Pinebank Mansion
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Built in 1868 by John Hubbard Sturgis, Pinebank Mansion is a Queen Anne-style house that sits on a hill overlooking Jamaica Pond in Boston, Massachusetts. Pinebank remains the only original building in Frederick Law Olmsted's Emerald Necklace Park system. In 1913, Pinebank Mansion became home to Boston's first Children's Museum. A fire swept through the house in 1976, destroying the interior and much of the roof. In 1987, Pinebank Mansion was listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places and in 1996, Historic Massachusetts listed Pinebank as one of the state's top ten most endangered historic places. Crews of workmen have begun to remove the brick facade of Pinebank in January 2007 and Pinebank faces most certain demolition
[edit] History
The Queen-Anne Style Pinebank is the third house that sat on the site overlooking Jamaica Pond. The first house 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.His grandson, James Newton “Ned” Perkins, replaced the first house in 1848 with an elegant mansard-roofed home for year-round use. After this burned down in 1868, Ned instructed architect John Hubbard Sturgis to build the third Pinebank house. 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.
[edit] Demolition & Future Plans
In January 2007, the city of Boston opted to go ahead with plans to demolish Pinebank; now the historic mansion stands no more. Three different options to memoralize Pinebank have been presented by Victor Walker of Walker Kluesing Design Group, all three of which use the original footprint of the mansion in their designs.
Saving a Jewel of the Emerald Necklace
 Pinebank with Facade gone |
 Behind the demolition fence |
