A beautiful brick Colonial Revival house in Salem came on the market last week, so I stopped by to check it out on my way to school. Fairfield Street, its location, is just off Lafayette in the midst of the area that was completely devastated by the Salem Fire of 1914. Almost immediately after the Fire, its property owners committed to a plan of relatively rapid rebuilding and this strident street emerged as prime evidence of Salem’s renewal. This is certainly the theme of Salem author/photographer Mary Harrod Northend’s article in the Fall 1920 edition of The House Beautiful: “Worthwhile Houses Built in Salem since the Great Conflagration of 1914”, which features 11 Fairfield Street along with its neighboring structures–many built of solid, more flame-retardant materials like brick and stucco–built to last, with myriad details representative of their owners’ and architects’ appreciation of the “old-time architecture” of Salem. In the particular case of 11 Fairfield, the owner was George W. Hooper, owner of the Salem Laundry, and the architect was Robert. C. Boit of Boston: the house is dated 1914, so they must have made their contract while the embers of that June were still smoldering!
The George W. Hooper House, designed by Robert C. Boit, 1914, as featured in its present-day listing and in The House Beautiful, no. 49 (1920)–on the right.
April 26th, 2014 at 9:40 am
Another great posting!
Btw Donna they tore down the willows cottage.
April 26th, 2014 at 9:42 am
Thanks–and Oh no! So sad.
April 26th, 2014 at 9:46 am
Love this house!
April 26th, 2014 at 10:43 am
It does look beautiful, inside and out–you could buy it and come back to Salem!
April 26th, 2014 at 1:26 pm
As the listing agent I can vouch for the integrity of the home – even 5 of the 6 baths are vintage w/subway tile and clawfoot tubs! The owners have done a beautiful job of refurbishing the original windows, shutters, leaded glass and beautiful woodwork. It’s an open house tomorrow 4/27 from 11:30 to 1:30 if you want to appreciate it in person!
April 26th, 2014 at 4:33 pm
Wow, I love this house and it looks like it’s been beautifully maintained. Seems like a lot of house for the money. I might move to Salem one day when I don’t have to be in Boston everyday.
April 26th, 2014 at 7:07 pm
You would love Salem, Steve–I’ve never been among such house-crazy people! And you do get a lot for your money (at least from a Boston-Cambridge perspective). We have a train!
April 26th, 2014 at 7:20 pm
I wonder if I’ve passed this house. We’re in Salem all the time and once we get out of the penny arcades we usually take walks down the more scenic streets.
April 28th, 2014 at 8:28 am
What a beauty. It may not have been built with all the amenities we have today, but it exudes class.
April 28th, 2014 at 9:07 am
Donna,
How did you happen upon the House Beautiful article? My house may have been featured in the same issue (or one around there) and I have been searching on and off for years to find it.
Thanks,
Matt
April 28th, 2014 at 3:03 pm
I’m sorry, Matt–should have put the link in here: it is digitized but the Salem Athenaeum has a hard copy–http://books.google.com/books?id=NbQ7AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA193&lpg=PA193&dq=Salem+Houses+House+Beautiful&source=bl&ots=CDLHu3yEd4&sig=ohDX7Ip3FAqdh6DY5cw3t2AU9ow&hl=en&sa=X&ei=sbNeU6bEF6_NsQS6mYAQ&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Salem%20Houses%20House%20Beautiful&f=false. And yes, your house is in there!