Quincy, Mass. Historical and Architectural Survey

46-48 Buckley Street

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
The Southwest Quincy neighborhood is bounded by the Southeast Expressway (west), Cope1and-Common-Tinson-Suomi-Quarry-Granite (north), the MBTA tracks (east), and the Braintree Town Line (south). Southwest Quincy is similar to West Quincy as it was also the result of the phenomenal expansion of the granite industry which began in the early 19th century. Fueled by the first commercial railway (1826) and new techniques in quarrying stone, growth accelerated well into the 1900's. The late 1860's saw new techniques in polishing stone, which in turn spurred the growth of Southwest Quincy's granite working, polishing, and tool and machine shops. To meet the demands of the industry, the worker population grew and new immigrants, mainly from Sweden, Finland, Scotland, and Italy, settled in the newly subdivided Bass Common and Captain's Plains with the Scandinavian node of settlement located at Brewer's Corners.

This Quincy Cottage at 46-48 Buckley Street was probably built by Joseph Johnson, a partner in Martin Nelson & Co., granite manufacturers and dealers, located at "West Quincy, n. the Milton Line." By 1915. Michael Jacobson, a quarryman, was the new owner. August Lawson, a quarryman and Arvid Gjampera, a stonecutter, were in residence in 1927. The house is located in the Bass' Common area of Southwest Quincy, an area that was subdivided in the 1870's for the settlement of immigrants from Sweden, Finland, and Italy who had come to work in the granite shops and quarries.

BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES
H. Hobart Holly. "Brewer's Corner Formed by Granite Industry". Quincy History. Spring, 1982.
H. Hobart Holly, Quincy Historical Society.
H. Hobart Holly. "Quincy's Granite Hills Were Golden". Quincy History. Spring, 1980.
Walter O. Nisula. "Granite Drew the Finnish to Quincy". Quincy History. Spring, 1984.
"Southwest Quincy: Then and Now". Quincy Neighborhood Housing Services. Text by Julie Johnson. Drawings by Joe Angelis, 1983.
"Walking Tour of Historic Southwest Quincy". Quincy Neighborhood Services, 1984.

ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:
The Massachusetts Historical Commission had added to the architectural nomenclature of Massachusetts the term "Quincy Cottage" ("Southwest Quincy: Then and Now." unpaginated) which refers to the workers' cottages built in Southwest Quincy in the mid 19th certtury. A typical "Quincy Cottage" is a traditional one and one half story rectangular ridge roof structure adapted for two families. The characteristic element of most of these houses is the placement of the front dormers; they pierce not only the lower slope of the roof but also the eave line. The architectural ornamentation reflects the style of the building's date; if the Italianate Style is then in fashion, brackets and porches with square chamefered posts would be applied, or should the Queen Anne style be the current mode, turned posts for the porches and elaborate rails for the balustrade would be used. It was a practical and attractive solution to answer the need to house the important workforce of Southwest Quincy.

This "Quincy Cottage" at 46-48 Buckley is an excellent example of the style. The architectural ornamentation is focused on the front porches, one on each side of the double entrance, joined by a common roof. They are supported by typical Queen Anne turned posts and have interesting cut-out balusters. As the residence is built on a short incline, the granite foundation is particularly high on one side. The ridge roof is pierced by two short chimneys. It is a fine reminder of Southwest Quincy's 19th century history.

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