David J. Russo

Charles Brigham Carriage House/Caretaker Cottage

100 Garfield Street
Watertown, Mass.

Year Built: 1909

This Tudor Revival with a full slate roof resting on heavy columns is deceptive in its low appearance, for it actually covers 2½-stories yet maintains a Bungalow style’s low-to-the-earth appearance. Interrupted only by a single shed roof dormer, the roof terminates on the south with three gable extensions on which is Tudor half timbering. Organic brackets support the attic projection. The porch balustrade introduces the use of decorative cement-work in cast circular shapes. Altogether, the house is an imaginative design incorporating current stylistic trends of the Bungalow style with innovative Arts and Crafts, Shingle and even Swiss Chalet features. This house represents the most complex architectural style on the street. The house was built in 1909 as a carriage house and caretaker’s quarters and was originally an outbuilding of Brigham’s master house to the south. The land was subdivided and the house converted to an independent residence in 1938.

References

• Building Permit, Town of Watertown, #724, 10/1/1909, Charles Brigham, architect, noted. William Wilson was the builder.

• Massachusetts Cultural Resources Information System, Massachusetts Historical Commission, Inventory No. WAT.158 (Charles Brigham Caretaker Cottage, 100 Garfield Street, 1910, Charles Brigham, architect).

• “Some Applications and Uses of Stucco Work,” The Building Age, June, 1911, p. 317.