Oliver Peabody House
224 Adams Street
Milton, Mass.
Year Built: 1875
Year Demolished: 1951
Sturgis & Brigham designed a house for Oliver Peabody in 1875 that replaced an earlier house on the site.
According to Teele's History of Milton: "Thomas S. Briggs built a house on the site of Col. O.W. Peabody's house in 1830. Rev. Dr. Lothrop purchased of Briggs and lived in the house several years. He then sold the house, which was removed to position on the avenue now leading to the estate of Col. W. H. Forbes and was occupied by Rev. Chandler Robbins. In 1851 Dr.Lothrop built a new house, which in turn was taken down a few year since, and the mansion of Col. Peabody erected."
Brigham wrote:
"The Peabody estimates were given in last Saturday week and were very satisfactory, greatly to Mr. Peabody’s delight. It had been a little alarmed as I wrote you for fear the mechanics would be frightened at the length of the specifications which covered 46 pages. You know we told him it could be built for 24 to $25,000. The estimates on carpentry varied from $19,859 (J.H. Burt & Co.) to $15,635 (Edgett); Whitcomb being a little above Edgett. The masonry from $8,575 (Keening & Tellows(?)) to $6,269.50 (Tarbox). Plumbing from $1,265 to $850 (Trainer). We commenced work on excavating immediately and today the stone work is begun and the contracts filled out and signed. Mr. Peabody has added to the contracts several items such as additional set(?) bowls(?), a very large cistern in the old cellar, so the contracts now stand:
Carpentry $16,414
Masonry $6,269.50
Plumbing $1,120
Total $23,803.50"
Oliver Peabody (1834-1896), founding partner of Kidder, Peabody and Company, used the estate as his summer home. It was sold by the family in 1911 to Charles Pierce (1874-1949), who lived there year round. Pierce was VP and director of AT&T and Milton Town Meeting Moderator. His son Henry Pierce inherited the house and demolished the house in 1951 for the present modern house at 224 Adams Street.
References
• Teele's History of Milton (1886)
• Letters from Charles Brigham and John Hubbard Sturgis, August 16, 1875 and September 6, 1875, Sturgis Papers, Boston Athenaeum Library.
• E-mail conversation with the Milton Historical Society.
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