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History
“I want a
House of moderate costs and dimensions.“
With these words, “Ned”
Perkins outlined his vision in a letter to his cousin and architect, John
Hubbard Sturgis. Having lost his house by fire in 1868 and sick at heart
over this loss, Perkins sojourned to Europe for a year.
Pinebank is was situated on a promontory overlooking Jamaica Pond. Its
name, “Pinebank”, is was derived from the stately pines that filter the
view of the pond from the brick south patio. It remains
was the only original
building in Boston’s Emerald Necklace Park system designed in the
1890’s by Frederick Law Olmsted.
The first Pinebank was
built as a summer home in 1806 by James Perkins, senior partner in the China Trade shipping firms of James
and Thomas Handasyd
Perkins.
(Thomas
bequeathed funds to start what was is now known as Perkins School for
the Blind in Watertown, MA.) His
grandson, James Newton “Ned” Perkins, replaced it in 1848 with an
elegant mansard-roofed home for year-round use. After this burned down in
1868, sick at heart, he instructed architect John Hubbard Sturgis “I do
not want to recall the old house; that is a picture for memory.” The
result was a new “English” Queen Anne-style house on the same
foundation. The ornamental brick, specially imported from England, and
terra-cotta tiles, were later more extensively used in the first Museum of
Fine Arts in Copley Square (Edward Perkins served as Chairman of the
Building Commission). It was demolished in 1906. Sturgis continued using these architectural
embellishments in Boston’s Back Bay. Two of the most well-known examples
are the Ames-Webster mansion at the corner of Dartmouth Street and
Commonwealth Ave. and the Church of the Advent on Brimmer Street.
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Boys gather for Saturday morning field
trip (c. 1915) |
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"The
present Pinebank is a building of unusual importance in American
architectural history" (Boston Landmarks Commission report)
A side view shows graffiti and neglect |
Fearing
that Jamaica Pond commercial ice-making houses would expand and eliminate
any potential for creating a park, the City of Boston purchased a few of
these estates in the early 1890’s during the creation of Jamaica Park.
Olmsted
considered the architecture and siting of the English-influenced
Pinebank country estate to be in keeping with his vision of a pastoral
setting. According to the Boston Landmarks Commission report,
"Olmsted incorporated it into his design as a refectory, although it
never served as such".
In
1913, Pinebank became the first Children’s Museum, and served the
children of Boston 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. Since then, fires in 1976 and 1978 have destroyed
the interior and seriously damaged the roof.
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Ravaged by fire and vandals, the
interior needs complete reconstruction |
In
1987, Pinebank, as a structure in Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace Park
system, became listed on the State and National Register of Historic
Places.
Restoration was also recommended in the Emerald Necklace Master Plan.
In
1996, Historic Massachusetts, Incorporated, named Pinebank as one of the
ten most endangered historic resources.
For
decades, this architectural gem
languished behind a chain-link fence, overgrown
with weeds.
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