Quincy, Mass. Historical and Architectural Survey

156 Adams Street

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
Boston leather dealer J. Henry built this fine residence and carriage house complex about 1900. Situated directly across the street from the Vassall House, 135 Adams Street (National Register, 1732), the Emery residence was built on land that had belonged to Charles Francis Adams until his death in the late 1880's and then passed on to his heirs in the form of the Real Estate Trust. Charles Francis Adams (1807-1886), was the son of John Quincy and the minister to Great Britain from 1861-1868 during the Civil War. His two sons, Charles Francis Adams II and John Quincy Adams, were the principal leaders within the Adams Real Estate Trust.

BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES
Assessors Records.
Building Permit, 1916, 1925, 1927, 1941.
Atlas of Norfolk County, Mass, 1876.
Atlas of the City of Quincy, 1897.
Atlas of the City of Quincy, 1907.
Atlas of the City of Quincy, 1923.
H. Hobart Holly, Quincy Historical Society.
Quincy City Directories, 1898, 1915.

ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:
This 1900s clapboarded residence and carriage house are an attractive Colonial Revival complex. Rather than emulating the style of the Vassell-Adams house across the street, it is influenced by its Georgian characteristics. The designer of the house has interpreted the eighteenth century in a grand and original manner. The house, set on spacious grounds, has a steep hip roof with a balustrade (a Federal element ... in 1900 the Georgian, Federal and Greek Revival styles were often all labeled as "colonial"), large square portico supported by double columns (a typical Colonial Revival characteristic), a two story bay window (a hold over of the Queen Anne period) and prominent modillions under the eaves. The front dormer has a particularly fine broken Roman pediment. The fenestration is regular, composed of two over two windows. Of particular note are the corner Ionic pilasters, elegant reminders of the classic past. The facade of the carriage house has a modillioned front gable over a large arched entrance. One and one half story high, it has oculus windows on the upper floors. Its hip roof terminates with an arched and domed cupola. With the exception of the inappropriate cast iron railing on the porches and entrance steps, it is a fine example of an early Colonial Revival style residence and an elegant component of the Quincy Center Local Historic District, relating very well with its historic neighbor across the street.

Back