Quincy, Mass. Historical and Architectural Survey

1246-1250 Hancock Street

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
In 1857 Cotton C. Johnson, who owned an apothecary at 73 Hancock Street (old address), was the owner of a large lot (29,195 square feet) on Hancock Street which today encompasses 1246-1250 Hancock Street, 15 Saville Avenue and 14 and 16 Faxon Avenue of the Quincy Center Local Historic District. By 1888 Johnson had built a large house on the lot. Eugene S. Taylor, a Boston dentist and his wife, Fannie M., had bought approximately half the lot or 14,930 square feet by 1897, and it is unclear whether their house at 1246-1250 Hancock Street was the old Johnson house very altered, or an entirely new home. In any case the Taylors remained in residence past 1923 with Fannie Taylor apparently operating the "Hotel Curtis" on the premises in 1922. The present "Curtis Block", built in the 1920' s, used to wrap around the former Taylor house and on the north side of the building a bay window may still be seen. In the 1980's the second story of the house was removed.

BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES
H. F. Walling. "Map of the Town of Quincy".1857.
Atlas of Norfolk County, Mass. 1876.
Robinson's Atlas of Norfolk County. 1888.
Atlas of the City of Quincy. 1897.
Atlas of the City of Quincy. 1907.
Atlas of the City of Quincy. 1923.
Quincy City Directories. 1878, 1888.

ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:
This brick one story group of retail establishments is housed in a simple commercial structure, functional and devoid of ornamentation. It ressembles 1043-1051 located further north on Hancock Street in the severity of its design and construction date, the early 1920s. The store openings are plain squares of glass framed by brick piers, brick dados and a panel above for signage. The whole is unified under a banded cornice. Unlike other corner structures, this one does not chamfer at the corner. It is a component in the Quincy Center Local Historic District.

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