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Ayer, Frederick, Mansion
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| Location: | Boston, Massachusetts |
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| Governing body: | Private |
| NRHP Reference#: |
05000459 [1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP: | April 5, 2005 |
| Designated NHL: | April 5, 2005 |
The Frederick Ayer Mansion is a National Historic Landmark on 395 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts.
The mansion was the home of Frederick Ayer, owner of the American Woolen Company, and features well preserved design work by Louis Comfort Tiffany.[2] The house was added to the National Historic Register in 2005.[1]
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The Ayer Mansion was built in 1900, designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany in a partnership with Alfred J. Manning. It is one of three surviving examples of Tiffany designed interiors. The other two sites are the Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain House) in Hartford, Connecticut (1881), and the Ferry House in Seattle, Washington (1903–1906). What makes the Ayer Mansion so unusual is that Tiffany also designed an exterior mosaic design. The only other building to have included this feature by Tiffany was his private residence, Laurelton Hall. Unfortunately, Laurelton Hall was destroyed in a fire in the 1950s. Individual components from Laurelton Hall survive at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City but the building’s demise results in the Ayer Mansion being the single surviving exterior and interior design still intact.[1] The mansion was sold by the family after Fredrick’s death in 1918. For a short time, it was converted to offices and leased to several agencies. The Trimount Foundation and Bayridge Residence and Cultural Center purchased the buildings in 1964. To this day the Ayer Mansion remains in their care.
Since its purchase by the Trimount and Bayridge Residence and Cultural Center, several renovations have been done to the buildings. The first renovation occurred in 1971-72 when the two buildings were joined together. In 1999, Jean Carroon Architects conducted an assessment of the building’s preservation needs as well as detailed proposal on how to achieve it.[3] The first of the projects outlined was the restoration of a 24 foot lay light which had been concealed for fifty years.[4] Also renovated was the front living room in 2000. The drop ceiling installed when the building was converted into offices was removed to reveal the original floral-patterned ceiling and the parquet floor was also restored. The mosaic on the interior hall was restored in 2002.
Currently, efforts are being made to restore the exterior of the building. The project will include repairing 4 out of the 7 mosaics on the exterior balcony which have been damaged or lost due to water infiltration; recreation of the two missing stained glass screen on the first floor; restoration of the remaining window on the first floor; and recreation of the missing stain glass screen along the top floor.[5]
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