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Edmund Fowle House receives 2008 MHC Preservation Award
May, 2008: The Edmund Fowle House received the 2008 Preservation Award from the Massachusetts Historical Commission at a special ceremony on May 29th, 2008. Secretary Galvin presented the award in a special ceremony at the Massachusetts Archives. McGinley Kalsow & Associates lead the team of preservation consultants that restored the historic house in Watertown.
The house was constructed in 1772 on Mount Auburn Street in Watertown. In 1775 the unfinished second floor was finished to use by the Governor’s Council for the 2nd and 3rd Provincial Congresses which used the house during the British occupation of Boston. The Governor’s Council is the predecessor of today’s Governor’s Council for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Edmund Fowle House and the Longfellow House were key houses for the leadership of the American cause. After the occupation of Boston ended, the house returned to residential use by the Fowle family and the meeting room divided into three rooms. Evidence of the original meeting room was further lost in 1872 when the house was converted into a two family rental property.
The restoration uncovered the location and configuration of the very significant Meeting Room so that it could be restored to its 1775-1776 appearance when it was used by the Governor’s Council. Modern amenities needed for a code complying total preserved house museum were designed and incorporated in the non –historic part of the house. An accessible public entrance was incorporated on the South side of the house. The focus of the restoration project was to restore the exterior of the house to its 1872 appearance when it moved to 28 Marshall Street and the interior of the house to its 1775-1776 appearance when it played a major role in the country’s history. Additional evidence of original fabric was uncovered by Andrew Ladygo, from Architectural Conservation Services, and the North Bennett Street School staff led by Robert Adam as more recent construction was removed. The restoration project was made possible through funding by the Massachusetts Historical Commission and the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism.
The Fowle House is owned by the Historical Society of Watertown and it is operated as museum. Its grand re-opening on May 17th featured local minutemen. |
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