Quincy, Mass. Historical and Architectural Survey

40 Crabtree Road

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
Squantum, Quincy's northern peninsula, is bounded by East Squantum Street (west), Dorchester Bay (north), and Quincy Bay (south, east). Like its North Quincy neighbors, Atlantic and Montclair, it was once part of Dorchester. These three neighborhoods, along with the Old North Precinct, which had split off from Braintree, became part of the Town of Quincy in 1792. At least two notable historic events took place at Squantum: In 1621 Myles Standish, and the Indian Squanto, made their first landfall in Squantum and in 1812 the lively Pilgrim's Feast, commemorating the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers at Plymouth, took place. Also like North Quincy, the land surface of Squantum was primarily taken up with large farms. It was farms like the large Edmund Pope, Captain James Hutchins farm and Titus spreads that were subdivided by such developers as C. E. Carlson and John R. Wilson. As late as 1907, Squantum was less than one third developed with the major growth occurring between 1907 and 1923. Although Squantum had been a destination summer resort since the mid 19th century, it was not until after World War I that it truly became a year around community.

This interesting $13,000 brick residence was designed by Boston architect James Murraj in 1929 for Owen F. Oakes, a sweater manufacturer. It is built on land that belonged to the family of George F. Burkhardt, a Boston brewer and important Squantum landowner, from 1876 to 1907. By 1911 the property W&S owned by Lotta M. Crabtree, a renowned actress who accumulated large real estate holdings in Squantum. Crabtree (1847-1924) who reached her height of fame in the 1870's and 1880's, retired from the stage at the age of 45, and died in her own hotel ("The Brewster") in Boston.

BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES
Assessors Records.
Building Permit.
William Churchill Edwards. Historic Quincy, Massachusetts, 1957, p. 23, 61-62.
H. Hobart Holly, ed. Quincy: 350 Years, 1974, p. 50.
Paul Robert Lyons. Quincy: A Pictorial History, 1983, p. 16, 23.
Doris Oberg, Quincy Historical Society.
John Ramsdell. "Historic North Quincy [written about 1934]." Quincy Historical Society.

ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:
The bayside residence at 40 Crabtree is a fine example of an eclectic house designed to answer the needs and wishes of the client, eschewing the prevalent Colonial Revival mode for a more unusual style. The house has a picturesque silhouette, a complex roof structure and brick walls punctuated by casement windows of different sizes. The entrance is set within a cottage like porch with an arched opening. Pleasant covered terraces and balconies enliven the wall surfaces which create a pleasing contrast between solids and voids. The most dramatic element of the house is its site right on Quincy Bay from where it has a magnificent view. It is an attractive and interesting component tn the Crabtree Road streetscape.

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