Frederick Ayer Mansion facts for kids
|
Frederick Ayer Mansion
|
|
|
U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
|
 |
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Location | Boston, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Part of | Back Bay Historic District (ID73001948) |
| NRHP reference No. | 05000459 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
|
| Added to NRHP | April 5, 2005 |
| Designated NHL | April 5, 2005 |
| Designated CP | August 14, 1973 |
The Frederick Ayer Mansion is a very special old house in Boston, Massachusetts. It's located on 395 Commonwealth Avenue in the Back Bay area. This mansion is so important that it's been named a National Historic Landmark.
It used to be the home of Frederick Ayer, who owned a big company called the American Woolen Company. What makes this house truly amazing is the beautiful designs inside and outside, created by a famous artist named Louis Comfort Tiffany. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
Contents
A Special House by a Famous Artist
The Ayer Mansion was built in 1900. It was designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany along with Alfred J. Manning. This house is one of only three places left where you can see Tiffany's original interior designs. The other two are the Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain House) in Hartford, Connecticut (built in 1881) and the Ferry House in Seattle, Washington (built between 1903 and 1906).
What makes the Ayer Mansion truly unique is that Tiffany also designed colorful mosaics for the outside of the building. The only other building known to have this feature by Tiffany was his own home, called Laurelton Hall. Sadly, Laurelton Hall was destroyed in a fire in the 1950s. While some pieces from his home are now in museums, the Ayer Mansion is the only place where you can see Tiffany's original designs both inside and outside the building, still in their original spots.
What Happened to the Mansion?
After Frederick Ayer passed away in 1918, his family sold the mansion. It was then changed into office spaces.
In 1964, two groups called the Trimount Foundation and the Bayridge Residence and Cultural Center bought the Ayer Mansion and the buildings next to it. Today, these buildings are used as private homes for college students in the area. Sometimes, special tours are given of the public rooms where Tiffany's designs have been kept safe.
Bringing the Mansion Back to Life
Since the Trimount and Bayridge Residence and Cultural Center bought the mansion, they have done a lot of work to fix it up. The first big change happened in 1971–72 when the two buildings were connected.
In 1999, a group of architects looked at the building to see what needed to be fixed and how to do it. One of the first projects was to uncover a large, beautiful ceiling light that had been hidden for fifty years. The front living room was also restored in 2000. They removed a false ceiling that was put in when the building became offices. This revealed the original ceiling with its lovely flower patterns. The special wooden floor was also fixed up. In 2002, the colorful mosaic in the main hall inside the mansion was restored.
Right now, people are working to restore the outside of the building. This project includes fixing four of the seven mosaics on the outside balcony. These mosaics were damaged or lost because of water. They also plan to recreate two missing stained glass screens on the first floor, restore another window on the first floor, and recreate a missing stained glass screen on the top floor.
Images for kids
-
The mansion's central stairway
-
Detail of mosaic design in the central hall
-
Detail of the original ceiling in the living room
-
Center stair and original light designed by Tiffany
-
Bayridge Residence & Cultural Center sign next to front gate of Ayer Mansion
-
Exterior mosaic detail above the main entrance
-
Stained glass window seen in exterior detail image
