Oliver Wendell Holmes House facts for kids
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Oliver Wendell Holmes House in Beverly
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Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. House in 2012
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | Beverly, Massachusetts |
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| Built | 1909 |
| Architect | Marshall, Asa Obear |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 72001301 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | November 28, 1972 |
| Designated NHL | November 28, 1972 |
The Oliver Wendell Holmes House is a special historic home in Beverly, Massachusetts. It's located at 868 Hale Street. This house was built around 1880. It became famous because it was the summer home of a very important judge, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.. He was an Associate Justice on the highest court in the United States.
The house is a National Historic Landmark. This means it's a place of great national importance. It's the only building still standing that is directly linked to Justice Holmes's life. He lived here during the summers from 1909 until he passed away in 1935.
Contents
About the Holmes House
This house is a two-and-a-half story building. It is made of wood and has a steeply sloped roof. There are three brick chimneys on the house. The outside walls are covered with wooden boards called clapboards.
The front of the house has decorative shingles. These shingles are also on the sides of a small window structure called a dormer. The house has a shape like the letter "T". There was once a porch that wrapped around two sides. Part of this porch has now been closed in.
House Layout and Features
At the back of the house, there is a full-sized section. This part was used for service areas. Behind the main house, you can find a carriage house. This building was once used to store carriages. A gravel driveway leads from the street. It goes around the north side of the house. The driveway then leads to the carriage house.
History of the Holmes House
The Oliver Wendell Holmes House was built between 1875 and 1880. A person named Asa Obear Marshall built it. His widow later sold the house to Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. in 1909.
Justice Holmes and his family lived here during the warmer months. They usually stayed from June to October. The rest of the year, they lived in Washington, D.C..
Holmes's Summer Work and Guests
Even during his summers in Beverly, Justice Holmes continued to work. He would review legal cases. He also welcomed many important people to his home. These guests included other famous judges and politicians.
Some of his well-known visitors were Louis Brandeis and Henry Cabot Lodge. He also met Albert Beveridge here. It was at this house that Holmes met Harold Laski. Laski was a British politician and economist. Holmes and Laski kept in touch for many years through letters.
After Justice Holmes passed away in 1935, the house was sold. Its contents, like furniture and books, were given to different places. The house is still privately owned today.
