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The Moun T Vernon Propr Ietors, Organ Ized by Harr Ison Gray Otis, Were a Gro up of Specu Lators Which Included Jonatha N Mason

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The Moun T Vernon Propr Ietors, Organ Ized by Harr Ison Gray Otis, Were a Gro up of Specu Lators Which Included Jonatha N Mason I The Moun t Vernon Propr ietors, organ ized by Harr ison Gray Otis, were a gro up of specu lators which included Jonatha n Maso n, Joseph Woodward, Charles Ward Apthorp, Hephzibah Swan, Henry Jackson, Dr. Benjam in Joy, William Scollay and Charles Bulfinch. These individ uals formed the first organize d real estate associa tion in America . O tis, one of the wealthiest men ill Boston, grew up near Bulfinch in Bowdoin Square and gradua ted from Harvard two years after him. He was a busi nessman, a Boston Federalist Party politician, and a lawyer. At various times he served as Senator of Massachuse tts. member of the House of Representatives, and Un ited S tates Attorney for the Distric t of Massachusetts . He was also the third Mayor of Bosto n. Otis was em ployed to oversee the purc hase of John Hancock's land for Harrison GrayOtis the construction of the Massachuse tts State House. At the same time, he CourtesyHis toric New England organized the Proprie tors to privately buy 18 acres of additional land on nearby Beacon Hill owned by the artist John Singleton Copley. Copley, a Loyalist, was in England at the time of the sale which was organ ized by his agent in the United States. Copley fought the sale for decades, though construction began none theless. Beacon Hill, largely utilized as pasture before the 19th centur y, was now the site of the Massachusetts State House and would soon be popu lated by the mans ions an d townh ouses of the wealthy. As a memb er of the Proprie tors, Char les Bttlfinch designed the stree ts and many of the houses built on the 18 acres of land b ounded by Louisburg Sqttare, Beacon, Walnut an d Mou nt Vernon Streets . As a consequence of the State House construction an d the rapid development of the area arou nd the Common, the Almsho use was moved from its location at Beacon and Park Streets to Leverett Street (1799-1801). Records show that Bulfinch was the architect of the new Almshottse bttt th ere are no records that suggest he was paid for the project, the cost of which was almost $50,000. Although the building no longer exists, a descr iption details the arche d windows, wide staircases and the basement, furn ished with th ree kitchens. A time line of Bulfinch-designed town houses on Beacon Hill suggests that his first were com missioned by Jonathan Maso n an d Hephzibah Swan. Mason had four townho uses bu ilt for his da ugh ters in 1804 on Moun t Vernon Street, where his own mans ion stood. Swan similarly had three townhouses built for her da ughters at 13, 15, and 17 Chestnut Street (1805-07). In John Phillips Houseb uilt 1805 1817, Bulfinch designed Swan's own house on Beacon Hill at 16 Chestn ut Courtesy Boston Public Library Street. A close friend, Bulfinch had already designed a summer home for Swan across Dorchester Bay. The French inspi red mansion was com pleted in 1796, and was well known for its two story circu lar room which gave the ma nsion its name, 'Rou nd House.' The collectio n of houses bu ilt for Mason and Swan all have similar design features, most notab ly the corn ices and arched, recessed windows . Possibly designed at the same time, the Thomas Perk ins house at the corner of Joy and Mount Vernon Streets buil t in 1804- Jonathan Mason House 1825 05 can't be clear ly attrib utable to Bulfinch Courtesy Boston Public Library though the arc hed recessed windows on the first floor are in Bulfinch's style. Bulfinch designed three homes for Otis . The first Harri son Gray Otis House was buih at Cambr idge and Lynde Streets H (c.i s1796),toric Newand isE nnowglan thed. Olocattis' secondion of house was built in 1800 at 85 Mount Vernon Street. Otis inhabited the third house in 1806, this one built at 45 Beacon Street. Otis may have moved quickly from his second to his third home because of the construction of town houses which obstructe d his view of the Comm on. The Mou nt Vernon Propr ieto rs also planne d Louisburg Square, one of two London-style private gardens in the United States at the time. The plan was most likely laid out by Bulfinch and then bu ilt by the Proprie tors (c. 1829). The resu lting square was smaller than the par k Bulfinch had designed and was name d for the Louisbourg Battle of l745, when militia men led by Wi lliam Pepperrell sacked the French fortr ess of Louisbourg. With the construction of the gated garden the Proprie tors put the finish ing touches on their exclusive Beacon Hill real estate, an em blem of Boston and sought after to th is day. Thomas Paine House built 1804 Courtesy WestE nd Museum Louisburg Square c. 1930 CourtesyBos ton Public Library .
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