November, 2019 - The Cambridge Historical Commission Blog

Torn Down Tuesday: Willard Phillips House and Barn, 58 Linnaean Street

Posted on November 19, 2019May 14, 2020 by cambridgehistoricalcommission

The Willard Phillips House formerly at 58 Linnaean Street was constructed in 1841 in the then fashionable Gothic Revival architectural style. Willard Phillips was born in 1784 in Bridgewater, MA and graduated Harvard University in 1810. After graduating, Phillips studied law and by 1826, was a member of the legislature and during this time, he was an editor of multiple law review journals which were distributed all over the country. By 1839, he was made judge of probate for Suffolk County and built his home shortly after in Cambridge. He retired from legal practice in 1845 to become the president of the New England Mutual Life Insurance Company, where he remained until 1865 when he retired.

Circa 1930 image of the Willard Phillips House (58 Linnaean Street) courtesy of HOLLIS Images.

After his death, the property remained in the Phillips family who rented the home to Professor John Trowbridge, who was the Director of the Jefferson Physical Laboratory at Harvard. By 1900, 58 Linnaean Street, land which extended from Linnaean Street to Shepard Street and all buildings thereon were conveyed to Radcliffe College, who also purchased the land of Dr. Bemis next door to develop what is known now as the Radcliffe Quad.

The Phillips House became known as the Trowbridge House, a dormitory for students at Radcliffe while the larger brick dormitories along Shepard Street were being constructed. As the Radcliffe Quad developed into the 1920s, open space became a challenge, and many wood-frame dwellings and outbuildings were demolished or moved. The Phillips House eventually was razed in 1951 for Holmes Hall, a wing of Moors Hall.

Detail of Phillips House and barn at rear, undated photo in CHC Archives.

The original Gothic style barn as part of the Phillips estate was moved in 1926 to the rear of 61 Garden Street and redesigned by Mary Almy, a Radcliffe Graduate and principal architect of the firm of Howe, Manning & Almy which was started in 1900 by Lois Lilley Howe. Radcliffe hired the firm to convert the former barn structure into a field house for athletics on the Radcliffe Quad.

Photograph of Phillips Estate barn at second location behind 61 Garden Street. Image part of MIT Special Collections. Circa 1926.

Location of former Phillips estate barn after renovation to Radcliffe Field House behind 61 Garden Street (Edmands House, dormitory). 1950s Sanborn Map.

The Field House was redesigned in the Colonial Revival style and was nearly indistinguishable from the former barn besides the bargeboards at the side gable of the roof which were retained to showcase the history of the structure.

1968 Photo of Radcliffe Field House taken by CHC.

Ca. 1930s view of Radcliffe Field House, courtesy of HOLLIS Images.

Plans and documents which are in the Howe, Manning & Almy Special Collection at the MIT Special Archives showcase the drawings and floor plans of the space even down to the large wooden beam at the mantle on the interior which reads “In Memory of Rosamond Claire Esty 1925”. Ms. Esty, 22, was a recent Radcliffe graduate who was swept from a ledge in Rockport by rogue waves in and despite her brothers attempts to save her, died in the surf.

1930s interior of Radcliffe Field House and carved wooden mantle reading “In Memory of Rosamond Claire Esty 1925”.

Photo of Radcliffe Field House proposed front elevation, original at MIT Libraries.

The Field House was a success and saw heavy use until the 1960s when the building became known by the College as a “necking hangout”. Radcliffe allowed its female students to study in the Field House with a male companion until midnight by requiring students to sign out a key held at nearby Holmes Hall; this made the Field House the only building at Radcliffe legally available to Radcliffe students and their dates every night. Articles explained that the key was often signed out under assumed names and would go missing and unauthorized duplicates later would proliferate through the Quad.

Radcliffe and Harvard Students posing at recently completed Radcliffe Field House, ca. 1930. Image courtesy of HOLLIS Images.

The Field House was razed by 1970 for the construction of the Currier House.

T.J. Flynn Metal Works Inc.

Posted on November 18, 2019May 14, 2020 by cambridgehistoricalcommission

Today we are highlighting some archival photographs that we recently digitized. In our archive’s stacks there is a flat box housing seven mounted photographs associated with the T.J. Flynn Metal Works Inc., a 20^th century Cambridge business.

Life raft metal cross-section. T.J. Flynn Metal Works Collection, CHC.

The earliest reference to the company was in 1914, when Thaddeus J. Flynn’s T.J. & Sons Co., Sheetmetal Works, was located on Albany Street in Cambridgeport. This family company witnessed many location changes from 1914 to the 1930s. In 1918 it was at 37 Albany Street, then it moved to 18-20 Portland Street in 1925, and in 1930 it was located at 49 Albany Street. By 1918, the name of the company changed to its more well-known version, T.J. Flynn Metal Works Inc.

Associated with this larger business was Flynn Roofing and Metal Co., run by Flynn’s son, Edmund T. Flynn. It also moved around the neighborhood – residing at 37 Albany Street in 1917, 8 Portland in 1920, then 35 Albany Street between 1921-1922, and subsequently 49 Albany Street in 1937. Unfortunately, none of the original buildings have photographic references in the CHC files and the larger company was officially unincorporated by 1968-1972, although its final locations are unknown.

During the heyday of the T.J. Flynn Metal Works Inc., Thaddeus married Mary A. Flynn. Their son Edmund invented a life-raft design in the early 1900s. The photographs in the CHC’s archival box are accounts of his work.

A polygonal-shaped testing model raft created by Edmund T. Flynn. T.J. Flynn Metal Works Collection, CHC.

It is unknown when these images were taken since they do not reflect Edmund’s patent approved by the U.S. Patent Office on July 16, 1918. His final design notes emphasize how the official raft was “substantially pointed” at each end and that the “buoyant member is non-circular in cross-section.” The polygon version reflected in the photographic images could have been an earlier design Edmund scrapped during his tests at Scituate Harbor. Or, it could have been a later revision since his patent was updated in 1941.

Two unidentified men standing in a raft to demonstrate the submerged section. T.J. Flynn Metal Works Collection, CHC.

Nevertheless, Edmund’s patented life-raft was a success. It was used in both World Wars and it was officially approved for use on ocean, coast, bay, lake and sound vessels by the Department of Commerce.

E.T. Flynn’s patent design authorized by the U.S. Patent Office on July 16, 1918. Patent # 1,272,412. Source: USPTO PatFT database.

Thaddeus also gained a patent in 1929 for a roof drain. A year later, on September 9, 1930, Thaddeus died, and his wife Mary became president of the company. She was assisted by J. Henry Flynn and his wife Belinda S. Flynn, who were first referenced as additional owners of the company in 1925. However, by 1968-1972 the family business had dwindled out. Edmund’s son, Jonathan, opened European Engineering in Belmont, MA in 1958 but it was ultimately a failed venture. Jonathan’s son, Nick, recounts his father’s subsequent journey in “The Button Man,” published in The New Yorker in 2004.

Getting to Know Your CHC Staff: Part 9

Posted on November 5, 2019August 17, 2020 by Brittany F.

Welcome back to our ongoing series featuring the staff members who work here at the CHC! This post introduces our Archives Assistant, Brittany Fox.

Where did you grow up?

I’m a Massachusetts local, through and through. I’ve lived outside of Boston in the very small town of Hopedale for most of my life. Currently about 6,000 residents, it was originally established as a utopian commune.

Where did you go to school? What was your degree?

I got my Bachelor’s in History with a concentration in European history and two minors in English Literature and Film Studies from Salve Regina University, in Newport, R.I. After I graduated, I jumped into my current studies at Simmons University. By the Fall of 2020, I will graduate with two Master’s in History and Library Science with a concentration in archival studies from its SLIS program.

Ochre Court, Salve Regina’s first building

What are your interests or hobbies?

One of my biggest passions is advocating for environmental protection against climate change through my daily activities. I spent four years cleaning up Newport’s beaches as a member of Clean Ocean Access and my undergrad’s Protect Our Wildlife club. My concern also led me to become a vegetarian 4 years ago and I more recently became a vegan almost 2 years ago. I’m also very conscious about my energy and waste consumption– I do a lot of advocacy for proper recycling practices, the benefits of composting, and I often go home to assist my family’s bountiful garden. I bring environmental concerns into my professional roles as well. I follow ProjectARCC, a group of archivists dedicated to protecting collections from climate change, and I give support to many environmentalist efforts, both locally and nationally. Additionally, I’m dedicating my studies in history to becoming a scholar in environmental and ecological history.

The average bounty of my family’s garden on a summer day.

Name some fun facts about you.

I absolutely love to bake! I really love the challenge of making traditional recipes vegan and gluten free.

I have a very close-knit family. Back home, three generations live under one roof. Plus two dogs, Winnie and Daisy, and a cat, Ellie. It’s a full house!

Winnie, Ellie, and Daisy (a self-identifying lapdog)

I quilt and embroider in my down-time.
Once upon a time I was training to become a professional ballerina. And I could sit on my hair; it was that long!

When did you start working at the CHC?

I started as an intern at the CHC last spring as part of my SLIS studies. I had prior experience working at my undergrad’s archives for 4 years, an internship at the Naval War College in Newport, and a summer fellowship at the Newport Historical Society so I was already well-versed in the archival profession. But I fell in love with the CHC, its staff, and Cambridge and they were kind enough to keep me on as a part-time archivist assistant.

What do you like best about working at the CHC?

By far the best part of my job is working with my co-workers. We are truly a team. We both get the work done while having fun doing it. It is also really rewarding to reveal facts and stories about Cambridge that had been hidden until we delve into the topic. We encourage each other to pursue the rabbit holes we stumble upon and I love hearing what the others have found. Cambridge’s history is overflowing and I am so excited each morning to get to work knowing that I will learn something new.

Do you have other professional pursuits?

I am a member of the New England Archivists, the Society of American Archivists, and the Progressive Librarians Guild, three professional organizations that keep me in the thick of things. But I also engage in less formal pursuits– whenever I can, I volunteer at community archives and Digitization Days for repositories largely run by voluntary efforts.

“How Carter’s Ryto Cathedral Bottles can be Converted into Beautiful Electric Lamps” How-to Guide, undated. The leaflet gives detailed instructions on how to repurpose the Cathedral bottles into lamps.

Give us a glimpse into your daily work or a current project.

Currently, I am processing some really interesting collections. I just wrote a finding aid for the Carter Ink Company, now available online HERE (https://www.cambridgema.gov/~/media/Files/historicalcommission/pdf/findingaids/fa_carterink_newoct2019.pdf?la=en) . Processing a collection involves many components. I have to do background research on the history and creators of the records so that I can write a Bio Note. I also physically arrange the collection and gain intellectual control over the material. This includes performing any preservation needs and finding suitable housing. The next step is to reflect its organization in the Description of the finding aid so that the records are findable, and therefore usable. It’s a true balancing act– I have to honor the collections original order while considering how people will likely use the collection. I also make sure to take the time to consider all of the biases inherent in the collection as well as my own personal perspective. Archivists aim for complete transparency and ethical decision-making.

Photographs of local families mounted on card stock taken between 1919-1921.

What is your favorite photograph, artifact, or collection at CHC?

One of my favorite collections is actually one of the first collections I processed. Although a small collection, I love the Benedict Daniels Photograph collection. It contains scrapbook pages created by Miriam Benedict, a Cambridge nurse. The individuals in the collection are unidentified but they may be families or patients she helped during her time as a nurse in the early 1900s. The photos are really heartwarming, and I am enthralled by the mystery of the families’ identities. Maybe someday we will be able to learn their stories. Most of our records relate to the built environment so more personal collections like this one really stick out to me. Check out the collection’s photos on our Flickr page and the finding aid.

What do you like best about living or working in Cambridge?

As of right now I live in Boston proper– near the Fenway. However, it is my ultimate goal to move to Cambridge when I graduate. Fingers crossed!

Thank you, Brittany!