vershbow (1891-1975) was born in Poland and came to the U.S. in 1902. He was (probably) the owner of Modern Die & Machine Co. in Dorchester. Herman and Jennie (born c1895) had two sons, Arthur and Daniel. Both sons graduated from MIT. Arthur Vershbow (born c1923) was later vice president and labor relations director of Modern Die and Machine. He was also president of the Boston Athaneum from 1982 to 1996. Daniel Vershbow (1924-2003) served as an executive officer at the Serve-O-Lift Corp. of Boston.
The Verbshow family was listed at this address from 1943 until the late 1960s.
This house was one of six designed by Joseph Selwyn and build by Jacob Hurwitz on Somerset Road in 1941. They were among the last houses built in the development of Blake Park (not counting three homes added in the 1950s).
The first residents were Edith and Paul Mannos, who moved here from 69 Baxter Road. They were listed her for just one year (1942). Paul Mannos, a contractor, was convicted in 1941, along with the mayor of Cambridge, of arranging kickbacks from architects and engineers for building contracts with the city. Mannos was sentenced to 3-4 years in prison.
The next residents were Anna and Louis J. Bernstein who moved here from Brighton. Louis Bernstein (born in Canada c1898; his parents were immigrants from Poland) was a merchant, shown as owner of a general store in the 1930 Census when the family lived in Boston. He and his wife Anna (1902?-1987?), who was born in Poland, had a daughter, Estelle. The family was listed at this address from 1943 until the late 1960s.
]]>Year Built: Permit Date: |
1941 4/28/1941 |
Architect: | Joseph Selwyn |
Builder: | Jacob Hurwitz |
Cost to Build: | $12,000 |
Owner (On Permit Date): |
Jacob Hurwitz, Dorchester |
First Residents: | Edith & Paul Mannos |
This house was one of six designed by Joseph Selwyn and build by Jacob Hurwitz on Somerset Road in 1941. They were among the last houses built in the development of Blake Park (not counting three homes added in the 1950s).
The first residents were Edith and Paul Mannos, who moved here from 69 Baxter Road. They were listed her for just one year (1942). Paul Mannos, a contractor, was convicted in 1941, along with the mayor of Cambridge, of arranging kickbacks from architects and engineers for building contracts with the city. Mannos was sentenced to 3-4 years in prison.
The next residents were Anna and Louis J. Bernstein who moved here from Brighton. Louis Bernstein (born in Canada c1898; his parents were immigrants from Poland) was a merchant, shown as owner of a general store in the 1930 Census when the family lived in Boston. He and his wife Anna (1902?-1987?), who was born in Poland, had a daughter, Estelle. The family was listed at this address from 1943 until the late 1960s.
This house, one of two built on Tappan Street as part of the Blake Park development, was designed and constructed by Burdo & Boyd, builders who were also responsible for nine other Blake Park houses.
109 Tappan was the home at first to the McGinnis family, including John and Hannah McGinnis and their four adult children. John J. McGinnis (born c1860 in New York) was a public school custodian. He and Hannah (also born c1860) were both the children of Irish immigrants.
The McGinnis' oldest child, Mary (born c1887) was listed as a secretary and stenographer in the Brookline Street List. The 1930 U.S. Census showed her as a secretary at a wool company. The second child, John B. (1894-1980) was a wholesale leather salesman. (His World War I draft registration showed him as a sole sorter for the Armour Leather Company.) His brother George (born c1897) was listed as a salesman in the Street List. The 1930 Census showed him as an installer for a radiator company. The younger daughter in the family, Louise (born c1900), was an artist at a greeting card company.
The complete 1930 U.S. Census listing showed the residents as: John J. McGinnis, 70, custodian (public school), born New York; Hannah F. McGinnis, 70; Mary A. McGinnis, 43, secretary (wool office); John B. McGinnnis, 36, salesman (wholesale leather); George P. McGinnis, 33, installer (radiator company); and Louise P. McGinnis, 31, artist (greeting cards). The house was valued at $16,000.
The McGinnis family was listed first at this address in 1928. The oldest son John B. was listed through 1930.The father John J., who was shown as retired after 1938, was listed through 1940. The rest of the family was listed through 1941.
Following the McGinnis family at this address were Marjorie L. and William J. Braden. William was listed as a manager. No further information is available.
]]>Year Built: Permit Date: |
1927 10/27/1927 |
Architect: | Burdo & Boyd |
Builder: | Burdo & Boyd |
Cost to Build: | $12,000 |
Owner (On Permit Date): |
Burdo & Boyd, Fitchburg |
First Residents: | John J. & Hannah F. McGinnis |
This house, one of two built on Tappan Street as part of the Blake Park development, was designed and constructed by Burdo & Boyd, builders who were also responsible for nine other Blake Park houses.
109 Tappan was the home at first to the McGinnis family, including John and Hannah McGinnis and their four adult children. John J. McGinnis (born c1860 in New York) was a public school custodian. He and Hannah (also born c1860) were both the children of Irish immigrants.
The McGinnis' oldest child, Mary (born c1887) was listed as a secretary and stenographer in the Brookline Street List. The 1930 U.S. Census showed her as a secretary at a wool company. The second child, John B. (1894-1980) was a wholesale leather salesman. (His World War I draft registration showed him as a sole sorter for the Armour Leather Company.) His brother George (born c1897) was listed as a salesman in the Street List. The 1930 Census showed him as an installer for a radiator company. The younger daughter in the family, Louise (born c1900), was an artist at a greeting card company.
The complete 1930 U.S. Census listing showed the residents as: John J. McGinnis, 70, custodian (public school), born New York; Hannah F. McGinnis, 70; Mary A. McGinnis, 43, secretary (wool office); John B. McGinnnis, 36, salesman (wholesale leather); George P. McGinnis, 33, installer (radiator company); and Louise P. McGinnis, 31, artist (greeting cards). The house was valued at $16,000.
The McGinnis family was listed first at this address in 1928. The oldest son John B. was listed through 1930.The father John J., who was shown as retired after 1938, was listed through 1940. The rest of the family was listed through 1941.
Following the McGinnis family at this address were Marjorie L. and William J. Braden. William was listed as a manager. No further information is available.
One of 10 houses in Blake Park constructed by the builders Burdo & Boyd, 109 Welland was the first of five in a row they built at this end of Welland Road.
The first residents were Katherine M. Blumpey, her sister Marguerite L. Bruni and Marguerite's husband Gino L. Bruni. The sisters did not have any occupation listed. Gino Bruni (born in Italy c1882, came to the U.S. c1900) was shown as an artist. (The 1930 U.S. Census showed him as having his own studio. In the 1920 Census he was listed as a card publisher.)
The 1930 U.S. Census, which showed Katherine Blumpey as the head of household, listed the residents as: Katherine M. Blumpey, 50; Marguerite L. Bruni, 51 (sister); and Gino L. Bruni, 48 (brother-in-law), artist (own studio). The house was valued at $20,000.
Katherine Blumpey (born c1879) was listed at this address in the Street List from1930 to 1933; Marguerite Bruni (born c1880) from 1931 to 1933; and Gino Bruni from 1931 to 1932.
The next residents of this house were Joseph and Augusta Hurwitz, about whom little information is available. No ages were given for them in the four years they were listed at this address in the Street List (1934 to 1937) and no occupation was listed until the last year when Joseph's occupation was shown as "furniture."
Following the Hurwitzes here were Joseph S. and Sadie R. Baram, first listed at this address in 1938. Joseph Baram (1885-1970?) was in the wholesale meat business. He and his wife Sadie (1891-1973?) were listed here until the late 1950s.
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Year Built:
Permit Date: |
1928 12/29/1928 |
Architect:
|
Burdo & Boyd |
Builder:
|
Burdo & Boyd |
Cost to Build:
|
$10,000 |
Owner
(On Permit Date): |
Burdo & Boyd, 12 Stanton Road |
First Residents:
|
Katherine M. Blumpey |
One of 10 houses in Blake Park constructed by the builders Burdo & Boyd, 109 Welland was the first of five in a row they built at this end of Welland Road.
The first residents were Katherine M. Blumpey, her sister Marguerite L. Bruni and Marguerite's husband Gino L. Bruni. The sisters did not have any occupation listed. Gino Bruni (born in Italy c1882, came to the U.S. c1900) was shown as an artist. (The 1930 U.S. Census showed him as having his own studio. In the 1920 Census he was listed as a card publisher.)
The 1930 U.S. Census, which showed Katherine Blumpey as the head of household, listed the residents as: Katherine M. Blumpey, 50; Marguerite L. Bruni, 51 (sister); and Gino L. Bruni, 48 (brother-in-law), artist (own studio). The house was valued at $20,000.
Katherine Blumpey (born c1879) was listed at this address in the Street List from1930 to 1933; Marguerite Bruni (born c1880) from 1931 to 1933; and Gino Bruni from 1931 to 1932.
The next residents of this house were Joseph and Augusta Hurwitz, about whom little information is available. No ages were given for them in the four years they were listed at this address in the Street List (1934 to 1937) and no occupation was listed until the last year when Joseph's occupation was shown as "furniture."
Following the Hurwitzes here were Joseph S. and Sadie R. Baram, first listed at this address in 1938. Joseph Baram (1885-1970?) was in the wholesale meat business. He and his wife Sadie (1891-1973?) were listed here until the late 1950s.
"Another chance soon came," according to a biography of Drinker in Science and Its Times, "when Barret Hoyt, a Harvard senior, was dying from polio because his lungs were paralyzed."
The student's physician [the account continued] begged Drinker to bring the machine to the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. The big machine would not fit in a taxi, and they had no time to get a truck. They finally tied the iron lung to the top of the cab and made it to the hospital just before the patient arrived. Hoyt was barely breathing, but the machine forced air in and out of his lungs for four weeks. The "iron lung" never faltered and immediately became standard equipment to help people not only with polio, but with all types of respiratory failure, including gas poisoning and acute alcoholism. The iron lung became known as the "Drinker Respirator."
The device was credited with saving hundreds of lives and was particularly valuable prior to the introduction of the Salk vaccine for polio in 1955. In addition to his work on the iron lung, Drinker did pioneering work on occupational medicine, air pollution, and bioengineering. He died in 1972.
Susan Drinker (1899-1997) was born in Rhode Island and married Philip Drinker c1925. In the 1930 U.S. Census, the residents of the house were listed as: Phillip Drinker, 35, professor (education); Susan A. Drinker, 30; Susan G. Drinker, 2; and Mary E. Drinker, <1; plus two servants, Sadie F. McLeod, 44, nurse, born Canada, and Jeane Crowel, 28, cook, born Canada. The house was valued at $20,000.
Following the Drinkers at 11 Lowell Road was the family of Harold and Marie Coughlin, listed here in the Street List from 1935 to 1941. Harold Coughlin was a cotton salesman.
The next owners of this house, living here for nearly 60 years, were Helen and Aryeh "Dick" Friedman. Dick Friedman (1904-1999) was in the real estate business for many years and was town assessor for Brookline from 1965 to 1975.
Helen Loesar Friedman (1909-2002) was born in Buffalo and came to Boston to attend Simmons College, where she earned bachelor's and master's degrees in social work. A social worker for more than 40 years, she worked for several local agencies, including Boston Family Services, the Boston Association for Retarded Children, the New England Memorial Society, and the Florence Crittenton Hastings House.
The Friedmans had four children. Their son Dick, who followed his father into the real estate business, is the developer of the Charles Hotel in Cambridge, the Marriott Courtyard in Coolidge Corner, and other properties.
Photo courtesy of Children's Hospital, Boston
Philip Drinker (1894-1972) the co-inventor of the iron lung, was a professor of industrial hygiene at the Harvard School of Public Health. Son of a former president of Lehigh University, Drinker graduated from Lehigh in 1917 and began teaching at Harvard in 1921. In 1928, working with his brother Cecil (later dean of the Harvard School of Public Health) and fellow professor Louis Agassiz Shaw, he developed the artificial breathing machine and first used it on an eight-year old girl at Boston's Children's Hospital.
"Another chance soon came," according to a biography of Drinker in Science and Its Times, "when Barret Hoyt, a Harvard senior, was dying from polio because his lungs were paralyzed."
The student's physician [the account continued] begged Drinker to bring the machine to the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. The big machine would not fit in a taxi, and they had no time to get a truck. They finally tied the iron lung to the top of the cab and made it to the hospital just before the patient arrived. Hoyt was barely breathing, but the machine forced air in and out of his lungs for four weeks. The "iron lung" never faltered and immediately became standard equipment to help people not only with polio, but with all types of respiratory failure, including gas poisoning and acute alcoholism. The iron lung became known as the "Drinker Respirator."
The device was credited with saving hundreds of lives and was particularly valuable prior to the introduction of the Salk vaccine for polio in 1955. In addition to his work on the iron lung, Drinker did pioneering work on occupational medicine, air pollution, and bioengineering. He died in 1972.
Susan Drinker (1899-1997) was born in Rhode Island and married Philip Drinker c1925. In the 1930 U.S. Census, the residents of the house were listed as: Phillip Drinker, 35, professor (education); Susan A. Drinker, 30; Susan G. Drinker, 2; and Mary E. Drinker, <1; plus two servants, Sadie F. McLeod, 44, nurse, born Canada, and Jeane Crowel, 28, cook, born Canada. The house was valued at $20,000.
Following the Drinkers at 11 Lowell Road was the family of Harold and Marie Coughlin, listed here in the Street List from 1935 to 1941. Harold Coughlin was a cotton salesman.
The next owners of this house, living here for nearly 60 years, were Helen and Aryeh "Dick" Friedman. Dick Friedman (1904-1999) was in the real estate business for many years and was town assessor for Brookline from 1965 to 1975.
Helen Loesar Friedman (1909-2002) was born in Buffalo and came to Boston to attend Simmons College, where she earned bachelor's and master's degrees in social work. A social worker for more than 40 years, she worked for several local agencies, including Boston Family Services, the Boston Association for Retarded Children, the New England Memorial Society, and the Florence Crittenton Hastings House.
The Friedmans had four children. Their son Dick, who followed his father into the real estate business, is the developer of the Charles Hotel in Cambridge, the Marriott Courtyard in Coolidge Corner, and other properties.
Photo courtesy of Children's Hospital, Boston